Can my dog get pregnant on her bleeding days?When we have a dog at home, it is very common for many doubts to arise when talking about its reproductive cycle, since if you want to dedicate yourself to legal breeding or if you have a dog without neutered or sterilized and you want to prevent pregnancy, you will surely be interested.
Can my dog get pregnant on her bleeding days?
Know when you can get pregnant and when you can’t. Heat is the phase of this cycle where the dog could become pregnant. Before your dog becomes pregnant, you must assess whether you can really take care of the puppies that are going to arrive, since you must be a responsible caregiver and provide them with everything they need, otherwise you will have to prevent your dog from getting pregnant.
In this unCOMO article we answer a very common question on this topic: can my dog get pregnant on her bleeding days? So, keep reading if you want to know more about heat in dogs and whether they can get pregnant when they are bleeding or not.
You may also be interested in: Why does my pregnant dog bleed?
Index
- What is a dog’s heat and how long does it last?
- Can my dog get pregnant on her bleeding days? – the answer
- When can a dog get pregnant
- How to know if my dog is pregnant
- Is it necessary to breed a bitch at least once because she needs to have puppies?
What is a dog’s heat and how long does it last?
A dog’s heat is the stage of her reproductive cycle in which she is receptive to males and can become pregnant. This cycle is similar to the woman’s cycle, but in dogs it can be seen only 2 times a year and has 4 phases .
Proestrus
When females are sexually mature, between 6 and 10 months in small breeds and 18 and 24 months in large breeds, there comes a certain moment in which a first sexual cycle begins. The hormone FSH rises, stimulating the maturation of ovarian follicles. These follicles increase in size on the surface of the ovary and begin the maturation of the oocyte (immature egg). The ovary synthesizes estrogen. During this period called proestrus, vulvar bleeding and attraction to males are observed due to the production of pheromones.
boss
After this phase, which lasts about 9 days, an LH peak occurs (stimulating estrogen levels) which causes, about 24 to 48 hours later, ovulation, that is, the release of the oocyte into the uterine tube. Once there, the oocyte continues its maturation for another 2 or 3 days.
Heat or estrus begins with the surge of LH, a hormone that intervenes in the sexual cycle of dogs, and lasts between 5 and 10 days, which is where the female accepts mating, facilitating it by moving her tail away when the male approaches. and even some females are the ones looking for the male. Vulvar bleeding in a dog may disappear immediately or may last a few days after the beginning of this phase. So a dog’s heat lasts between 5 and 10 days .
Right handed
After ovulation , the follicle becomes the corpus luteum and begins to produce progesterone. This corpus luteum will remain for about 2 months, that is, 60 days. If the female becomes pregnant, the hormone progesterone will help keep the uterus in conditions for pregnancy to continue. On the other hand, if the dog has not become pregnant, nothing may happen to her or these high levels of progesterone may lead to pseudopregnancy, which can cause problems in her body. This period is known as diestrus.
Anestro
Finally, the corpus luteum retracts and, in this way, the ovary remains in a state of rest for a few months, typically 4 months and that is why they have 2 heats a year , which is how long the anestrus lasts, until a period begins. New cycle.
In these other unCOMO articles you can expand the information on what heat is like in dogs and how long a dog’s heat lasts .
Can my dog get pregnant on her bleeding days? – the answer
It can be summarized that a dog’s cycle is divided into 4 phases :
- Proestrus:it is the stage that precedes heat. The female attracts the males but she rejects them. It starts when she bleeds and you can see the swollen vulva. Its duration is 6-11 days. If your dog presents this symptom of swelling, we recommend that you also read this other unCOMO article, since this symptom may be due to more aspects of his health: Why does my dog have a swollen vulva ?
- Estrus or heat:the dog allows mating and bleeding may still remain for the first few days, although with a darker color and more abundant quantity. It is at this stage that a dog’s fertile days are located and she can get pregnant. It lasts for 7-9 days.
- Right-handed:no longer accepts the male. Pregnancy occurs (in the event that fertilization of the egg has occurred). its duration is 58 to 60 days.
- Anoestrus:This is the dormant phase. It begins with childbirth and ends with proestrus. It lasts 4 or 5 months.
