Double Ovulation/Prelude on Pugs

Question
Hello there. I'm really confused right now. ok, here's the deal, I got a 3 year old pug which was proven once. She gave birth last year, may also.

This may,that was may 9, spotting and bleeding showed in her pee. there was white discharge also. the blood discharge was very minimal, lasted for about 3 days only. no swelling of the vagina.. mens was kind of a spotting..

Went to the vet to have a smear. We did it 2x, it tested on the 3rd day that she was on heat. Got her studded on the 14th, and 16th of may. the 3rd mating was supposedely later tonight, but to our surprise, she had menstruation again. and this time, it's like the true menstruation. her vagina is starting to swell up. could this be a 2X heat?!?

thank you in advance!!

Answer
Hi John:

Hmm, this IS a tricky one! My best guess is she may be experiencing a "split heat" - this is when the normal cycle begins & for some reason, whether it be stress, abnormal hormonal fluctuation, etc. the cycle seemingly stops & at a later date seems to begin again or take up where it left off. I would have a simple blood test done that will check her thyroid to make sure everything is still okay. You can also check her progesterone levels. Her cycle may still come in normal and instead of a "split or silent heat" she could be experiencing "pre-heat" and still come into full blown heat on schedule

A "silent heat" is a female in estrus but is not showing any bleeding or swelling.  This is can be the result of hormonal changes, especially if she has been regular up to this point.   

Silent Heat: An unnoticed heat period that can be due to little swelling of the vulva, little bleeding, no attraction of males or no behavior change.

She could even be experiencing a combination of silent, split or false - it's entirely possible!

I would suggest that you contact your veterinarian. It is possible that the dog is having an irregular cycle and has not ovulated yet. This may not be a disease process, but just a funky cycle. Vaginal cytology examination, white blood cell count, and progesterone levels would be things to look at in order to look for evidence of a long cycle or possible infection.

I wish I could offer something more definitive on this situation but this is my best guess. I think the split heat is the most likely but it's just that - a guess.

There is a product available that many breeders use regularly, although personally I have not. It claims to be able to determine split, silent & false heats as well as pin-pointing ovulation, etc. You can read more on that via this link:

http://www.pinnaclepetsupply.com/tellme.htm

I'm also including a link that discusses these variances to a small degree. The vast majority of sites on this subject seem to deal with mainly opinion vs fact so probably your best course of action is to either consult with your vet or have him refer you to a vet that specializes in canine reproduction.

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/dogbreeding.html