Is My Dog Pregnant Without Breeding? – A Short Faq Guide On Pseudo-Pregnancy

Do you ever wonder if the signs that your pet is exhibiting are not natural? Like your female doggo starts showing signs of increased mammary gland size and lactation on physical check-ups at your VET? Or do they start behaving oddly, protecting toys and being aggressive, and even start nesting (preparing for birth) even though they have not been bred? Does your pet undergo a series of hormonal and behavioral changes that become very evident?

Then, your pet might be suffering from a condition called pseudopregnancy, and your vet might even suggest the same.

Tanvi Shendye, Final Year Student, Bombay Veterinary College.

But what exactly is this pseudo pregnancy condition? How does it unfold? What exactly happens?

We’ve got you covered in this blog. All your doubts and questions are answered in this blog as this blog extensively covers pseudopregnancy symptoms, treatment, and reasons why it occurs. Read more right below –

WHAT IS PSEUDOPREGNANCY?

Pseudo pregnancy is the development of signs of pregnancy without the presence of an implanted embryo or foetus.

It’s a common condition in female dogs as compared to female cats. This condition is rather common in 50% of the non-spayed female population.

False pregnancy is also called –

phantom pregnancy
pseudopregnancy
pseudocyesis

The female dogs exhibit a display of maternal (mothering) behavior which is combined with the physical signs of pregnancy following oestrus or heat in a female dog that is not actually pregnant. Also, some females may behave as if parturition has occurred and may start nesting with inanimate objects and refusing to eat.

WHEN DOES THIS OCCUR?

Pseudo-pregnancy occurs at the end of diestrus (a phase in the oestrus cycle or monthly cycle in female dogs) and is characterized by hyperplasia (increase in size) of the mammary glands, lactation, and behavioral changes even when mating has not occurred (and thus, non-pregnant condition)

WHY DOES PSEUDOPREGNANCY OCCUR? WHAT HAPPENS EXACTLY?

Hormones are produced by ovaries regardless of pregnancy. In fact, ovaries have a major role in pregnancy (stimulation, maintenance, and end of pregnancy). Also, in non-pregnant dogs, the regular oestrous cycle is under the influence of ovaries! So we know, the ovary here is the major reason.

Now, these hormones prepare the uterus to receive the foetuses and maintain pregnancy and hence continually produce hormones to maintain this pregnancy until parturition (or the birth of puppies), and then a new set of hormones take over for lactation (milking the young ones)

And when the dog is not pregnant, these hormones will subside after a few weeks to resume the cycle once again. The hormones begin to decline after 4-6 weeks.

However, In pseudopregnancy conditions, increased levels of circulating hormones cause changes that start mimicking a real pregnancy even though there is no conception and no foetus (pregnancy)

WATCH OUT FOR SYMPTOMS!

Symptoms of false pregnancy usually begin at around four to eight weeks after the previous heat period, and it mimics the symptoms of true pregnancy.

The most common signs of pseudopregnancy include :

Hyperplasia of Mammary gland (Enlargement of Mammary Glands)

During pregnancy, the mammary glands increase in size to accommodate and produce milk which will be generally produced for young nursing pups. However, even in pseudopregnancy, there is an increase in Mammary Glands’ size. The body undergoes some series of Hormonal Changes that lead to this condition.

The progesterone level falls while prolactin levels increase in concentration and thus, is associated with this condition.

Production of milk from Mammary Glands.

As mentioned before, there is an increase in the size of the mammary gland. These glands, however may /may not produce milk. And yes, in pseudopregnancy, both possibilities can occur.

Weight Gain

Due to the hormonal changes happening in the body, there is an increase in the weight of your pet, which is very obvious and it’s not related to the amount of intake of food.

Although there might be an increase in appetite, or there could be anorexia.

Your furry friend could start eating a lot or, not, -a a-lot (Anorexia in Pets).

Lethargy

Is your pet always tired and appears different? Time to get them checked up! It could be because of many reasons, yes, pseudopregnancy being one of them.

Behavioral Changes

Now, this condition is all because of hormonal changes and imbalance, and there are obviously certain behavioral signs which you can evidently observe –

Nesting
Mothering behavior and activity
Restlessness
lethargy and Decreased interest in physical activity
Aggressive behavior
Protecting toys or other small objects.

HOW DO WE TREAT THIS CONDITION?

Mild conditions generally don’t need treatment as they resolve after a certain time on their own.

Spaying

To prevent future cases of hormonal conditions, if the female is not going to be bred or used for breeding purposes and if the owner chooses, the dog should be spayed.

Ovariohysterectomy is recommended to prevent future episodes of Pseudo-Pregnancy, and ideally, this condition should never re-occur.

WATCH OUT FOR SYMPTOMS!

Management of Pseudo-pregnancy.