If you are still wondering when a dog is fertile, you should know that the answer is 11 days of vulvar bleeding, that is, during the estrus phase. In conclusion, a dog CAN get pregnant during her bleeding days , since the bleeding can remain at the beginning of estrus, her fertile period. Although, of course, this is not always the case because in some dogs the bleeding can stop at the beginning of estrus and, therefore, not reach the fertile days.
When can a dog get pregnant
As we have mentioned before, the sexual maturity of a bitch is reached between 6 months and a year depending on the breed and its size, it will be from then on that she will be able to get pregnant.
If you want your dog to get pregnant or, on the contrary, avoid it, you must pay attention to her vulvar bleeding. 7 or 11 days after starting to bleed is when she will be fertile (when heat or estrus begins), therefore if copulation occurs she will become pregnant. There are some dogs that hardly bleed, so there are a series of symptoms that you can look for to know that your dog is in heat and can get pregnant .
- Swollen nipples: There are times when the nipples swell, although this can also indicate a psychological pregnancy.
- Mood change; The dog appears more excited than normal, which attracts the males.
- Sudden interest of the males: you can observe that the males approach her and smell her.
- Vulvar inflammation: the vulva appears swollen days before and during heat, although in some dogs it is barely noticeable.
- The outside of the reproductive system is licked.
- It can also be seen that she urinates frequently, to inform the males that she is ready to mate.
- When a female dog wishes to mate, she holds her tail up and will wag it from side to side to attract the male.
How to know if my dog is pregnant
When a dog becomes pregnant, various hormonal changes occur and, therefore, some symptoms will appear that can help you determine if your dog is really pregnant or not .
Physical changes that indicate that a dog is pregnant
When a dog becomes pregnant, she undergoes different physical changes in her body that will help you discover if your dog is pregnant. These are some of these physical changes:
- Increase in belly size: after a month you may notice that your furry friend’s belly swells or increases in size. So if you notice that your dog’s belly is growing and is more swollen than the previous week, it could mean that she is pregnant.
- Nipples change: Your friend’s nipples will become darker and larger. This symptom indicates that your dog is pregnant and is preparing to breastfeed her babies.
- The breasts become swollen: one of the first changes seen in a pregnant dog is swelling of the breasts. So if you notice that they swell or swell, your dog is probably pregnant.
- Vaginal discharge can change: you may notice that your dog’s discharge changes color and consistency and also increases in quantity. The color should always be transparent or a little white but never red like during estrus.
How to know if my dog is pregnant: her behavior
You must be attentive to your furry friend’s behavior, since in addition to physical changes you will also be able to see changes in her behavior.
- Appetite changes: at the beginning of your dog’s pregnancy, many hormonal changes occur which in turn cause her to be almost not hungry. Don’t worry, because as the days go by her appetite will increase and she will ask you for food.
- Preparation of the nest: it is possible that two months after copulation, your dog will begin to prepare the nest so that her babies are as comfortable as possible. To do this you can observe that she scratches the floor, cushions, blankets or the wall.
- Energy decreases: the gestation process and subsequent pregnancy cause dogs to be more tired, so if your dog was very active and you suddenly notice that she sleeps a lot, think about the possibility that she could be pregnant.
If you suspect that your dog is pregnant, go to the vet as soon as possible as he will tell you what diet is best for her and her puppies, as well as the care she will need during pregnancy and after birth.
In this other article we explain more details about How to know if my dog is pregnant .
Is it necessary to breed a bitch at least once because she needs to have puppies?
Many people still believe that health or behavioral problems may appear in their dog due to not breeding her even once in her life. The reality is that this is a MYTH and, in fact, there is no need to breed a dog and get pregnant at least once , since they do not need offspring to be healthier, they simply need a happy life, in which they Give them a lot of love and cover their basic needs.
So if you don’t want to breed your dog because you are not a legal breeder, absolutely nothing will happen and there will be no problems due to not breeding her or sterilizing her. In fact, if you are not going to breed legally and, therefore, your dog will not have offspring, it is recommended that you sterilize her and we encourage you to discuss this with your veterinarian. We also consider it important to remember that it has long been illegal to breed dogs or other animals without the necessary legal permits .
