# swimming during heat cycle



## teafortwo (Aug 30, 2006)

Someone told me that I shouldn't swim my female during her heat cycle. 

Something to do with the fact that her uterus is "open" during this time and water could wash bacteria inside, and lead to a pyo a few weeks/months later?

Is this true or are they having me on? Do you guys swim your females during their heat cycles with no adverse effects?

Thanks.


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## Angie B (Sep 30, 2003)

teafortwo said:


> Someone told me that I shouldn't swim my female during her heat cycle.
> 
> Something to do with the fact that her uterus is "open" during this time and water could wash bacteria inside, and lead to a pyo a few weeks/months later?
> 
> ...


Sounds like an ole wives tale.... Doesn't make any sense... Go ahead and swim her.

Angie


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## Sue Kiefer (Mar 4, 2006)

Vets out in cyperland will confer ......... it is hormonal changes that cause pyrometra NOT anything else.


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## Steve Bean (May 3, 2004)

Should be OK as long as the dog doesn't swim backwards....................


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## okvet (Jun 20, 2006)

I had never heard of this until I started getting into the lab game. Several trainers/owners that I train with will not swim their dog while in heat--I've never read or heard of any problems associated with swimming while in heat.


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## JoAnn Stancer (Oct 17, 2006)

quote]Vets out in cyperland will confer ......... it is hormonal changes that cause pyrometra NOT anything else.[/quote]


PYOMETRA IN DOGS 
Dr. Cathy Reese 
PetPlace.com 
Surgery (General & Soft Tissue) - Theriogenology 


OVERVIEW
Pyometra is the medical term used to describe an infected uterus. This infection can be open (draining pus from the vagina) or closed (pus is contained in the uterus by a closed cervix).

Pyometra can be a life threatening infection and may even require emergency surgery. A closed pyometra is more of an emergency than an open pyometra, since there is no drainage of pus in a closed pyometra. If left untreated, dogs become very ill and some may not survive. With early treatment, about 90 percent of affected dogs recover.

Since pyometra is an infection of the uterus, all unspayed dogs are susceptible. Usually, pyometra occurs within eight weeks of the dog’s last heat cycle due to increased levels of the hormone progesterone.

I swim my dog in heat. If you didn't you wouldn't get to train very much during a cycle.


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## Lisa S. (May 23, 2003)

FWIW,
Had an 11 month old develop pyo during her first heat. She was training/swimming in water her whole cycle and she was underweight=more susceptable to infection. 

IMO, it depends on the water you're putting them in. One trainer will let the girls in heat swim when she's in one training area, but not another because the water is so germy.

Our repro vet says their immunity goes down during a heat cycle. From my experience wouldn't put them in any water for 5-8 days of their cycle--their most fertile period.


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

Lisa S. said:


> From my experience wouldn't put them in any water for 5-8 days of their cycle--their most fertile period.


then you definitely should not allow them lick themselves since there are many more bacteria in the dog's mouth than there are in any body of water no matter how polluted

this is a ridiculous "old wives tale" 8)


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## teafortwo (Aug 30, 2006)

I heard that dogs mouths are very clean in terms of the amount of bacteria and that there are far more bacteria in the human mouth than in a dog's. I heard this from a doctor at the hospital, where I went for a tetanus jab after being bitten by a dog.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

teafortwo said:


> I heard that dogs mouths are very clean in terms of the amount of bacteria and that there are far more bacteria in the human mouth than in a dog's. I heard this from a doctor at the hospital, where I went for a tetanus jab after being bitten by a dog.


Yes that's true-that a human mouth has more pathogenic bacteria relative to a dogs' mouth, (I heard it from every person in the ER when my daughter in her teen days got "bitten" on the forehead head-banging dancing), but the bacteria in the dogs' mouth are also more concentrated than in water we swim our dogs in. Besides, a dog can lick their anus and then their genitals and there are many more pathogenic bacteria in the rectum. 
One who is not afraid to swim bitches in heat regards,


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2007)

your ok as long as the waters are shark free!


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

teafortwo said:


> I heard that dogs mouths are very clean in terms of the amount of bacteria and that there are far more bacteria in the human mouth than in a dog's. I heard this from a doctor at the hospital, where I went for a tetanus jab after being bitten by a dog.


and this is offered as proof of ??????



teafortwo said:


> I heard that dogs mouths are very clean in terms of the amount of bacteria and that there are far more bacteria in the human mouth than in a dog's. .


sooo, does this mean you kiss your dogs but not you significant other :?: 

my dogs lick their butts, eat cow and horse poop (when available), and eat other disgusting dead things, my siginificant other, to the contrary, does none of these things and practices meticulous oral hygiene, I choose to kiss her and pet my dogs 8)



teafortwo said:


> I heard that dogs mouths are very clean in terms of the amount of bacteria and that there are far more bacteria in the human mouth than in a dog's. I heard this from a doctor at the hospital, where I went for a tetanus jab after being bitten by a dog.


if they're so clean why the tetnus shot and the high powered antibiotics :? 

I guess the dog that bit me didn't have such a "clean mouth" because I almost lost the end of my index finger from the ensuing infection


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## Targander (Jul 6, 2004)

The only time I don't swim a bitch, is right after a breeding. I let them settle for 3-4 days in a crate 8)


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## Gun_Dog2002 (Apr 22, 2003)

Hey Dr. Ed, you know dogs mouths are cleaner. I read it in the same article that explained why girls can't get pregnant if their virgins...

/Paul


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## teafortwo (Aug 30, 2006)

Seeing as 2 of us have heard from health care professionals that dog's mouths carry less bacteria than human mouths, I'm going to believe it over any hear-say.

There is a difference between a dog licking you (yes, even on the lips, not that I'd want a dog to do that), and a dog actually biting you. If the skin is broken the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and this is more dangerous than just ingesting the bacteria orally.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

> Seeing as 2 of us have heard from health care professionals that dog's mouths carry less bacteria than human mouths, I'm going to believe it over any hear-say.


That's not what I said. I said the bacteria in a dogs' mouth may have *fewer types *of pathogenic bacteria but it certainly is not "clean". Little microbiology lesson.

http://path.upmc.edu/cases/case307/dx.html
http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/normalflora.html


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## teafortwo (Aug 30, 2006)

Hi - I know it's not "clean" - nothing is clean of bacteria, from the pavement to our own hands - not unless you have just sterilised it! That doesn't stop us from biting our nails, putting our fingers in our mouths and so on! Most bacteria are harmless, especially if the skin isn't broken. A human bite, however, has more harmful bacteria than a dog bite.


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## Bhamner1984 (Jun 27, 2021)

Gun_Dog2002 said:


> Hey Dr. Ed, you know dogs mouths are cleaner. I read it in the same article that explained why girls can't get pregnant if their virgins...
> 
> /Paul


Lol beatufily said


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