# What age do they go into heat?



## gacie's mom (Jul 18, 2008)

What age do Maltese females go into heat? And at what age do they stop growing?


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Normally dogs have their first heat around 6 months. 

My Abbey didn't have hers till around 8 months though. I guess every one is special in their own way.


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

QUOTE (gacie's mom @ Aug 20 2008, 07:50 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=622124


> What age do Maltese females go into heat? And at what age do they stop growing?[/B]


i was wondering this too.. i had another question though. .yesterday i was playing with bianca and petting her belly and i noticed that she had more pronounced nipples than ever did before.. they are just tiny little bumps but i never noticed them before. Does this mean she is starting to develop and about to go into heat? she is not 4 months yet.

janie


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

maltese usually start there first heats around6-9 months .lasting aprox21 days....twice a year :wub: jo


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## elysian pearls (May 14, 2008)

I would say that between 6 and 11 months is normal for a toybreed like maltese. Baia was 10 mos when she was in heat for the first time, and Gabbana 7 months. They don't always bleed that much. A few drops is normal too. The vulva will get swollen. When you want to check, just wipe her with a white tissue. The heat lasts about 21 days and they're fertile between the 9th and 15th day. 

Baia stopped growing (reached her adult height) when she was about 9 months. Gabbana is now 11 mos old and she just reached her adult height. She grew about 0.6 inch between 9-11 mos old. They however will develop further in their bodies. They will get more "muscular".


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Toy breeds often go into their first heat later than big dogs.
It can be from 6 to 16 months. Most maltese grow into their
second year, either in girth or size...or both! Some even
grow after their second year. I think better nutrition has
helped in their growth pattern. Rather than stopping at earlier ages they flourish. Of course, ancestry plays a vital role too.


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## jlhajmom (Feb 23, 2008)

Ava was 9 months old when she went into heat. I hadn't wanted her too, but her adult teeth weren't coming in so I didn't want to have her spayed, then to have her go under anasthesia a second time later on. When she turned 1, she weighed only 4 pounds 6 ounces. It was shortly after that we figured out she had a liver shunt and now she is up to 7 pounds, 10 ounces. I would like her to lose a little, but her surgeon and the vet aren't worried. They are happy to see she is doing so well and she LOVES to eat now.


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