is she in heat,swollen and signs but no bleed

Question
hello,i have a   2 year old yorkie who i have only had 4 days,,she was and is swallen very around her bits,,and her nipples are prominent. no bleed though,,,,how do i know if she is on heat,,,the person she came from didnt have a clue,,,she thought it was normal to keep her in a budgie cage everyday!!!!!! took her to vets but he said he didnt know,,, i also have a 1 year old female who i have never seen her have a heat,,and she is small and hardly notice her nipples at all

Answer
Normally when a heat cycle begins you'll see swelling of the vulva which is soon followed by a bright red bloody discharge. I'm surprised your vet didn't have an answer for you. If the swelling has been occurring for some time yet you're still not seeing any vaginal discharge and you state her nipples are quite prominent is it possible she might have been bred recently? Normally prominent nipples are an indication of pregnancy. I would suggest taking her to another vet & having her examined to find out exactly what is happening. It's possible she may have a vaginal infection & if so, it could be very serious, especially if left untreated. If it spreads to her uterus she could develop a life-threatening infection known as pyometra. As for your other female, it's possible she may not yet have had her first heat although on average a female will experience her first cycle between 6 to 8 months of age & approximately every 6 months thereafter. Another possibility could be the 2 year old Yorkshire Terrier may be experiencing a false pregnancy or a "split" heat -- this occurs where a natural heat cycle becomes interrupted, usually due to high stress or hormone fluctuation & may start then stop midway & resume again in the future. I'm sorry for making so many guesses but there are many possibilities. I would strongly urge you to find a vet who is more familiar with canine reproduction & seek his/her advice. I wish I could provide more concrete information for you but without more detailed history & the ability to examine her this is the best I can offer. I realize you have limited knowledge of her past since, as you stated, her previous owner sounds extremely undesirable. Thank goodness you took her in & sound very caring & concerned for her well-being. I'm sure if she could voice her opinion she would heartily thank you for doing so!
Please let me know of any additional information & I'll do my best to help in any way possible.