I stared at the engorged and colorful dark rimmed vulva of our new Corgi, Persephone, named for the Goddess of Spring, and watched as small red droplets of blood dripped onto the light wood floors of our living room.
The last thing I expected was to become an expert about dog menstruation. Actually it’s not called menstruation, it’s called estrus. An estrus expert.
When we got Percy from her Cotati breeder, he advised, “Get her spayed right away.” Rescuing her from a life as a handmaiden, as my wife noted, we happily took the one-year old dog to the vet to have her checked out and schedule the procedure. But alas, right there on the floor of the vet’s examination room, the blood appeared.
“She’s got her period,” my smart daughter diagnosed, even before the Vet, who had assumed that the blood came from nails clipped too short, weighed in.
“The bleeding should last about three to ten days,” the Vet explained. “Then the vaginal discharge changes into a yellowish secretion. The pheromones and hormones in her urine make her very attractive to other dogs, especially males during this time, so watch out.”
I have been on Virginity Patrol for 17 days now. On high alert for dogs off leash, I try to catch a glimpse of dog penises and balls from afar, as I walk Percy, with my other Corgi-Eskie mix, Sadie. I often warn people and their dogs away. One morning, I bent down and scooped Percy up into my arms, as a little black bulldog (who it turned out was neutered) mounted her.
“She’s in heat,” I explain to the quizzical looks on the faces of people, who like me, haven’t experienced estrus with their canines
I called the vet to verify that nothing was wrong with Percy, since the bleeding, while less, still is happening. “The bleeding could last from 2 to 4 weeks, “ the other vet in the office confirmed “I hope it stops soon.”
Un-spayed dogs have estrus cycles that occur once or twice a year. While humans go through a 28 day cycle, for dogs, the whole cycle usually takes 180 days. Today, I conversed with a nice man walking two golden retrievers. “It could be a blessing in disguise,” he opined. “Letting them go through their cycle before spaying is supposed to be better for their health.” Sure, I thought, why not look at the bright side.
I’ve covered our sofa and our bed with towels and flannel sheets, and have a wet tissue in hand as I move about the house, wiping up the droplets of blood and perhaps soon, the yellowish secretions. What’s a female to do?
It will take about two months for Percy’s blood vessels to calm down, and then we can safely spay her. “Otherwise it’s a mess -- for the vet and potentially for the dog,” our vet cautioned.
So until April I must adopt a new walking strategy. "My bitches and I have taken some new long walks, along the green grasses by the waterways of Marin, as far away from other living creatures, as possible.
While I worry that Percy isn’t getting properly socialized, the thought of having a litter of puppies right now, terrifies me. Playing with female dogs is for the most part fine, it’s the males I’ve got to keep an eye on, even the neutered ones, because within seconds they seem to be up in little Percy’s business.
So I’ll take the road less traveled, taking advantage of the opportunity to spy more local birds, and just go with flow, so to speak. I must admit, avoiding the folks who come speeding down the paths, on their racing or electric bikes, makes walking less stressful for all of us.
Oh and one last thing I learned -- dogs don’t go through menopause like women do. Unless “fixed,” they can go into heat on a regular basis their whole lives. There are reports of 16 year old pregnant dogs (that’s equivalent to an 80-90 year old woman.) Not on my watch, I affirm as I embrace my sweet and at-risk Corgi companion.
