My vet mentioned two spay types. Can a spayed dog still go into heat?

OVH is the most common method of spaying a female dog that most veterinarians will perform. Ovariectomy (OVE) is when just the ovaries are removed. A newer trend that is still being researched on its effects on dogs is the removal of the uterus but leaving the ovaries. The dog will still have heat cycles but is unable to become pregnant. Traditional research has suggested that after going through several heat cycles, dogs are at risk for developing mammary cancer. Until that research is proven wrong otherwise, removing the hormonal influence that the ovaries have on the body helps reduce the risk of mammary cancer according to current research. Spay techniques are surgeon preference, so if your veterinarian would like to leave the ovaries in and remove the uterus, I would discuss this further with him and ask him about the pros and cons of doing such a procedure. Does he know if the risk of mammary cancer is altered in doing this procedure differently? Removing the uterus does not cause any major complications other than urinary incontinence, which does not happen in all spayed female dogs but a good majority do suffer from urinary incontinence due to being spayed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello and Happy Friday. Thanks for submitting your question. Spayed cats have their uterus and ovaries removed surgically disabling them to experience estrus or "come into heat". Therefore, a spayed female cat should not have the desire to mate and will not come into heat any longer for the duration of her life. However, if the surgery was not performed properly and a small amount of ovarian tissue is left, then it is possible she could experience estrus, although this is very rare. I hope this has helped answer your question!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If your Vet only removed the ovaries then she still has a uterus and that is where the blood comes from. After this heat she will no longer have them because the ovaries are gone and they provide the hormonal influence. If an intact male dog mated with her after the surgery I do not think she will get pregnant as the ovary makes the eggs. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Trixie. I agree, this does not sound right. It sounds like she is showing heat behaviors, and this can be a sign of an ovarian remnant left behind. I'd have her seen by a vet today or tomorrow for a hormone stimulation test. This will diagnose if she does have an ovarian remnant or not. If she does, she will need surgery to remove it. Best of luck.

The hormones can stay around for several weeks after a dog in heat is spayed, so you can expect some bleeding for another week or two. The vulvar swelling should decrease some after that, but I will say that for some dogs the vulva stays large after just one heat cycle.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Reys. Yes, both ovaries need to be removed. If not, she can still experience signs of heat as well as being prone to an infection in the remaining portion of the uterus. I hope this information helps!

Yes and no! If Arrow was spayed recently (in the past few weeks) and was about to go into heat sometimes the hormones stay around long enough for one heat cycle. Occasionally ovarian tissue is left behind or there is extra tissue that can then cause a heat cycle. It’s also possible that she has bloody discharge from the vulva due to a urinary tract infection or bladder stones. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian. They might recommend collecting a urine sample or obtaining a sample for vaginal cytology to see if it looks like Arrow is truly in heat.