How to Manage False Pregnancy in Dogs: Know 8 Dynamics
Having a female dog sometimes becomes a matter of concern for some pet parents, not because they might have to deal with puppies, but their heat cycle and false pregnancy. False pregnancy in dogs is a common condition that pet parents sometimes misjudge due to the lack of proper knowledge regarding the situation. Above all, most of us behold limited knowledge regarding how to manage such cases and comfort our pets.
Have you noticed any current changes in your dog or her behavior that are pretty unusual to you? Has she started collecting toys and boarding them in her bed or in the corner of the house where she finds it a quiet place? Then it’s time to look for the symptoms or consider the changes in your dog’s behavior as it might be a phase where she believes she will have puppies. Pet parents often confuse the signs and symptoms of false pregnancy in dogs and start assuming something serious. Many of us often become completely paranoid over the changes in our pet’s behavior, connecting it to certain unwanted situations. This article would help you get the correct information about quickly managing those tough days and comforting your pet.
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What is false pregnancy in dogs?
False pregnancy in dogs, known as pseudopregnancy, pseudocyesis, or phantom pregnancy, occurs a few weeks after their heat cycle ends. False pregnancy also denotes the phase where female dogs believe that she is pregnant even though they cannot be. This happens due to the psychological and hormonal changes in their body after their estrus (heat). In other words, when a dog starts showing mothering signs where she would pick up any toy to nurture it like a puppy, it is time to consider giving her a safe and quiet place for a few days.
Early signs of false pregnancy in dogs
When it comes to symptoms of detecting false pregnancy in dogs, many pet parents often get confused or miss the signs. After a few weeks of their heat cycle, female dogs experience mood swings or depression that can be a primary or initial sign of false pregnancy. However, the following symptoms can help you identify pseudopregnancy in dogs and prepare you to deal with it in the best possible way.
- Reluctant to eat properly:
In such a situation, at the beginning of the early stage of false pregnancy in dogs, your pet might show reluctance when offered their favorite food or daily meals. In such a case, you might offer their favorite food or some boiled chicken to see if they are eating while denying another type of food. This will help you determine the severity of the situation. If she is ready to eat the treats, some chicken, or her favorite treats over daily meals, you might consider it a sign of false pregnancy.
- Fetching Toys to Nurture
You might notice that your dog is fetching their favorite toy or a puppy-like toy they are not usually concerned about and taking it to their bed or the corner of the house that day believes to be safe. You might also notice that they are not sharing the toy like their own puppy and acting like they are protecting it.
During false pregnancy, your obedient and gentle pup might act aggressively as the hormonal changes instigate their mothering instinct to protect their children.
- Enlarged mammary glands
A common sign of pseudopregnancy in dogs is the enlargement of the mammary glands, and milk might come out upon squeezing them. In this situation, your pet might feel a little pain in the mammary glands due to the decrease in hormone secretion level and stimulation of milk in the mammary glands.
- Lethargic and restless
Another common sign of false pregnancy is that your pet will be lathergic and reluctant even if offered their favorite treats or toys. Most of the time, they would like to be in their beds for the whole day.
- Morning sickness
Similar to actual pregnancy, pseudopregnancy can also involve morning sickness when you find your pet vomiting even after drinking some water in the morning.
- Foul-smelling discharge from the vagina
In some instances, you might get a foul smell whenever your pet moves from one place to another, and there might be some water-like discharge from the vagina, which also carries a vital sign of pseudopregnancy in dogs ( this might vary from dog to dog).
- Abdominal tension
In some instances, you might find a slight stiffness in the abdominal areas of your pet as false pregnancy would impact the size of the uterus, making the abdomen a little bloated.
Why false pregnancy in dogs occurs?
Before understanding how to deal with pseudopregnancy in dogs, knowing why such a situation occurs in the first place is essential. After 2-3 weeks of their heat cycle, the ovaries of your female dog start secreting hormones, irrespective of whether your pet is pregnant or not. This happens explicitly to those who are not nurtured. The hormone secretion influences the uterus to get ready to receive the fetus. If your pet is not pregnant, the hormone level suddenly decreases, instigating your pup’s changed behavior. In the initial stage, the increased levels of hormones might send signals to the dog’s brain to mimic the symptoms of pregnancy, but when the hormone level drops, this creates a scenario where the pet believes that she is pregnant and acts according to that.
