• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Cats
    • Cat Behavior Problems
    • Cat Health
    • Cat Nutrition
    • Cat Training
  • Dogs
    • Heat Cycle Info
    • Dog Behavior
    • Dog Health
  • Fish
  • Did You Know?
PET-happy logo

pet-happy.com

Tips to Improve Your Pet's Behavior, Health, and Life...

You are here: Home / Dogs / Dog in Heat / Can a female dog get pregnant while bleeding?

Can a female dog get pregnant while bleeding?

September 10, 2021; By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

Can a dog get pregnant while bleeding? There is a widespread belief that a dog can’t get pregnant during the first days of her heat cycle. Many our patients with their first female dog are confused by their dog’s heat cycle. This article is about your female puppy and the risks at the start of her heat cycle.

Female french bulldog looking at you with her head tilted
Your little girl’s heat cycle is different than a human’s menstrual cycle

Table of contents

  • When can dogs get pregnant?
  • Why your dog can get pregnant while bleeding
  • How do I know if my dog is in heat?
  • For more information

When can dogs get pregnant?

The first misunderstanding about the dog heat cycle is the “beginning”. It’s very common to assume that the first days of your dogs estrous cycle is that it’s just starting and there’s no need to worry. The reason is that we like to compare your dog’s estrous cycle of female dogs to menstruation in humans. However, it’s a very different thing. We’ll get to the differences in a bit.

Please understand this key point. Your female dog can become pregnant while bleeding. Even if breeding occurred on the first day of her heat. Before we go any further, we understand there are reasons for to not spay your female dog. You may want to breed her, you are waiting until she is old enough, etc. For reference on when to breed your female dog, here are the guidelines we use and they are consistent with the AAHA recommendations. In larger breeds (over 45 pounds for example), we recommend waiting until they are grown up enough. For smaller dogs, we recommend to spay at 6 months or just prior to their first heat. Please work with your vet on the best timing for spay surgery. Okay, off of our spay/neuter soapbox.

Why your dog can get pregnant while bleeding

Here are the key reasons:

  • Red (bloody) vaginal discharge of a dog’s heat cycle is not the same as menstruation in women. Human menstruation means that the ova did not get fertilized and is now being flushed from the body. This process happens right after the fertile days and a woman cannot get pregnant during this time. However, so-called “bleeding” in dogs is not the same thing. The bleeding happens before, not after the fertile days. This means, when your female puppy is bleeding, you have to become careful to avoid unwanted dog pregnancy. In other words, keep your female dog away from any male dog that is not neutered.
  • Yes, it’s a little tricky to predict ovulation. Technically the first days of estrus are safer in terms of unwanted pregnancy. Insemination by a male dog will not occur during the early days because it cannot happen before the ovulation. Ovulation is triggered by hormones several days after the beginning of the heat. While on average, dogs ovulate in the ninth day of the heat, it can occur anywhere from the 3rd and 17th day. That’s why it’s tricky because of the possible three day window. It’s even worse if you don’t know when the heat started.
  • It’s easy to miss the beginning of the heat. The first sign of the heat is a bloody discharge from the dog’s vulva, often incorrectly labelled as bleeding. But what if the bloody vaginal discharge is not red, but pink or yellow? Another confusing thing is your female puppy may clean herself so you don’t see any vaginal bleeding. Noticing the start of the heat is hard. Therefore you can’t quite know form when to start counting the days. And even if your vet takes blood tests to monitor ovulation, there is one more thing why breeding can still result in a pregnant dog. And that is…
  • Male dog sperm can survive up to 7 days inside the uterus. This works as evolutionary insurance since breeding in nature is not that predictable. Breeding as we know happens when two dogs meet, not when ovulation occurs. That’s why a male dog’s sperm is remarkably viable and can survive in the uterus of a female pup for several days. This means, forget about potential three day window that might be safe at the beginning of the heat. If your female dog has reached sexual maturity, any breeding can result in her becoming pregnant.

How do I know if my dog is in heat?

The symptoms your female puppy an exhibit may differ than another dog. Knowing when your dog’s heat cycle starts and ends as we’ve discussed is a little tricky. This can be frustrating if you are trying to breed her. We had one experience where we were breeding our female dog as she was a show winner and exceptional at obedience trials. She was also as sweet and calm as can be. All the qualities we wanted in a new puppy. So we bred her. Figuring out when to breed was the hard part. For more details plesae refer to our article on Symptoms of a female dog in heat.

