is this tru

[c.knight]

My vet and a few of my friends said that after a female goes thru her first or second heat they tend to gain weight like thicken up a bit is that true. they said e because of the period its somewhat like a girl ya know they become women is that true ???????????

[c.knight]

any help please

[miakoda]

Nope. Overfeeding will cause a dog to gain weight & get fat, not having a heat cycle. ;)

[c.knight]

i thought so thanks

[Chef-Kergin]

My vet told me if you fix the female before her first heat, that a hormone isn't released as soon to tell her growth plates to close.

So, he said, say you fix her at 4 mos. she might be up to a 1/4 inch taller and a bit skinnier (2-4 lbs lighter until they hit maturity) than if you had waited and fixed her after her first few heat cycles and then fixed her. He said during the first heat a hormone is released that causes the growth plates to close, helping a dog stay closer to it's natural size, and put weight on sooner in her life that later.

Now, I asked two vets that, and they both gave me the same answer on the whole hormone being released during the heat cycle.

But when asked which a dog's body bruns first as a source of energy, protein or carbs, they disagreed, Dr. Hulme saying a dog used protein first and then burnt carbs, and finally fat and Dr. Brown stating the opposite, a dog burns carbs first then protein then internal fat.

I'll have to find the link, as I googled the topic a few months back after I asked them, and found a website supporting their idea of a hormone being released during the heat cycle that won't get into the body as soon if you fix the female before her first heat.

Let me see if I can find it....

[miakoda]

Carbohydrates are easier to break down to be used for energy so they will be used first. Next are fats, then protein. Protein is to used for cell building & cell repair & to be honest, the body does not want to use it for energy. It is mainly to be used to help the body repair itself especially after strenuous workouts. (i.e. when you "build up" muscle, you actually break down the individual muscle fibers & when they are repaired, the are a tad bit bigger & thicker; thus over time one will appear bigger & more defined on the outside.) So due the fact that the body needs protein for other "jobs", it is hesitant to give them up first for energy & that's why carbs & fats are used first.

[Chef-Kergin]

Sorry Mia, *explanation not needed, please keep it to yourself Kergin ;)-14rock**.

I had it bass-ackwards. Hulme said dogs burnt carbs first, then fat, then protein (as a last resort, they have priorities in the body as you said). Brown said fat, carbs, then protein.

Glad you caught it :)

Can you confirm/disconfirm what they told me about hormones being released at a later age into the body if the dog is fixed prior to her first heat cycle, causing the growth plates to close at a more mature age?

[miakoda]

Can you confirm/disconfirm what they told me about hormones being released at a later age into the body if the dog is fixed prior to her first heat cycle, causing the growth plates to close at a more mature age?
I know it's a certain thing in male dogs because testerone plays a major role in the closing of growth plates. When the testes are removed, so is the vast amount of testosterone thus allowing the dog to grow taller before the growth plates close.

However, I'm not aware that it makes that much of a difference in females, if any, to be spayed earlier (I'm a stickler for the 6 months recommendation under most circumstances).