Now, if your pet is showing signs of pseudopregnancy, we can always medically manage this condition –

Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine for Pets

Our product FERTIGO for PET is a homeopathic medicine that works on the principle of “similia similibuscuranter” which means “like cures like”

Quality, efficacy, and safety are the utmost priorities of FERTIGO for PET formulation. Such formulations that cause symptoms like a diseased animal in a healthy one are used to prepare this wonder drug formula to be able to treat pseudopregnancy or related complaints for varied reasons.

Dosage: 20 drops three times a day or as directed by the doctor.

Visit a Veterinarian: Visiting a Veterinarian may be considered to calm the dog if they’re very restless, anxious, or aggressive and for conventional treatment.
Symptomatic relief

As the condition unfolds, the management protocol is similarly offered to depend upon the needs of your pet based on the signs and symptoms.

Pseudo-pregnancy as a condition is a hormonal one, and thus the management is a little bit tricky, but definitely not impossible. We can always be vigilant as pet owners and choose what’s best for them. Medical management by homeopathic medicine such as FERTIGO for PET is possible along with the conventional allopathic route.

The best way is for you and your vet to decide if you want to go for spaying or managing with medicines or breeding your furry friend.

It’s always a choice that we make for the best of our pets!

Homeopathic Solution For Dogs and Cats

FERTIMATE DROPS FOR FERTILITY ISSUES

FERTIMATE DROPS for PETS 30ML is the best remedy for treating conditions of Infertility and associated complaints. For Pseudo-Pregnancy, with associated complaints such as ovarian cysts or tumors, hormonal problems, and infectious diseases. This homeopathy medicine is a good cure. FERTIMATE DROPS for PETS 30ML is an Excellent Homeopathic veterinary medicine without any side effects to give relief naturally.

Dermisule homeopathic remedy for skin infection in dogs and cats

DERMISULE For All Kinds of Skin Issues in Pets:

DERMISULE for pets is the best remedy for dogs suffering from different skin conditions like eczema, allergies, rashes, lesions with hair loss, redness, dry, scaly, pus, or bloody discharge. Specific or general lesions or spots as in Mange disease can also be improved.

Me & My SKIN & COAT Pet Supplement for skin infection in pets

ME and MY SKIN AND COAT Homeopathic Supplement

Me & My SKIN & COAT Pet Supplement is a peerless medicine for our pet’s skin and coat. It helps reattain natural skin and coat after injuries, chaps, cracks, scaly eruptions, or any acute skin lesion in pets. It is highly recommended to treat hair fall for any reason.

Me & My IMMUNITY Pet Supplement for boosting immunity

ME and MY IMMUNITY Homeopathic Supplement

Me & My IMMUNITY Pet Supplement is a unique formula of valuable supplements for Dogs & Cats which help in maintaining and raising the IMMUNITY of your lovable pets. It is made for weak and old pets as it improves immunity, helps better utilization of food, and allay minor ailments or complaints of non-specific nature. It also gives strength to the body’s mechanism for fighting against germs of all kinds.

STRESSZA FOR PETS STRESS AND ANXIETY

STRESSZA for pets is an excellent remedy for treating Anxiety, Stress, and Canine Distemper. When your fur baby is unanimously scratching, barking, hiding behind, feeling anxious, eating nothing, even sometimes behaving wild or attacking unknowingly, etc. these all symptoms may be due to Anxiety and Stress or due to various causes of Canine Distemper. We have the best solution to all your problems, We have STRESSZA is a unique homeopathic veterinary formulation to relieve stress in pets.

Stressza for pets works for Stress due to Traveling, Crackers in Festive Season, Fighting with stray dogs, Home alone, Visiting Hospital for Vaccination, etc.

ME & MY VITALITY SUPPLEMENT FOR STRESS & ANXIETY

This is a unique supplement for pets experiencing extreme lassitude (inactiveness), depression, nervousness, irritability, hysterical behavior, night terror, insomnia, and other related symptoms.

GOHEAL SPRAY FOR Injury, FMD, and Burns

GOHEAL SPRAY is the best Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine for external use only to treat animal wounds caused due to any injury, FMD, burns, etc. It can also be used for mouth ulcers and cuts or burns on sensitive parts of the body. GOHEAL SPRAY works very fast to stop bleeding and start healing immediately.

Must read : – Holistic Healing for Pets: The Power of Natural Supplements for Skin Health

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1 thought on “Is My Dog Pregnant Without Breeding? – A Short Faq Guide On Pseudo-Pregnancy”

How do you treat pseudo pregnancy in dogs? – Goelvet Pharma Official
August 15, 2022

[…] Increased amounts of circulating hormones, on the other hand, create changes that start to mirror a real pregnancy even when there is no conception and no fetus in pseudopregnancy situations (pregnancy). how do you treat pseudopregnancy in dogs […]

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