Asking for help with white discharge in female dog

Forgottenfox

Forgottenfox

Tourist
As the title says, I am asking about a pure white discharge of creamy substance from a large female dog that is ten months old and intact. Is this a sign of heat or is it something else? I worry about infection, but there is no redness or strange smell. She isn't licking abnormally, maybe two or three times a day aside from after potty time. She has a vet visit planned, but I wanted advice from someone with experience with a girl in heat. Thanks for reading at least.
 
Always go to the vet when in doubt, nobody can be sure in this kind of setting. So good on you for setting a visit up.

Questions, is she in her first heat now? What stage? Is it possible anyone had sex with her? I hope not, given her age.

I have seen that type of discharge from females before. Like the color and consistency of human cum. I figure it's just their vagina cleaning itself, it is also a sign of going into proestrus. Discharge from a pyo infection can be white too, but will smell pretty foul, and has been a yellowish or green color discharge every time I've seen it. As long as she is eating, and acting normal, and the discharge does not smell foul, she is probably fine. However, if any of those things change, go straight to the ER vet. I would also suggest keeping the appointment you currently have too, as pyo can be deadly. Take no chances on female dog sexual health. Always best to be sure.
 
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FoxandtheHounds said:
Always go to the vet when in doubt, nobody can be sure in this kind of setting. So good on you for setting a visit up.

Questions, is she in her first heat now? What stage? Is it possible anyone had sex with her? I hope not, given her age.

I have seen that type of discharge from females before. Like the color and consistency of human cum. I figure it's just their vagina cleaning itself, it is also a sign of going into proestrus. Discharge from a pyo infection can be white too, but will smell pretty foul, and has been a yellowish or green color discharge every time I've seen it. As long as she is eating, and acting normal, and the discharge does not smell foul, she is probably fine. However, if any of those things change, go straight to the ER vet. I would also suggest keeping the appointment you currently have too, as pyo can be deadly. Take no chances on female dog sexual health. Always best to be sure.
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Thanks, I just figured that someone here would give a bit better advice than a google search. She is doing fine as far as attitude and appetite. No one has had sex with her, and the discharge actually smells nice. It's like her natural scent, but stronger. That's why I thought she was going into heat, but there isn't any other signs like bleeding or swelling.

Everywhere I look tells me that she should have been in her first heat by now, but I've also heard that it could be a ghost heat, or she may be a rare case that is just a late bloomer. It's my first experience raising an intact female, so I'm still learning.

She is going to the vet for sure either way. She has an appointment and she's gonna keep it, even if I have to eat ramen for a week, lol.

Thanks for helping, and I love your profile pic and name combo.
 
The occasional small discharge is not uncommon. Things to watch for are changes in behavior, discharges that are dark, discharges that have a foul smell, blood in the discharge, etc. When they're coming into season, usually the vulva will puff up a bit, some more than others, and there will be a bit of blood.

As always, if you're concerned and unsure, check with your vet. It is often handy to read up on the estrus cycle if you haven't been through it with a dog so you can get an idea of what to expect. It helps to read up on pseudo pregnancy as well since it can be somewhat common.

Here's a thread with some books I'd recommend reading: https://www.zoovilleforum.net/threads/so-now-you-have-a-dog.63228/
 
FoxandtheHounds said:
Always go to the vet when in doubt, nobody can be sure in this kind of setting. So good on you for setting a visit up.
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^---- This

Even the best vet in here can not work without examining and tests.

And because it is the sort of thing any owner can see and be concerned about, you can ask openly and if anything can strike your vet is only that you are a good owner and are attentive to any possible problem 👍
 
Goattobeloved said:
^---- This

Even the best vet in here can not work without examining and tests.

And because it is the sort of thing any owner can see and be concerned about, you can ask openly and if anything can strike your vet is only that you are a good owner and are attentive to any possible problem 👍
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I'm not embarrassed about talking to my vet about her health, and I know that they need to see her. She has an appointment set up, so this is just me worrying while we wait for her to go in. Thanks for the support though. Also, the discharge is a tiny amount, so I just thought I'd ask here since nobody I know irl has any first hand experience with this stuff.
 
Forgottenfox said:
Thanks, I just figured that someone here would give a bit better advice than a google search. She is doing fine as far as attitude and appetite. No one has had sex with her, and the discharge actually smells nice. It's like her natural scent, but stronger. That's why I thought she was going into heat, but there isn't any other signs like bleeding or swelling.

Everywhere I look tells me that she should have been in her first heat by now, but I've also heard that it could be a ghost heat, or she may be a rare case that is just a late bloomer. It's my first experience raising an intact female, so I'm still learning.

She is going to the vet for sure either way. She has an appointment and she's gonna keep it, even if I have to eat ramen for a week, lol.

Thanks for helping, and I love your profile pic and name combo.
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Happy to help, and happy to hear your girl is doing alright. Can be scary seeing things change in your girl the first time. Or any time for that matter. Given the scent you describe, and her age, I'd guess she is probably in the early stages of proestrus. As @egoldstein mentioned, occasional small discharge is normal, and you can sometimes see that before she starts swelling, or showing any other signs she's getting close to starting a heat cycle. The rest of what was mentioned is solid advice as well. Watch for changes in behavior, or changes in the discharge. I also recommend checking out that linked thread and doing some reading.

10 months does seem late for a dog to have a first heat for a late bloomer or a large breed. Depending on the dog I've heard some XL breeds can hit around a year old before having their first heat cycle. I've never seen that myself though. Definitely nothing wrong with learning, and hearing about what others here know.

