Eight year old female pit bull missed her period. Why?

We have an 8 year old female pit bull and she missed her period, she has her period every 6 months and no period in Feb or March. Why no period?

Gale's Reply:

Just to be clear, female dogs don't have periods the way their human counterparts do. Instead they go into heat twice a year.

So, possible reasons your dog didn't go into heat:

1. Sometimes dogs go into heat without the obvious physical signal of the bloody discharge. So, it may have happened without you knowing it.

2. While (again unlike humans) a dog's reproductive functions never cease entirely, fertility does decrease with age and heat cycles can become less regular.

3. There could be a serious problem. She could have a thyroid problem, an infection of the uterus or even cancer. Not being a veterinarian, there may be (probably are) other possibilities that I am not aware of.

The point is, you definitely need to take her to the vet to find out what is going on with her. And, if your vet gives the "all clear", have her spayed.

Her risk of cancer of the reproductive organs will only increase as she ages as long as she remains intact. It's a parallel situation with male dogs too. Neutered males will be less susceptible to certain forms of cancer.

While I wish everyone would spay and neuter their pets given the current state of homeless dogs and cats in the world, I know there are some people who will not be moved by that argument. They feel that their dog or circumstance is somehow special and that global concerns don't apply to them.

To those who intend to breed and won't be convinced otherwise, I would just say this: Once you are finished with that piece of business, have your pets altered--for the sake of their health. There's no reason to leave an otherwise healthy dog intact past a certain age. And, there are several good reasons not to.