i took my bitch to a dog 7 weeks ago they had a brief courtship then he got on but he was a bit too small he was really thrusting and very free flowing with his vital liquid after trying for a while (can i just say the dog has breed before but my bitch hasn`t) we walked the bitch round on lead and the dog liked this and pounced straight on her after thrusting for a while my bitch yelped and shot forward resulting in the dog coming off.this happened twice i would say both times lasted about 1min to 2mins but with them both been fluffy dogs we didnt actully see if he was in. we do think that he was in then when the tie should have happened she moved which caused her to yelp. anyway she is now showing signs of been pregnant gaining wieght swelling boobs turning pink on end of them fur loss around them and nesting and scavenging any bit of food she can find.what i would like to know is what is the difference between a real pregnacy and a phantom and when will a phantom end.how likly is she to be pregnant . i have been told that if she is pregnant she will probly be carrying only one pup ckcs`s don`t have big litters anyway.any information would be fantastic thank you

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Were either you or the owner of the stud experianced, if so why did you allow the bitch to move away? Still you have only a couple of weeks to find out or, of course, you could take her to the vet for their opinion.

the dogs would not do anything if we were holding them closly. we did not think a mating had taken place partly because he was struggling to reach her its only recently that we have found out it was possible and if he did penetrate her it was a slip mating its just that she is now showing all these signs and i wanted to know how to tell between a phantom and a real pregnancy.i have spoke to my vet this is who i found out that it was possible from and he said that she will be carrying probly only one pup and therefore is hard to feel if it is small but didnt give me any information on phantom pregnancies. he wasnt much use so any information you could give me will help me loads thanx

Hi Pebbles firstly did you go to a proper breeder or did you use a friends dog? as it really sounds as if you and the other person dont really know what you are doing, you must always hold the bitch so she does not move and the stud dog owner will help the male to enter the bitch and there you have it you sit there holding the dog up and together for 30 mins /i hour i hope you know how to whelp your bitch if she is in whelp? other wise you could lose both bitch and pups do some reading go and talk to other breeders that have the same breed as you. jackie

Pebbles someone once told me that if you take away the bitches toys all her pregnancy symptoms subside if she isnt pregnant... Dont know if its true though!

she isnt bothering with her toys like she usually does she just wants to be with me all the time

dose anyone know how long a phantom lasts for or any differences between the real thing and a phantom

My bitch leaves her toys when pregnant and prefers to be with me. Did you say it was 5 weeks since mating? Sorry just read up - is your bitch due around 18th August??? My bitches first litter - she behaved like yours is.... I took her to the vets who said it was a phantom.... even two days before she gave birth he was still adament it was a phantom - however I believed otherwise and had everything prepared... So the best thing you can do is read up as much as you can and have everything ready because its not long to go.

yes she will be due on the 18th august. she has gained wieght her nipples r fillin up and going pink she is searching and pinching food (i have increased her food a bit just in case) she has just started nesting in her blakets she is even sitting like a pregnant dog and that is somthing she deffinitly doesnt do coz she dose obedience work. we didnt think it was possible from a slip mating(which i have just found out about) when she had her last season last christmas she just finished and went back to normal so you cant even say she usually phantoms after a season(like my aunt`s bitch dose every time)the vet has told me that if she is shes probly only carrying 1 pup so its hard to feel. so it looks like i will just have to wait and see. is there any differences between a phantom and a real pregnancy?nobody i speak to seems to know

The problem is that i tcan be very difficult to tell as some bitches do have wonderfully convincing phantoms so sorry I dont think this is much help.Gillian

if it is a phantom then why didnt she have one after her last season at christmas? has it happened this time coz she has visited the stud dog? i cant see any movment in her belly but will i if there is only one pup

Hi I'm not saying it is a phantom and I'm not saying she is in whelp I just don't know and unless you have her x-rayed I dont think anyone else can say for certain one way or another either:) Sorry

Pebbles
None of us can advise if its a phantom or not - as i said earlier my bitch had 2 puppies last xmas none of them could be felt or seen moving... however the vet advised me that if i was sooooo convinced she was pregnant that i might like to increase her food and start feeding her a higher protein food such as puppy food. So all you can do is act as though she is pregnant and prepare her and yourself for the 18th. Dont dwell on phantom or not - I know it will be disappointing if nothing happens and it is a phantom but it IS possible from a slip mating for her to be pregnant... so feed her up or pay for a scan - for some reason my vet wont scan - I think he only has xray machines and he said he would need to sedate her to xray her and didnt want to put the pups at risk if she was pregnant so told me to sit and wait - though i could tell he thought i was crazy!

Aapart from the lack of puppies being born a Phantome can be almost like a real pregnancy, even to the extent of the bitch acting as if she is about to give birth.

When I tried mating my maiden bitch to a maiden dog, she also kept moving at teh crucial moment and we had a couple of slip matings (very brief). She had a Phantome pregnancy, the first she ever had, but she didn't go past the appearance of mid preagnancy (a bit bloated looking and engorfed glands) but as I had her scanned I knew it was a phantome, and had cut her food, and increased her walks.

Yopu could have her scanned.