But, like we've all said, no way to be sure about these kinds of things just from descriptions. So definitely keep that vet appointment. Their tests will be sure and they won't bother you about noticing that kind of thing. I'm not sure about your neck of the woods, but for a vet visit like that it really shouldn't be too costly just for those kinds of tests. I hope they don't leave you stuck with ramen!

Again, happy to help. Thanks for the compliments too, of course I'm gonna answer someone who also has a foxy profile pic lol. Maybe give us an update in here after your vet visit and let us know how your girl is doing.
 
egoldstein said:
The occasional small discharge is not uncommon. Things to watch for are changes in behavior, discharges that are dark, discharges that have a foul smell, blood in the discharge, etc. When they're coming into season, usually the vulva will puff up a bit, some more than others, and there will be a bit of blood.

As always, if you're concerned and unsure, check with your vet. It is often handy to read up on the estrus cycle if you haven't been through it with a dog so you can get an idea of what to expect. It helps to read up on pseudo pregnancy as well since it can be somewhat common.

Here's a thread with some books I'd recommend reading: https://www.zoovilleforum.net/threads/so-now-you-have-a-dog.63228/
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Thanks for the link. I've been watching videos on youtube and have a few text files I copied for reference. There is just a lot of different things it could be, but she is acting fine. Not lethargic or lacking in appetite. She isn't swollen yet or bleeding, and she isn't licking any more than normal. I think she is in good health, I just worry about things a lot.
 
FoxandtheHounds said:
Happy to help, and happy to hear your girl is doing alright. Can be scary seeing things change in your girl the first time. Or any time for that matter. Given the scent you describe, and her age, I'd guess she is probably in the early stages of proestrus. As @egoldstein mentioned, occasional small discharge is normal, and you can sometimes see that before she starts swelling, or showing any other signs she's getting close to starting a heat cycle. The rest of what was mentioned is solid advice as well. Watch for changes in behavior, or changes in the discharge. I also recommend checking out that linked thread and doing some reading.

10 months does seem late for a dog to have a first heat for a late bloomer or a large breed. Depending on the dog I've heard some XL breeds can hit around a year old before having their first heat cycle. I've never seen that myself though. Definitely nothing wrong with learning, and hearing about what others here know.

But, like we've all said, no way to be sure about these kinds of things just from descriptions. So definitely keep that vet appointment. Their tests will be sure and they won't bother you about noticing that kind of thing. I'm not sure about your neck of the woods, but for a vet visit like that it really shouldn't be too costly just for those kinds of tests. I hope they don't leave you stuck with ramen!

Again, happy to help. Thanks for the compliments too, of course I'm gonna answer someone who also has a foxy profile pic lol. Maybe give us an update in here after your vet visit and let us know how your girl is doing.
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It's all good, I'm reading some stuff about the topic and I will definitely be taking her to the vet. She needs her checkup anyway. But, the discharge isn't a huge issue, I just don't know anyone that knows anything about it irl. Other than the vet, I guess... lol.

Thanks for looking out for a fellow fox lover. I hope you get to pet many foxes.
 
Forgottenfox said:
I'm not embarrassed about talking to my vet about her health,
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Good enough. Just mentioned cause sometimes people overthink what the vet would think 👍
Forgottenfox said:
and I know that they need to see her. She has an appointment set up, so this is just me worrying while we wait for her to go in. Thanks for the support though. Also, the discharge is a tiny amount, so I just thought I'd ask here since nobody I know irl has any first hand experience with this stuff.
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Fair. Can be just a mucous discgarge, o fungal vaginitis or anything else. Worth having a pro look at it, but good if she seems fine.

I would collect a sample now and bring it when you go visit, just in case.

Out of curiosity, let us know about the conclussion when you know what it was :)
 
Looks like you got it all figured out but I'll give my two cents cause iv had experience with this.

I noticed what I'd image was something similar with my girl years and years ago and I kinda freaked out and of course thought it had something to do with something I had done. At the time info resources were quite limited so I had no idea what was going on. There was a decent amount of discharge and I was absolutely terrified of taking her to the vet but I did anyways with the plan of saying I had no idea who, what, where or why if they said anything suggesting she had been sexually active with a human.
Turns out it was just a her body cleaning itself and There was no need to worry. Vet said it was perfectly normal, just keep her clean, no worries an such. Bastards still charged me $200 for a visit and tests an such but at the end of the day all was well.
 
Goattobeloved said:
Good enough. Just mentioned cause sometimes people overthink what the vet would think 👍

Fair. Can be just a mucous discgarge, o fungal vaginitis or anything else. Worth having a pro look at it, but good if she seems fine.

I would collect a sample now and bring it when you go visit, just in case.

Out of curiosity, let us know about the conclussion when you know what it was :)
Click to expand...
I can try to give an update, but her appointment isn't until over a week from now. They are busy, but it's a great vet, so I'll keep an eye on her and go to the er vet if anything happens.
 
Thanks for the update.
And congrats on beeing nothing!

Be sure to keep looking for anything not normal. Better be to be the vet's worst nightmare that to overlook any problem at the bud 🤣
 
This white discharge will appear at other times. Some females have it several times, some have none at all. Basically a selfcleaning byproduct. It also occurs after heat in dogs prone to this.
If it is not smelly, the dog is in a good mood and eats properly, then there is no problem. Possibly it can be slightly yellowish too, if it's not smelly and the mood is good, then she it's fine.
 
FoxandtheHounds said:
Thanks for the update! Very happy to hear your girl is healthy. Hopefully you two have been busy having fun. Taking walks and stuff instead of worrying.
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Yeah, we have been walking a lot. She needs a ton of exercise. I'm hoping she will ask for some extra fun soon, but that's up to her. If not, then I have a wonderful friend. One that chews my futon... but hey, probody's nerfect.
 
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