Some female dogs may experience bleeding after mating, but it's not always the case. The bleeding is usually a continuation of their heat cycle (estrus), where they already experience vaginal bleeding. This bleeding is often not excessive and shouldn't be a cause for concern unless it's heavy, continuous, or accompanied by other unusual symptoms.
Understanding Canine Estrus and Bleeding
Female dogs' heat cycles involve several stages, one of which is characterized by vaginal bleeding. This bleeding can persist even after mating occurs. The key is to distinguish between normal bleeding associated with estrus and abnormal bleeding that may indicate an underlying health problem.
-
Normal Bleeding: A dog may have some bloody discharge during or after mating, as a continuation of their heat cycle. As long as the bleeding isn't excessive or continuous, and your dog is behaving normally, there's usually no cause for concern. The amount of bleeding varies significantly between individual dogs.
-
Abnormal Bleeding: Excessive bleeding, persistent bleeding after the heat cycle has ended, or bleeding accompanied by other signs of illness (lethargy, loss of appetite, etc.) requires veterinary attention.
The Kennel Club https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-breeding/first-time-breeders/dog-mating/ confirms that some dogs continue bleeding throughout their season, resulting in bloody discharge during or after mating. However, several sources emphasize that heavy or unusual bleeding should be evaluated by a veterinarian.
Many online resources, such as Quora https://www.quora.com/Why-is-my-dog-bleeding-a-lot-right-after-mating-breeding-We-left-our-boy-and-girl-dogs-in-the-bathroom-and-left-them-alone-for-about-an-hour-and-then-I-was-bringing-her-outside-when-I-noticed-she-was-dripping-blood and JustAnswer https://www.justanswer.com/pet-dog/51bk5-dog-mated-3days-ago-started-bleed-again.html, also address this issue, indicating that while some bleeding is normal, excessive bleeding warrants professional veterinary assessment.
