Hi all, i was wondering if anyone could shed some light, my friend had her rottwieler mated on the 14th of january over three days, from thirteeth day of  her heat cycle anyway around 45 days she had a clear liquid which is apparently normal and a good indication of pregnancey, she then took the dog the vet and had a scan which was negative after the due date the dog seemed to go back to normal, until this morning when her teats have gone enormous and milk is running everywhere, the dog has been acting strange eg she wont leave her bed, she is not guarding any toys though. she is now on 73 days which i said it is definitely not pregnant my friend took her to the vet to be checked once agaian the vet adviced her to have another scan the dog still showed negative. The owners question is why would she flare up again at so late a date  also how long do phantoms last the dog is four and never had a litter or a phantom before    any help would be apprieciated i havent got a clue on this one, oh i forgot the vet said she should remove the dogs blanket as she is producing milk for the blanket  why would a dog have a phantom if its been mated

They can show signs of phantom pregnancy some time after their due dates the hormones seem to suddenly get the better of them.  They go through the same hormone cycle, pregnant or not, mated or not that is why human type pregnancy tests don't work on them.   I think it is good advise to remove any objects that she may be mothering, no matter how obscure the item may seem to us :) and it is probably a good idea to reduce rations a bit.

Poor girl - she must be feeling rotten. Tell your friend the best thing to do is to reduce the amount of protein the bitch is eating and up her exercise. Keep her busy - don't give her time to hide away and brood. Be very upbeat and 'jolly hockey-sticks' with her, and hopefully she'll come out of it quite soon.

Thanks guys i have nothing to add to that because i dont have a clue on that note, i will pass the advice on. I think i have been on the internet enough now, bye frank