Looking for advice. I have a bitch 2 years old last April that I have been showing. She had her first season at 18 months ( which was relatively late for the breed ) and followed by a phantom in which bodily she had apparently put on weight and then her mammary glands enlarged and she had some seepage from them. She then had a perfectly normal season around 6 months later and has just been through all the same symptoms again. This time my vet has given her Galastop  (prolactin-suppressing).
I was concerned longer term about pyometra and some in the breed talk about the possibility of mammary tumours but my vet says he knows of no link. He says that the 2 problems are more likely as time goes on with the number of seasons, not particularly from phantoms. Based on that, my girl has no more or less chance of a problem occurring than one who does not have phantoms.
Her Mum was the text book version of a breeding bitch and over 6 bitches of the same breed I have never experienced phantoms from outset. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this sort of thing and thoughts about whether to mate her sooner rather than later which was not my intention just now. Her next season would not be due until about November. I had originally been thinking about next year.

I had a bitch who had 4 phantoms lasting 5-7 weeks but only when she had been mated, found out she ovulated very early and did manage to get her pregnant but pups were stillborn, she was too old to try again.

Like humans some bitches have unruly hormones

I have a bitch who has phantoms but not after every season in fact we are going through one at the moment.. I start her on zylkene highest dose as soon as I see the signs , which seems to chill her out , I also keep her busy and change her routine..

Thanks - sorry my computer died on me so in repair and using another.
The treatment has finished now but think i will have to take her back because I am sure the lumps I can feel towards the front are not normal even in a phantom.
It did say after 5 days treatment the symptoms should diminish.