For dog keepers, preventing them from getting pregnant is usually a priority and concern during each heat period. Although there is a surgery that prevents pregnancies, as well as serious illnesses such as breast cancer, and which is done almost routinely in veterinary clinics, many caregivers still show reluctance to an intervention about which many myths survive. If you don't want your bitch to have litters, in this article on our site we explain how to prevent a bitch from getting pregnant
The reproductive cycle of bitches
Dogs begin their sexual maturity around 6-8 months, before the small breeds and later the larger ones. From then on they will go into heat a couple of times a year almost until the end of their lives. This period is divided into several phases and it is in one of them, the estrus, in which the dog will be receptive to the male and, therefore, you can get pregnant. We will notice it because the vulva softens, it will raise and move its tail away, it will raise the pelvis, etc.
If mating occurs, the female will gestate for approximately two months, after which 4 to 8 puppies will be born, depending on the breed, which must be suckled and remain with their mother for a minimum of 8 weeks. With an average of 6 puppies twice a year, a bitch could have around 120 puppies throughout her reproductive life, which, in turn, could also reproduce. This gives an idea of the dimensions of the problem and understands why a caregiver does not want his dog to get pregnant. We'll see how to avoid it below.
How to prevent a dog from getting pregnant?
If we don't want our dog to get pregnant we basically have the following options:
- Keep her under controlduring her fertile period. In this way we must be very aware of the appearance of her estrus to prevent it from escaping from it or that any male accesses it. This means practically keeping her locked up, walking her at odd hours, since she could meet males on the street. If, in addition, an entire male lives with her, that is, without castrating, the situation can become unsustainable. Keep in mind that if we operate on the male, the effect is not immediate and he can continue to fertilize even up to 5 months after surgery. With precautions it is possible that our dog does not get pregnant but we have to know that the effect of hormones throughout her life can cause he alth problems such as canine pyometra or breast tumors. In this sense, it should also be noted that the sterilization of an adult bitch that has already gone through several periods of heat does not always guarantee that a breast tumor will not develop, but it does prevent the development of uterine or womb infections.
- Drugs Our veterinarian can prescribe oestrus-inhibiting drugs, with which our dog will not be able to get pregnant but will continue to be at risk of pyometra, tumors and diseases related to the uterus and ovaries. In addition, these serious he alth problems are the side effects of these drugs so, although they could be used occasionally, they are not a good long-term solution.
- Sterilization The most common operation is the ovarihysterectomy which, As its name indicates, it consists of the extraction of the uterus and the ovaries. If this intervention is carried out before the first heat or just after, the risk of our bitch suffering from breast tumors is practically eliminated. She would also not suffer from pyometras or any other disease associated with these organs. This is a definitive method
To learn how to keep male dogs away or prevent your dog from mounting your female dog, we recommend consulting our article "How to keep dogs away from a female dog in heat".
Ovariohysterectomy to prevent your bitch from having litters
This is the most common and effective surgery if you don't want a bitch to have puppies. We have already seen what it consists of and what its benefits are, now we will see what are the myths that continue to surround this intervention:
- Change the character of the bitch. It is not true and has no scientific basis. The only thing that changes is that the bitch will not be nervous during heat or try to escape.
- She gains weightIf the operation is performed when the bitch is a puppy, it is normal that we notice that she gains weight, but she would also do it without simply operating because she has not completed her development. In addition, some owners continue to feed their dog puppy food or in large quantities, which encourages weight gain. The amount of food should always be adapted to the exercise of the animal. In this way, when we see an adult bitch gaining weight after surgery, we should always think that the problem lies in the type of diet, which has not been adapted.
- Fear of the operating room. It is normal but it must be said that for veterinarians it is a routine and safe operation, where the dog is anesthetized and monitored to keep her under control at all times.
- Fear of the postoperative period It is understandable but you have to know that the dog recovers quickly and we just have to check that the first days she does not do sudden movements or licking the wound, for which we can use an Elizabethan collar We will also administer medication to prevent pain or infection. Stitches or staples are removed in 8-10 days if no intradermal stitches have been used.
- The price This will depend on the weight of the bitch, being higher the older it is. It may seem like a lot of money, but you have to keep in mind that you pay for the work of professionals, maintenance of the operating room, drugs, anesthesia, etc. In addition, if we think about the price of the medication to inhibit heat, in a short time we will have amortized it. And if our economy still does not allow us surgery, we must bear in mind that many animal associations and foundations carry out sterilization campaigns during the year with certain veterinary clinics, through which a much lower price is offered to encourage sterilization and prevent bitches from getting pregnant.
