Having a dog is a great responsibility and this does not only apply to the necessary care, providing it with quality food and taking it for a walk with the appropriate frequency. It also appeals to know certain peculiarities of the species with the aim of always making sure that its state of health is optimal.
Therefore, in case you have a female dog, you should know how her sexual cycle develops. First of all, it should be noted that sterilizing a dog brings many benefits beyond reproductive control. But if you do not want to neuter your pet, you have to clear up doubts about its reproductive cycle. And one of the most common is if bitches stop being in heat at some point in their lives and, therefore, enter what is known as menopause in humans.
The first heat in a bitch appears between five and eight months of age, although it can be delayed until the first year of life in the case of large breeds. Once they have their first heat, they will experience it approximately every six months, although there are breeds that only have one heat a year.
The female reproductive cycle consists of four stages. First, the proestrus, which lasts about nine days and is when the first bleeding occurs. In this phase, the ovary is preparing for fertilization and the males are already attracted to the female. However, she is she will not be ridden yet and she is still not fertile.
Next, it enters estrus, the period properly known as heat. Its duration is also around nine days and it is the time when the bitch is fertile, so she attracts the males and allows herself to be mounted by them. She still has discharge from her vulva, but it’s lighter than the bleeding from the previous phase.
The right-handed is the phase in which the bitch stops seeking to mate and will no longer attract males or allow themselves to be mounted by them. Finally, it gives way to anestrus, the period that occurs between one heat and another.
When asked if bitches stop being in heat at some point in their lives and enter menopause, the answer is no. As a general rule and as long as she is not sterilized, a female dog will be in heat throughout her life and, therefore, she can become pregnant at any age.
However, it is true that as they age, between eight and ten years of age, their fertility and reproductive capacity are reduced, having more irregular cycles. You will be less likely to get pregnant, as well as pregnancies to carry to term. And, if there is a pregnancy, there is a greater chance of complications or congenital malformations.
