One of the most serious causes for your dogs bleeding during her pregnancy is spontaneous abortion or miscarriage of a fetus or her entire litter. The symptoms of a spontaneous abortion are vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. The dog may also expel a fetus from her uterus. While the cause of such an event is usually related to a hormonal imbalance, according to PetMD, other underlying medical conditions could be to blame, such as an infection. At the first signs of vaginal bleeding during your dogs pregnancy, take her to a veterinarian to diagnose the cause.
Always check with your veterinarian before changing your petâs diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vetâs opinion.
Pyometra is a potentially fatal condition that can affect a dog during the first month of her pregnancy, according to Mike Richards, DVM, of the VetInfo website. This is an infection of the uterus itself, which may cause an unpleasant vaginal discharge and blood. In some cases, the cervix becomes closed, leading to a buildup of infected fluid. Treatment for this condition is usually the surgical removal of the uterus itself through a spay procedure; depending on the severity of your dogs condition, she could lose her litter. In some cases, antibiotics can be given to treat cases that are not life threatening.
A dogs pregnancy lasts between 58 and 68 days, during which time you may notice a small amount of mucous-like vaginal discharge. If this mucous has a pink tint, that is normal, but if you notice red, bloody or pus-like discharge, this could indicate a problem with your dogs pregnancy. Bleeding during pregnancy is not normal and requires immediate veterinary care for your dog.
Any type of bleeding or vaginal discharge during your dogs pregnancy is not normal and can indicate an infection or complication with her pregnancy. To prevent the spread of disease that can affect a dogs pregnancy, keep her isolated from other dogs for three weeks before delivery, recommends the Hilltop Animal Hospital. While the use of antibiotics has its risks in terms of affecting your dogs fetuses, failure to treat serious infections that are causing bleeding can lead to the death of your dog. Puppies can also be affected by your dogs untreated infection after birth, catching the bacteria from her. Consult a veterinarian to treat any possible medical conditions affecting your pregnant dog.
Typically, between 2-4 weeks, this is why we ask you to give your female dog four full weeks before coming back to training classes if she comes into season during one of our training courses. By the way, because a season is impossible to accurately predict, we will offset your missed sessions against the next course, so you will not be out of pocket.
Please do not keep them together during this time. The male will likely become very frustrated at not being able to reach his fertile friend, and this can – and does – lead to aggressive outbursts. Male dogs can be very creative at finding ways to get to an in-season female, it would be almost impossible to prevent them from mating. Be fair on him and board him with a friend or family member until her season is finished.
Please don’t walk your in-season female dog in public. Her scent will attract every intact male in your neighbourhood. Even castrated dogs will hunt down the scent of an in-season female and even a castrated male dog can “mate” with her. The mating (tying) process can take many minutes (typically half an hour) during which time, your female and the male will be locked together. Better to avoid this embarrassment. You will not want just ANY dog to mate your bitch. Dogs can carry sexually transmitted diseases just as humans can, one of which is a sexually transmitted form of cancer! Also, you should be carefully choosing a mate based on being free from genetic disorders and having an exemplary (perfect) temperament.
Some females will develop what is known as a “phantom pregnancy” during the diestrus stage. She will produce milk and you may see behaviour changes such as protection of resources and nesting. Some females manage this stage with no problems, but sometimes behaviour problems can occur. Also, it has been suggested that phantom pregnancy could pre-dispose the female to developing pyometra, a potentially fatal infection of the uterus. If your females behaviour changes during this stage, it is worth speaking to your vet. Monitor for elevated temperature (making sure that you use an ear thermometer, or lubricate the thermometer if inserting this anally to avoid inflicting pain and discomfort on her). The first signs of pyometra can often be changes in behaviour such as going off food, becoming lethargic. There will usually be a smelly discharge from the vulva. At this stage an emergency vet visit is necessary. Pyometra can kill very quickly.
This can vary by individual and breed. Typically, a female will come into season at around 6 months old, but it can occur from 4 months up until more than two years. Some breeds, such as the whippet, tend to come in to season around 13 months. It’s a good idea to ask your breeder what age the mother dog first came into season as this can be a useful guide as to when to expect your female to come into season. If you are aiming to breed (and don’t enter into this lightly, it’s an enormous responsibility as well as expensive if you do it properly), it’s very important NOT to let a female mate for the first two seasons due to lower egg quality and also because you will not know her temperament and her joints will not be developed enough for carrying a litter. A female will usually come into season twice a year, but once a year for giant breeds.
Signs your dog is in heat
When they are going through a heat cycle, you may notice their vulva become enlarged and some mild bleeding from their vulva, says Dr. Brooks. They may leave spots of blood in places where they are lying down.
The good news is, many dogs are good at cleaning themselves so you may not even notice the blood. Additionally, if there are male dogs around, you may notice the male dogs being more interested in the in-heat female dog.
âHer physiological and behavioral changes will help to detect it: Dogs in heat become much more aggressive or, vice versa, very affectionate. They lose appetite, start to attack same-sex dogs, and show love towards the opposite sex,â says Dr. Sievert. As for physiological symptoms, they include urinary frequency, bloody discharge from the vulva, shedding, and “flagging,” aka raising her tail to demonstrate shes available to a male dog.
Is it normal for a pregnant dog to leak fluid?
Dog pregnancy 101. What to know about every stage of your dogs heat cycle, how to tell if your dog is pregnant & how to care for your pregnant dog.
The miracle of life never ceases to be fascinating and beautiful, and while we love our babies and grandbabies, we also canât get enough of brand-new puppies. Of course, just like with human pregnancies and babies, thereâs a lot of science and questions in the process, and a lot that can go right (or wrong!) if we donât take proper care of our pet. So if your dog goes into heat, or your dog ends up pregnant, what is happening? And how do you help her?