Spaying is a procedure that changes your pet dog in many ways. The changes you’ll see may be both physical and behavioral.
For instance, spayed dogs are generally calmer. An urge to mate no longer causes them to feel restless during certain stretches of the calendar. Spayed dogs also stop urinating frequently due to being in heat.
Your dog may also not experience the physical side effects of her heat cycle after being spayed.
Does that mean that your dog will no longer bleed as well? We’ll be answering that and other related questions in this article. Stick around so you can learn more about how spaying changes dogs.
Do Spayed Dogs Still Bleed?
You can tell a dog is in heat because that change is usually accompanied by more than a few symptoms. Among those symptoms include more frequent urination, a swollen vulva, and the behavioral changes we mentioned in the intro.
But will the arguably most common symptom of a dog being in heat still be evident? Will your pet still bleed after she has been spayed?
Well, yes, there is a possibility that your dog will continue to experience bleeding even after the spaying procedure. However, the appearance of that blood does not necessarily mean that your dog is going through the heat cycle again.
Instead, what you’re seeing may be a side effect of the surgery. To be more specific, you may be seeing some leftover blood working its way out of your pet’s body.
The bleeding may be a direct result of the operation your pet went through. The blood just took a while longer to exit your dog’s body so that explains why you’re seeing it now.
This kind of bleeding is minimal. You may notice some spots of bloody discharge on the floor or your pet’s bed, but no more than that.
It’s also important to note that this kind of bleeding doesn’t last very long. It may persist for a few weeks at most.
Why Is My Dog Bleeding When She Has Been Spayed?
A dog presenting some bloody discharge not long after spaying is perfectly normal. Those blotches of blood are just remnants of the procedure that took more time to exit her body.
However, the bleeding you may observe in your post-op pet could be different.
The bleeding could be more substantial. On top of that, it may also appear as though your dog still goes into heat. In that case, you may be dealing with something known as ovarian remnant syndrome.
Ovarian remnant syndrome occurs when some ovarian tissue left inside your dog’s body is activated by her blood supply. Thanks to the infusion of blood, the ovarian tissue may start working again. It may produce estrogen and eventually trigger a heat cycle.
Bleeding may not be the only symptom your pet exhibits if she has ovarian remnant syndrome. She could also start to present the other symptoms of being in heat that we mentioned earlier.
If you suspect that your pet has ovarian remnant syndrome, your veterinarian can perform some tests to confirm that. They can perform a stimulation test to check for certain hormones in your pet’s blood. The veterinarian may also conduct an ultrasound examination or vaginal cytology to see what is going inside your pet’s body.
Understandably, discovering that your dog is still going through heat after spaying can be frustrating. Thankfully, the odds of any dog developing ovarian remnant syndrome are very low.
What to Do if My Spayed Dog Is Still Bleeding?
Now that you understand the potential explanations for your pet still bleeding after spaying, it’s time to discuss what you should do about it. The approach you need to take will vary depending on what you’re seeing.
How to Deal with a Dog Experiencing Bleeding Caused by Leftover Blood
If you believe the bleeding your spayed dog is experiencing is caused by leftover blood, you can take a more patient approach.
Sit back and monitor the situation for a while. Observe how much your dog bleeds. Make sure that the bleeding remains at a low level.
You can continue with this approach for a few weeks. Just keep a close eye on your dog and see if the bleeding remains minimal. Also, try to check for other signs of being heat such as a swollen vulva.
Hopefully, the bleeding will subside after a few weeks and you will notice no other symptoms during that time. That means you were only dealing with leftover blood. Now that the blood has escaped your dog’s body, you should expect to see no more bleeding moving forward.
How to Deal with a Dog Experiencing Bleeding Caused by Ovarian Remnant Syndrome
Taking a more active approach is required if you suspect your pet has ovarian remnant syndrome.
You can start by bringing your pet to the veterinarian for a check-up. Discuss the symptoms you’ve noticed with the veterinarian and ask if they believe that diagnostic procedures should be conducted. Proceed with the tests if the veterinarian says they are needed.
The test results may take a while to arrive.
If the tests confirm that your pet does indeed have ovarian remnant syndrome, she will have to undergo surgery once more. Your veterinarian will attempt to remove the remaining ovarian tissue during that procedure.
The veterinarian may also suggest performing the procedure while your dog is in heat. They may suggest that so they can detect the remaining tissue faster.
Do Dogs Still Go into Heat after Spaying?
Spaying does more than just stop the bleeding that comes from your dog being in heat. It should stop the heat altogether. Even the urges that dogs experience while in heat will go away after spaying.
Most of the time, spaying should stop your pet from going into heat again. Unfortunately, she may still go into heat if she is affected by ovarian remnant syndrome.
Watch out for the symptoms of being in heat after your dog has been spayed. Hopefully, you won’t see any of those symptoms anymore. Surgery is still an option if the spaying was not done properly the first time.