False pregnancy in dogs: how to recognise it and what to do
Six weeks after the heat the dog suddenly carries cuddly toys into her bed, growls when anyone comes near, and there is milk in her teats. She was never mated. This is a false pregnancy, and it is neither imagination nor a disease but a hormonal programme every unspayed female dog runs through after every heat. It is just far more visible in some dogs than in others.
Why it happens
After ovulation, corpora lutea form on the ovaries and produce progesterone for about two months, regardless of whether the dog is pregnant. The body prepares for puppies. When progesterone drops at the end of diestrus, prolactin rises, the hormone for milk production and maternal behaviour. In a pregnant dog that is exactly right, she is about to have her puppies. In a dog that is not pregnant the same programme runs into empty air.
It is probably a legacy of the she-wolf: in the pack all females came into heat at the same time, and the pseudopregnant animals could help nurse the alpha female's pups. So every intact female dog hormonally has a small false pregnancy after every heat. It only becomes visible in some, and more often in certain breeds such as Dachshunds, Boxers, Afghan Hounds or Dalmatians.
When and for how long
Typically four to nine weeks after the heat, mostly around week six to eight. Duration one to three weeks. If you have noted the heat, you know fairly precisely when to look. Lunella shows this watch window in the calendar.
How you recognise it
- Nesting: pushing blankets together, digging in the bed, withdrawing to dark places
- Mothering: cuddly toys, socks or squeaky toys are carried into the nest, guarded and defended
- Teats: swollen, sometimes with milk
- Behaviour: restless, whining, eating less, clingy or on the contrary withdrawn, in rare cases aggressive towards people or other dogs
- Some dogs even show labour-like behaviour, as if birth were imminent
What you can do
- Put toys and cuddly toys away. Without “puppies” the maternal behaviour fades more easily. Don't punish her, she can't help it.
- Plenty of activity and exercise. Long walks, nose work, training. It distracts her and leaves less room for the maternal behaviour.
- Leave the teats alone. Don't massage, don't strip, don't “check whether milk comes”. Every stimulus promotes milk production. If she licks her teats constantly, a body suit or a T-shirt helps.
- Don't cut food drastically. Moderately reducing food for a few days may speed up the fading of signs a little, but it does not cure a false pregnancy. Never starve her or withhold water unless your vet tells you to.
When to see the vet
- The false pregnancy lasts longer than three weeks.
- The teats are hot, hard or painful (inflammation, mastitis).
- She hardly eats, seems ill or behaves aggressively.
- She drinks noticeably more, has a fever or discharge. That is then probably not a false pregnancy but pyometra, and that is an emergency.
The practice can give a prolactin inhibitor that ends milk production and the behaviour within a few days. In dogs that become strongly pseudopregnant after every heat, spaying may be considered. Important: do not spay during a false pregnancy, otherwise it can last for weeks to months. The right time is in anestrus, see When to spay?
How Lunella helps
From the end of the heat Lunella calculates the window for a false pregnancy, reminds you to check and explains in the stage information what to look for. In the daily observation you can record nesting, teats and behaviour. So at the next heat you can see whether it happens again and act early.
In short: false pregnancy develops four to nine weeks after the heat through the hormone drop and lasts one to three weeks. Toys away, plenty of exercise, hands off the teats. See the vet after three weeks, with inflamed teats or if the dog seems ill.
This article does not replace veterinary advice. If your dog shows signs of illness, see your vet.
