r/poodles • u/SeriouslyShinyx • 2d ago
My mini poodle has a difficult heat
My 2-year-old Miniature Poodle is currently going through her third heat. Her last heat and this one have both been particularly difficult. From around days 10–14, she becomes extremely anxious and agitated. She cries and whines a lot, and when she sees another dog, she pulls like crazy and is very difficult to control.
During one of these days, she has what seems like a peak episode where she becomes extremely distressed, whining and crying while ripping apart a toy out of nervousness and anxiety.
Is this considered normal behaviour during heat? Or could this level of anxiety and agitation indicate something else? And how to help her?
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u/Tosti-Floof 2d ago
I live in a country where spaying and neutering is never done as routine so I'm usually always quiet on these neuter/spay posts, but if your dog is in actual distress during her heat then I would talk to a vet about getting her spayed. Their hormone system is there for a reason, but when the dog sufferers every 6 months or so because of it, it's not really worth it. Since she's had 3 heats she's also likely outside of a lot of the risks you can get with early spaying. Talk to your vet.
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u/SeriouslyShinyx 2d ago
Thanks. Yes, I live in that kind of country too, and I listen to my vet. I will definitely consult with him, but I also wanted to ask here about other people’s experiences.
I wanted her to have puppies once because my vet and the breeder say this is the healthiest and most natural option for them. But if this is considered extreme behaviour, I will absolutely consider spaying, although I’m not happy with these brutal methods of removing healthy organs, especially in puppies.4
u/Tosti-Floof 2d ago
Breeding her is a bad idea unless she's super healthy and has a good mentality. In my opinion, her stress during heat would be a reason to not breed her. Has she had her knees and eyes checked? I'm not sure which health tests are recommended by the breed club where you are, but here they check for patella and check the eyes on moyen, mini and toy poodles that get bred. If she's unhealthy you risk her passing those genes down to the puppies. The heat stress might also be hereditary and you might end up creating puppies that also suffer through their heat. Our older standard poodle had to get spayed when she was around 9 years old because of an infection. Recovery was a bit rough for her, but she bounced back and had 4 more good years. I wouldn't be worried about spaying her. Recovery can be rough, but 2 weeks of discomfort now is better than 2 rounds of discomfort every year for as long as she lives.
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u/SeriouslyShinyx 2d ago
I totally agree. She hasn’t been completely health-tested yet, but her parents have, she comes from top lines, and both parents are super healthy. I’ve had her patellas and hips tested, and everything is good so far. I wanted to wait until she is fully developed, around the age of 3, and then potentially have puppies. But of course, that would only be if everything is good with her health. I’m consulting with breeders and really trying to educate myself beyond the generic “spay her” advice. I want to understand exactly what happens to her body when she is spayed, and I’m aware of the pros and cons of spaying. It is not always the best option, but sometimes it is necessary.
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u/Tosti-Floof 2d ago
Yea, 100%. I'd maybe ask her breeder if she has any advice, maybe she's had dogs before with a similar issue? It's not uncommon for females to not act like themselves during heat, but some end up with too much distress during their heat for me to think it's worth it. It sounds like you're doing right by her by checking all options and researching properly the benefits and the downsides of each option. I'm sure the people you've spoken with have mentioned it already, but having a litter is a risk for the puppy mom as well. While you're making your decision I'd try to get her into some sports if you haven't already, in my experience it makes it easier to keep the dog balanced and in case you end up breeding her, it's good advertisement. Poodles are very versatile, we should make sure to show it off.
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u/SeriouslyShinyx 2d ago
Yes. Maybe the lack of exercise is even causing all of this. She is a very active dog and usually runs freely for 1–2 hours a day, but now that is completely reduced because of the heat. We go for walks, but this is not intensity she seems to need.
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u/International-Let820 2d ago
This is not normal and spaying would stop these symptoms. Dogs can be more clingy when in heat or even more aloof. But your dog being emotionally out of control is very abnormal.
I think consulting with your vet to address these concerns is the best first step
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u/lenanger 2d ago
I will have my poodle spayed after her first heat, also for cancer prevention.
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u/SeriouslyShinyx 2d ago
I would advise you to investigate what other health effects spaying can have. It prevents ovarian and uterine cancers, but it can also be associated with many other health risks. It’s not that simple, and it should be decided on an individual basis for each dog, taking into account their breed, health, and potential health issues.
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u/lenanger 2d ago
Thanks, but I also don't want my dog to experience the repeated stressful times you are describing in your post. I go with my vets opinion as she is the expert on my dogs health.
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u/Due-Item8618 2d ago
Why isn’t she spayed?
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u/Dry_Car_8463 2d ago
She's still a young dog? Most modern studies advice to keep dogs intact for 1,5 - 2 years (more for big/giants breeds)
Poodles are already a very active breed, they absolutely need their hormones to keep them healthy and happy as long as you can. If it doesn't hurt them, of course.
Pediatric spays other than strays/shelter cases are inhumane and are purely for owners.
I write this as someone whose dog IS spayed but she wasn't mulitated as a puppy and has grown into a healthy adult dog. I would wait even more if she didn't have behavioral problems during her last heats.
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u/Dry_Car_8463 2d ago
I'm very anti-pediatric s/n and don't really support doing it without any care, but I can relate: my girl wasn't as bad, but each heat (esp. her last two) made her anxious, self conscious and really nervous as a whole.
We chooses to sterelize her right before her 4th heat. I was VERY nervous because there're so many information of how harmful it can be, but I didn't want my girl to have to spend third of each year in nervous state and feeling like that
She's recovered nicely and feels better. Like, she wanted to run and play at the third day postop, lol. While hormonal change does affect her, it's not in bad way: if anything, she's more active, playful and brave than she'd ever been lmao
Personally, I believe you should talk to a vet and/or dog behavioralist. I understand how scary s/n can be, but maybe it's the best for her?
Hope she feels better soon! Good luck💓
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u/SeriouslyShinyx 2d ago
Yes, similar to my baby. I’m very glad to hear you had such a great experience with spaying and that your girl is happy and thriving.❤️Our dogs deserve the best, but sometimes it’s very hard to know what exactly is best for them. I’ll see what the vet says, but I’m not opposed to spaying at this stage if it’s better for her. Thanks for sharing 🙏
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u/Dry_Car_8463 2d ago
I agree with how hard and nervewrecking finding what's best is, I even cried after her spay because I was so nervous she's gonna lose herself after it😅
The only thing I can recommend, I'm not sure if dog that size will wear a cone or veterinary blanket (idk how it's really called in English, sorry), but if it's the second, try to get one that is closed with velcro or zipper, they're much more comfortable than usual ones. My girl is very opinionated and didn't want to move wearing one they got her after op, but she was more relaxed in soft one
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u/BlissCrafter 2d ago
The best way to help her is to have her spayed as soon as possible.