What health risks adopting a 3-year-old unspayed former breeder dog?

French bulldogs are brachycephalic, meaning that their muzzle is shorter than a normal dog. This does pose some anesthetic risk but for the most part, these pets do fine under anesthesia with appropriate precautions. I do agree with your veterinarian that having her spayed is a good idea. I recommend to look for veterinarian who has experience and is comfortable with sedating brachycephalic dogs. If you notice that she is a noisy breather, you may talk to the veterinarian in advance about repairing any stenotic nares or elongated soft palate during the procedure. These conditions are very common in French bulldogs. If she’s already going to be sedated for a spay, then that would be a good time to repair these other abnormalities if the doctor thinks it’s necessary. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

The two most common problems I would worry about are mammary tumors, which are more common the more frequently a dog goes through heat cycles, and pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus and occurs in dogs that are not spayed. Good luck on your project and let me know if this was helpful!

Hi again! Thanks for your question. Negatives of having an unsprayed female (intact female) are uterine infections (pyometra) which can be fatal, mammary cancers, ovarian tumors, and a shorter life span because of the development of these issues. One other negative is an undesired pregnancy. Hope this helps!

You don't mention whether your dog is a male or female, but I'll try to address both sexes. With any breeding, there is a risk of disease transmission. Brucellosis is the most commonly transmitted infectious disease between dogs in most areas but there is also a type of transmissible cancer that can be exchanged through breeding. You give your location as Canada, and I would say that TVT (Transmissible Venereal Tumor) is relatively rare there, but it is quite common in other parts of the world. If your dog is a male, there are likely few other risks to breeding. Most of the serious risks manifest during pregnancy and especially delivery, when the possibility of dystocia, or inability to give birth (a number of causes) may occur. In these cases the life of the female can be in serious danger without surgical intervention (C-section). Finally, in general, I'd ask that you really consider whether you feel that your dog and the proposed partner would produce puppies of sound genetics.Typically the only way to be confident in this is a full veterinary evaluation to include testing for known genetic problems in the breed. I'd also say that there are many unwanted dogs and puppies in the world, and breeding is not something to be lightly considered. .

From what I can see in the photos it looks like normal teats of a dog that has multiple litters. That being said, when they get cancers in the mammary glands they are up next to the body so without feeling her I cannot tell you if there are any tumors present. I suggest you have her examined by a vet before you adopt her. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

While any anesthesia carries a risk, spaying is generally a very safe procedure. The risks of anesthesia increase as a dog ages (I'm specifically referencing senior dogs like 10 years and older), but there are few risks for a young and healthy puppy. Your vet is right she could be ill in the future if you don't spay her. Not spaying her leaves her at risk of developing a pyometra in the future. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and spaying the dog is part of the treatment of a pyometra. That surgery is high risk due to the severity of the illness in the dog from the infection, and it costs thousands to perform. In addition, dogs who are spayed are at an increased risk of developing mammary tumors. Of these mammary tumors, 50% of them are malignant. For her health, it is best to spay her now. I would speak with your vet about getting it done. I hope this helps!

It is always best to spay your dog when they are young if you are not planning to breed. Yes, brachycephalic need special care with anesthesia but vets know this and take special precautions. If you don't spay her you are risking her gettting mammary (breast) cancer and/or pyometra (life threatening uterine infection). It is much worse to have to put her under anesthesia later when she is sick rather than now when she is young and healthy. https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/