The Heat Goes On

My 4-year-old Westie has been in heat for 21 days and she’s still bleeding. It’s watery, but red. Her last heats have been shorter, or so I thought. The flow seemed to have stopped last week, but it is evident today. Is this usual?

– Carina, Devon, England

Hi Carina,

Although females in heat can continue to have bleeding for up to 21 days, the average for most females is five to nine days (about a week). If she has had relatively regular heat cycles before and is now bleeding for a prolonged period of time, I would be very concerned. The bleeding could be from an infection or a growth in the uterus or vagina, or it could be from the urinary system (such as a urinary tract infection or a growth).

I would strongly recommend consulting with your veterinarian to have her reproductive and urinary systems closely examined to find the underlying cause for this excessive bleeding.

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