False pregnancies in Dogs
Chloe was mated on the 19th May, so exciting, we were going to have pups. She became very protective of herself, from the very beginning, sitting whenever she came into contact with a male dog and snapping at them.
I had to cut down our walking times as she was really tired and couldn’t do the usual 3/4hr. She got morning sickness and her tummy started getting bigger.
She was sleeping more and loads more cuddly and wouldn’t leave me out of her sight.
As the weeks passed, her breasts developed and she became even more cuddly and just wanted to
snuggle with me, leaving her much loved duck toy alone and nesting in her crate.
Then on day 59, her tummy looked very high as though she wasn’t pregnant, warning bells started going off, so a vet visit was in order.
The vet confirmed she wasn’t pregnant at all and she was having a false pregnancy. I was floored
and gutted as she went through all the milestones of being pregnant.
Chloe had fooled friends and family, so how does this come about?
Off to “Mr Google” to look it up
Some Facts:
False or phantom pregnancies are quite common in dogs, which is most probably caused by a
hormonial imbalance, especially due to progesterone and prolactin hormones, although the exact
cause is not really known.
False pregnancies can occur in females that have not been mated
The puppies can be reabsorbed by the female as well. This I am guessing can occure right up until
the pups skeleton is fossilised, which doesn’t happen until week 7 or 8
Signs of False Pregnancies:
Breasts developing, increase in abdominal size, nesting, surrogate mothering, mock labour,
depression, vomiting, behavioural changes, restlessness, loss of appetite, more appetite
Recovery:
Most dogs recover within 2-3 weeks, although some will take longer and may need vet intervention
By Maree Rowe
Owner of Lil Paws
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