Hi,

My 1 year old Viz bitch has just had her first season (about 1 month ago) and now her nipples are still quite large and almost look bruised? Is this normal or should I get her checked out?

The nipples and vulva never return to pre first season state and can show a phantom pregnancy for several weeks post season even when not mated, in the wild the non alpha bitches get milk to feed the alphas pups whilst she is out hunting.

Thanks - I thought it was okay. Just my OH who is not used to dogs was a bit concerned today....

Hi, I am still concerned about my bitches nipples.... the actual nipples haven't changed a lot since her season but they are kind of lumpy like she is or has been producing milk (she isn't). Do you think I should get her checked by the vet or is this also normal? I do have a young (5/6 months) JRT but I don't think she is suckling as there is no redness plus I haven't seen anything??

You can either go to the vet & get gallostop to dry up any milk( probably too soon for that), or give dorwest herbs a ring and ask them to send something. This is always my prefered method for a phantom because the gallostop tends to play about with coats/hormones too much for my liking. Phantoms reach their peak about 10-12 weeks after the season, so if the glands are swelling considerably now I would prepare youself for a hormonal time :(

I've got a bitch here that has had 4 seasons and 1 litter, her vulva is back very tiny like before her first season and her nipples you would never guess she had fed a litter of 7, shame they're not all like that isn't it.

Same with us ladies isn't it lol

Is it likely that they can have a phantom on the first season, also may be a really really stupid question but can it be hereditary?

Phantoms can happen after any season - in fact it's a perfectly normal phase of the hormone cycle. Most bitches will be afected to a greater or lesser degree. Some will just be slightly moody, some will produce a small amount of milk, some will go the whole hog and produce large quantities of milk, nest and nurse toys and be thoroughly miserable.

My breed of dog seems very prone to phantoms, infact, I've yet to meet someone who says their bitch doesn't have them! So I suspect it may be hereditary.
My bitch had a phantom after her first season which came very late, as with her dam, at 17 months. She had swollen teats, produced milk, created large nests, sulked for weeks on end, and guarded piles of rawhide 'babies' from my confused male dog! Her appetite also went up and down, ravenous one week, ignoring food the next. It peaked about 8 weeks after her season and then she snapped back to normal and became her usual lively self. Her teats gradually went down but they are still bigger than they were pre season and its 4 months later now.
She is the first bitch I've owned but I followed other's tips and kept her exercise levels high through the whole season and phantom, and kept her busy so that she didn't get too fixated on the pretend pups etc. It seemed to work and she came through fit as a fiddle and I hope we helped her through.
As others say, it is a natural hormonal process. However, if I felt she was really suffering or if she had close seasons and phantoms I would be inclined to spay her just for that. It is disruptive to her normal life. The worst thing was that she was so fed up and clingy, not like her real character at all! If she only has seasons once every 6-9 months, I feel it is something that we can cope with.

My bitch didn't start to produce milk until about 7 weeks post season so your bitch may still go on to do that. Don't worry about it. Just watch and see what happens, discourage her from licking her teats because it encourages milk production. Unless she produces lots or it doesn't stop, there is no need to give her anything in my view.

It is now nearly 5 weeks since her season finished so I will just keep an eye on her - so far she is acting completely normally (well if you can say that a Vizsla is ever normal)!!