What is Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs?
Phantom Pregnancy in pet dogs is a disease that requires to be carefully monitored and dealt with in order to offer your furry pal as many healthy years as possible.
False pregnancy in dogs is also known as Phantom Pregnancy in dogs is when your female dog who is not really pregnant begins to display signs of pregnancy, like mothering behavior or nursing, without producing puppies. This condition is also known as pseudopregnancy in dogs.
More details about the early signs of phantom pregnancy and what are the causes of phantom pregnancy and treatments for phantom pregnancy in dogs can be found on this web page.
Symptoms of Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs
Phantom Pregnancy can cause visible changes in your dog’s health and behaviour. There are many early signs and symptoms of phantom pregnancy which you can observe in your pet. We have listed some of the common phantom pregnancy symptoms in dogs, below.
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Behavioural Changes
- Loss Of Appetitive
- Nesting
- Nursing
- Swollen Belly
- Secretion From Mammary Glands
Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is designed to help inform you of phantom pregnancy. It is not meant to replace the vet diagnosis or treatment for phantom pregnancy. If you have any concerns or questions about your pet’s health or possible symptoms, be sure to get in touch with and consult with your vet right away.
The Main Causes of Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs
To understand and treat phantom pregnancy in dogs, we need to understand the underlying causes of phantom pregnancy in dogs. This can help you prevent phantom pregnancy happening in the first place or again.
The real cause of a false pregnancy in dogs is unknown. Whether your female dog is preganant or not, your dog's ovaries start to produce hormones after an estrus cycle and these hormones prepare the uterus to receive fetuses and maintain the pregnancy in dogs.
Generally, these hormone levels decrease after 4 to 6 weeks, if your dog is not pregnant. However, this can sometimes send a false signal to the body such as stimulating mammary gland development. Symptoms of false pregnancy also show up in dogs three to four days after a spay surgery when the ovaries and uterus have been removed.
Diagnosing Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs
No one understands your pet better than you do and therefore it is critical that your dog be examined properly by a veterinarian annually.
The diagnosis of phantom pregnancy in dogs is usually based on ruling out possible causes for the clinical signs that your dog is showing as well as the history. Ultrasound is also utilized to diagnose if your dog is pregnant after day 28 of pregnancy. Radiographs (x-rays) can also diagnose pregnancy, but not until day 45. To rule out life threatening illnesses in dogs such as pyometra, blood tests are used.
For dogs at risk of getting phantom pregnancy, more frequent check ups at the vet clinic recommended.
Preventing Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs
Stopping phantom pregnancy in dogs is always better than treating it, hence let’s find out ways to prevent phantom pregnancy in dogs rather than curing it.
To not to look weak or vulnerable to predators, the natural survival instincts make dogs hide health problems. This means thorough physical examinations by a qualified vet are crucial to keep your pets healthy. Normally, blood and urine tests carried out by your veterinarian are needed to get the total understanding of your pet’s health. These preventive checks actions will identify any illness earlier making treatment more effective and less expensive and, more importantly, will help your pet dog live a longer, healthier life.
To prevent future episodes of phantom pregnancies in dogs, removal of the ovaries and uterus surgically is commonly used. This type of surgery is also refered to as spay surgery. It is always better wait until all the syptoms of false preganancy in your dog completely gone before carryout the spay surgery. The signs of phanton pregnancy may continue for several weeks after surgery, if you decided to carry out spaying surgery, while your pet is still experiencing signs of false pregnancy.
Treatment for Phantom Pregnancy in Dogs
In the event of mild cases of false pregnancy in dogs, usually, do not need any treatment as the issues will resolve by themselves in about 2 to 3 weeks. A symptomatic treatment for phantom pregnancy in dogs can be started, if you pet is seriously ill. The treatment for false pregnancy in your dog may include antiemetics to decrease vomiting and anorexia, or diuretics to reduce mammary secretions and fluid retention.
To decrease inflammation in the mammary glands and minimize the stimulation that promotes lactation, your veterinanrian may reccommend using cold or warm packs on the affected glands. Your vet may prescribe sedatives or tranquilizers to treat if your pet is very anxious or agressive and in very serious cases, hormonal treatment may be required to treat phantom preganancies in dogs.
Contact your veterinarian to understand more about the treatments for phantom pregnancy in dogs.