Phantom Pregnancy!

Can anyone give me anymore info about Phantom Pregnancy in bitches (obviously) as my little Dilly dog has just about finished her 3rd one!!

She has been producing a watery fluid from her nipples for the last 7 weeks, it's not excatly milk but milk is present? She has had a dose of Galastop which I got from the vets. I know that it is quite common, and one of those things that a lot of non-spade bitches go through.. I am just curious as to wheather this will affect her ablility to get pregnant? She normally has really heavy seasons (hygiene pants from pet department in garden centre.. Godsend!) but I didn't have any warning for this phantom at all?

I've really only had male dogs before so any info on this subject would be great

Hi Puppydog false pregnancies can be a real pain Surprisingly about 60% of all bitches have F/Ps we don't always notice them though unless the symptoms are obvious . Unfortunately it has been found once a bitch has had a F/P they normally continue to have them after every season and they frequently get more pronounced. They are thought to be caused by the drop in some hormone levels following a season and over production of the hormone prolactin . I am not aware they effect fertility or the ability to get in whelp though, and can't see why they should as different time in the bitches cycle = different hormones. However, I may be wrong but I do have a nasty suspicion F/P may make a bitch more prone to pyometra or coming when they do following a season that F/Ps may result in pyo being mistaken for F/P and being overlooked. If not breeding from a bitch with F/Ps I would always have her spayed when the F/P is over and the milk gone but that is something you should talk to your vet about.

Thank you for info,

I do want to breed once maybe twice from her (as long as everything goes well the first time) So I am not yet wanting to spade her..

Just have to wait and see how she goes on..

Thanks again x

Hope all goes well and you get some fantastic puppies to show us on DW we are very good at nightime whelpings on here

Please don't say that Minihaha.....I've got two litters due around May 5th, both girls mated on the same day.........although one was ready a little more than the other, but whats the bets I have two or three nights sitting watching and waiting!

You lucky woman CC ...you know you love it !!!!

My bitch Cassy had a FP on her 4th season, the first thing I noticed (which happened in the space of a few hours) was her going from her normal self in the morning to in the evening attacking Kip out of the blue (well what seemed like it at the time).

It turned out Kip was near a toy which she was mothering and she was just protecting her baby. A trip to the vets she was put on Galastop and within a few days she was back to her old self (Galastop should dry up all the milk). We were advised to have her speyed, however she developed some skin problems and it was thouhght they may have been a result of her season and FP (hormonal problem) so we had to let her have one more season before she would be speyed. Well she is now on her 2nd season since her one and only FP, so far touch wood she has not had another however I am not taking any chances and she is booked in to get speyed in June this year.

As far as I know having a FP does not affect a bitche's ability to get pregnant, however, I was advised that usually when a bitch has one FP the chances are she is likely to have another. While they are easily treated it is a lot of stress for the bitch. So unless your really serious about breeding I would suggest having her speyed. Our vet had advised us if Cassy was to be bred we do it then have her speyed afterwards, well things never panned out like that and she will never be bred from. Good luck!

Yep, you're right, I do love it and these will be my last litters now for another 2 years it will probably take me that long to catch up on all the missed sleep!

In wild dogs & wolves PP's are the norm in the lower ranked bitches as whilst the alpha bitch starts hunting again the other lower females guard & feed the young if they are not fully weaned & apparently the lower bitches(who obviously haven't had puppies & they do not have seasons usually)have PPs quite frequently in the wild but not captivity There was a brilliant book written by a guy who spent 2 years studying them alone in Canada Argh I cannot remember his name nor the name of the book

Sorry mistake posting! I'll try again!