So, can a dog get become pregnant while bleeding? Yes. Please remember, a female dog estrous cycle is not menstruation. The start of your dog’s cycle is the start of your pup’s fertile days. Where in humans, it’s the end of them. And, even if we consider the first days of the heat cycle as a warm-up phase, you cannot relax. Your female puppy can still get pregnant if there is an unneutered male dog around.

For more information on the heat cycle of female dogs

We have written an entire series all about female dogs in heat. You can learn more about the heat cycle in female dogs here.

Next: How to calm a female dog in heat
Previous: Tips to handle a dog in heat

We wrote more topics like this one. Please click below.

  • FAQ - Female Dog in Heat
    FAQ - Female Dog in Heat
  • What to do when your dog is in heat?
    What to do when your dog is in heat?
  • How to Choose Cat Accessories For Your New Cat
    How to Choose Cat Accessories For Your New Cat
  • How to Feed Your Cat
    How to Feed Your Cat

September 10, 2021

About us

This site is lovingly written by:
Signe Munkevica, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Maris Munkevics, Animal Biologist and Animal Behaviorist.

Primary Sidebar

Recent articles:

My cat is running around like crazy! What to do?

How To Get Cats To Stop Eating Plants: 4 Ways

Can cats eat raw fish?

  • Top 10 Causes For An Excessive Chewing Dog
  • How to Get a Cat into a Carrier Voluntarily
  • How to stop your cat from biting when playing
  • How to stop a cat from scratching bedroom door at night
  • Why is my cat peeing on my stuff?

Dog Behavior

Female dog in heat

What to do when your dog is in heat?

  • Can a female dog get pregnant while bleeding?
  • What to do when your dog is in heat?
  • Do Male Dogs Go In Heat?

Fish

20 Gallon Fish Tank

Best 20 Gallon Aquarium

  • Step by step guide to set up a fish tank
  • How much light does an aquarium need
  • Reasons for white cloudy water in aquariums and possible solutions

Newest Articles

My cat is running around like crazy! What to do?

May 26, 2022 By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

Is your cat frequently running in circles, trying to catch imaginary objects, zooming (aka cat zoomies) back and forth around the room or even climbing the curtains? Even though cats are well known sprinters, such sudden bursts of activity, at their … Continue here » about My cat is running around like crazy! What to do?

How To Get Cats To Stop Eating Plants: 4 Ways

May 19, 2022 By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

This spring, we decided to grow lettuce and dill in our windowsill. What a good intention. We could have fresh salad and herbs to make healthy meals. We planted the seeds with our kids help and we all were excited about the prospects. We were even … Continue here » about How To Get Cats To Stop Eating Plants: 4 Ways

Can cats eat raw fish?

May 13, 2022 By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

There are many myths surrounding the field about your cats diet. The most common ones are things like: Your cat can receive balanced nutrition only from commercial cat food.Meat-by products are evil. We wrote a whole article about this one.Cats … Continue here » about Can cats eat raw fish?

Top 10 Causes For An Excessive Chewing Dog

May 6, 2022 By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

Is your dog chewing you out of house and home? Of course we know that dogs chew a lot when they are puppies. While most dogs outgrow this habit, some may still continue with this activity and keep chewing on things after they grow up. Sometimes, a … Continue here » about Top 10 Causes For An Excessive Chewing Dog

How to Get a Cat into a Carrier Voluntarily

April 29, 2022 By Maris Munkevics, Signe Munkevica

Getting an unwilling cat into a cat carrier can be a hard task. Almost every cat owner will confirm this. But what about your cat going in to their carrier of their own free will? Many of you are probably shaking your head no and say that it is not … Continue here » about How to Get a Cat into a Carrier Voluntarily

Footer

About us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Privacy policy
  • About Us
  • Contact us

Search

Affiliate Disclosure:

The following are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  This is used for keeping the blog up and running smoothly. Please know this does not change the price you see on Amazon. Thank you for your help and support of Pet-happy.com!

© 2022 PET-Happy.com
DMCA.com Protection Status