Also read: Important Step to Take Proper Care of Your Dog After Surgery- Know In Details.
Things to consider when dealing with false pregnancy in dogs
False pregnancy might be a term for us, but it is a depressing and anxious situation for dogs that some of us often fail to recognize. During pseudopregnancy in dogs, there are a few things to consider that eventually would help reduce the stress and anxiety effectively and help them deal with the situation more quickly. Following dynamics might help you understand how you should approach your pet during such a stressful time to pass smoothly.
Gaining her trust
During the false pregnancy phase, your pet might go through a series of depression and anxiety. At the same time, the hormonal secretions compel the brain to become suspicious of every person that comes near her. This is a motherly instinct of female dogs to protect their puppies even when their brain tells them they are about to have puppies. Naturally, your pet might become a bit distant and aggressive towards the family members or even you due to the lack of trust. However, creating a special bond with your pet is very important, showing her that she can trust you with her puppies or restlessness. This will provide them a mental satisfaction and a soothing effect to decrease their anxiety.
Prepare a bed for them.
At this time, your pet will be reluctant to get up from its bed or want to take shelter in any corner of your house, which appears to be safe comparatively. This is when you can create a small dog house or prepare a bed where she can get comfortable sitting and relaxing for the day. Get a small dog house or create your own with long clothes and a dog bed ( as per your preferences) so that she can find herself safely surrounded and the perfect place to relax in those days.
Also Read: Harassment of Dog Owners in Rented Apartments-How to Deal With It
Medication
The false pregnancy in dogs usually passes without any medical intervention. In some instances, when the pet parents cannot detect the reason for such behavior of their pets, medical intervention might be needed. Nonetheless, pseudopregnancy can cause milk secretion in their mammary glands due to the hormonal changes in your pet’s body. In such a situation, you might need to consult a vet and get some medications (such as cabgoline 0.5 mg) as per the requirement so that the pregnancy hormones can be controlled and the milk secretion can also be reduced. Failure to do so might lead to mammary gland cancer or tumor if the milk is not being squeezed out or stays within the mammary glands for a long.
Offer their favorite food.
During false pregnancy, dogs are usually disinterested in having regular meals or eating any food offered. In such cases, your primary duty is to focus on giving them a food supplement so they would not feel weak or drained out. You can consider offering them boiled chicken for any cooked vegetable, egg whites, or vitamin supplements they like instead of regular kibbles or dry food. This should help them intake the required protein while their body is recovering from the hormonal changes.
Also Read: Why It Is Important To Treat Pyometra In Dogs On Time? – Know The Reasons
Cold Compress on Mammary Glands
During False pregnancy in dogs, the enlargement of the mammary glands is a common occurrence as the hormonal change causes the milk to be stored in the mammary glands, usually preparing it for the puppies to drink. But in false pregnancy, if the milk is not squeezed out, it can be turned into a tumor in the future. Usually, suppose you have consulted with a veterinarian, and he or she will prescribe the medication to reduce the milk stimulation in the mammary glands. Still, if you want to treat it naturally, try a cold compress with ice on the mammary gland and squeeze the milk out. It will help reduce the pain your pet might feel and the chances of getting mammary gland cancer.
Cuddle
Cuddling with your dog during the false pregnancy could work like magic as your touch and love might make them feel the security they lack during this time. If your pet is comfortable, cuddling with her will reduces her anxiety and depression caused due to the sudden decrease in hormone secretion.
Creating Distractions
Creating distractions is an effective way to help your pet deal with the situation, as spending time with her or playing with her might distract her from the current mental distress she is going through, and recovers more quickly.
Concluding Remarks
False pregnancy is a natural process that all our female dogs go through, but the lack of proper care during this time might lead to severe health conditions like pyometra and mammary gland cancer in dogs. The most soothing and empathetic thing you can do is to be with your pet for those few days so that you can support them mentally and physically to pay back what they have been doing for years.
