A false pregnancy in your intact dog is actually a completely natural process. she is a relic of wolves from ancient times.
The wolves in the pack that were not mated produced milk through the false pregnancy.
With this, the puppies of the leader of the wolves, which was the only one mated, could also be fed.
In this article you will find out what the symptoms look like if your dog is pregnant.
And also how you can deal with this situation.
False pregnancy symptoms in dogs: what are the typical signs?
A false pregnancy initially manifests itself as tiredness, listlessness and loss of appetite.
After that, the pseudo-pregnancy in the dog shows symptoms such as attachment, nest-building behavior and carrying toys into the nest.
But aggression towards conspecifics are also typical false pregnancy signs.
Join in physical changes such as swelling of the teats, milk production, larger abdomen, tenderness of the teats when the milk comes in.
In the case of a false pregnancy in a dog, the symptoms are very diverse. We help you to recognize a false pregnancy.
Tiredness – lack of drive – loss of appetite
Since the hormones If your dog goes crazy during a pseudopregnancy, this puts an extreme strain on your four-legged friend’s body.
He packs all his energy into the puppies supposedly growing up in the dog mom’s body.
The bitch loses this energy.
This is exactly why these symptoms appear in the case of a pseudopregnancy in the dog.
attachment
One of the symptoms of a false pregnancy in your dog is that your dog can become very clingy.
Your bitch feels it changes in her body.
This is completely new for her and also unsettles the bitch.
So it’s only too understandable that she seeks closeness to the person she trusts.
Nest building behavior – carrying toys into the nest
Your pseudopregnant bitch is «expecting» offspring. So it’s completely normal that she wants to make a cozy nest for him.
Therefore, your bitch builds a nest out of her roost.
After all, everything should be prepared by the time of the birth. The puppies should find a safe and comfortable environment.
Since the apparently pregnant bitch does not give birth to any puppies, she takes her toy as a toy Substitute. She kind of mothers her toys.
Aggressive behavior towards peers
The nest built by the bitch is intended for her supposed puppies.
The toy or other objects such as slippers become a substitute for the puppy.
These must protected become. Sometimes pseudopregnant bitches react with aggression.
Above all, they want to protect their “puppies” from other conspecifics!
Swelling of the teats – milk production – enlargement of the abdominal circumference
Sometimes the bitch’s body goes with one pseudopregnancy – as the technical term goes – so far that it can even make your belly fatter.
Everything pretends to be an illusion.
The body also starts producing milk during false pregnancy. The teat gets bigger.
If the bitch does not have puppies of her own, she can feed those of another bitch (lead bitch) with the milk produced.
The pseudopregnant bitches often lick their teats. This is to stimulate milk production.
This behavior can lead to teat inflammation and pain.
When should I go to the vet and what are the treatment options for false pregnancy?
A false pregnancy in the dog can remain untreated if the bitch is not under the changed hormone balance suffers.
Other false pregnancy signs that make treatment necessary are aggressiveness or health problems.
Important
While a false pregnancy is a natural process, if your dog is suffering, it still needs to be treated!
Diagnosis
First the vet will look after the Behave ask your bitch. Then the physical examination follows.
The swollen teats in particular indicate a false pregnancy.
To be absolutely sure that pregnancy can be ruled out, the vet will take an x-ray of the abdomen.
An ultrasound examination can also provide security.
treatment options
Your dog’s false pregnancy is caused by the hormone prolactin.
Therefore, drug treatment with prolactin inhibitors deployed.
If your bitch suffers greatly from the false pregnancy, she must have a castration be thought about.
Under no circumstances should this be done during the pseudopregnancy.
prevention
Progestin is given to bitches to suppress or delay your four-legged friend’s heat.
When treated with this hormone, bitches rarely become pseudopregnant.
However, progestin has a worrying side effect! It promotes the formation of mammary tumors at your fur nose.
The treatment is therefore very risky and not recommended!
You can do this yourself to support your dog with a false pregnancy
Keep your bitch busy during the false pregnancy period. undertake longing walks with her – play with her, distract her.
Anything that your dog might see as a puppy substitute should be removed from your four-legged friend’s reach.
You should definitely avoid licking the teats to stimulate milk production.
Sometimes only putting on a neck collar helps here.
Do you have a bitch yourself that often has or has had false pregnancies? how did you deal with it
Do you have recommendations for other owners of bitches with a false pregnancy? Let us share your experiences.