What health risks do unspayed female dogs face besides bleeding?

Hi and thanks for your question. There are lots of negatives to having an intact male dog. Intact male dogs can develop prostatic problems as well as testicular cancers that can have serious health consequences to them and may shorter the life of the dog. Aside from marking behaviors and other undesirable behavior (mounting, etc), , the risk of cancers and prostatic issues later in life are primary concerns. I hope this helps!

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!

Honestly, yes. You put her at risk of developing a pyometra, and those are extremely serious and often fatal. In addition, a pyometra requires surgery, and the cost for that is in the thousands. Compare that to a spay now, which would be a couple of hundred. I would get her spayed.

French Bulldogs are so cute! Given that she is three and is still unspayed, the biggest health risks are a pyometra and mammary tumors. Spaying her when you get her will take away the risk of a pyometra, but she will still have a 25% chance of developing mammary tumors during her lifetime. In dogs, 50% of mammary tumors are malignant, so it's important to get any lumps checked out right away that may develop on her belly. Other than that, excluding the heath risks that are common with the breed, there are no additional risks to adopting a dog who has been bred. I hope this helps!

Given her age and that she has had a recent heat, she may have a uterine infection (pyometra). This can be a serious infection if left untreated. Crystal should be examined by a veterinarian to be safe and treated if indicated. Surgery may be required if she has pyometra.

Yes, this can be due to a problem in her uterus. It could normal but since it’s been so long since she bled before there could be an infection or mass in the uterus or vagina. I recommend an exam and they may want to do an X-ray to make sure her uterus is normal size. I do recommend spaying her if you can so they can remove and examine the uterus and prevent her from getting a uterine infection or cancer. Also unspayed females have a higher incidence of breast cancer so that’s another reason for having her spayed soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care Lily.

When a dog goes in heat you may see some behavioural changes, sometimes some lack of appetite and of course some spotting (bleeding). It is highly recommended to spay your dog as it will eliminate the risk of mammary gland cancer (very common in unspayed dogs) and pyometra (uterine infection). The downside is a higher risk developing incontinence at a later age as well as obesity (which can be avoided with proper diet).