[Nisty0322]

I know when Aunt Flo comes to visit, the vulva swells. My girl's aunt arrived on 4/16/16. The color turned to tan on 5/2/16. On 5/6/16 I took off her panties since she wasn't dripping anymore. My question is, when does the vulva deflate? I know it won't go back to the original size but it seems like it's taking forever. Is she still in heat even though there's no discharge?
This is her first heat. She was 8 months when it came & she's a Japanese Akita if that matters.
I know the times vary between each dog but does anyone have an estimate?

 

[jfrwright]

Call your vet. They'll definitely be able to tell you.

 

[Shandula]

They way I've always understood it (my BC bitch is currently in heat), is that proestrus comes first, and generally lasts 7-9 days (that would be the bloody discharge phase), and then estrus begins (where she will be most receptive to males) which also usually lasts 7-9 days. Finally metestrus, where the she is no longer receptive to males, and the vulva begins to shrink back to normal. This is also the time where dogs can start to exhibit signs of pregnancy if they're developing a phantom pregnancy. This lasts up to 63 days. Finally, she will enter anestrus, which is essentially the time when her hormones go back to normal until her next heat cycle.