Does a Dog Go Through Menopause?
No, dogs do not go through menopause like humans do. Dogs that have not been spayed will continue to have heat cycles, and therefore bleed once or twice a year, for their entire lives unless they are pregnant or get spayed. As an unspayed female dog ages, its risk for developing a pyometra after a heat cycle increases. Pyometra can be a life threatening infection and requires immediate veterinary attention. This infection of the uterus can produce a vaginal discharge that includes blood in it so some pet owners may think their dog is simply going back into heat but that is not the case. These dogs also usually feel sick due to the infection and will have other signs such as lethargy, decreased appetite, fever, and/or a swollen abdomen.
Some dog owners may not realize how often their unspayed dog goes through a heat cycle. Because of this, they may think their dog has stopped having heat cycles if its been almost a year since they saw any bleeding. But older unspayed dogs also may not have heat cycles as often as younger dogs so the time between cycles can start to increase. This increase in time between heat cycles is not the same as menopause, though.
Do female dogs go through hormonal changes after spaying?
When your pet is spayed, the entire reproductive tract (including both ovaries and the uterus) is surgically removed. Therefore, your spayed dog no longer has ovaries, produces estrogen, or goes into heat.
What Is Menopause in People?
Menopause occurs in human women when they stop having a period due to the decrease in the production of hormones. These hormones are called estrogen and progesterone. Menopause normally occurs in women in middle age but exact ages can vary from person to person. Once a woman has not had a period for a year they are said to be going through menopause and after menopause, a woman is not able to get pregnant naturally. Women who have gone through menopause do not get their periods.
Do female dogs change after being spayed?
The menopause is commonly defined as the cessation of a female’s reproductive cycle (estrus for dogs, monthly for women) and the end of the childbearing period of that female’s life. Unlike humans, dogs do not experience menopause. A female dog’s fertility will decrease with age, even sharply once she grows senior, but pregnancy is still a possibility even if it carries more risks.
In humans, the woman entering menopause will never be able to go through pregnancy again. Her ovaries have stopped producing the estrogen and progesterone hormones, resulting in the end of her menstrual cycle from then on.