I have two yorkies male and female, 7 & 8 years old. The female has just turned
7, she has came in heat many times but they have been unable to mate. After
7 years I asumed they never would so I dont keep up with the dates she is in
heat. Just in the last few days she started acting weird, scraching in bed all nite
panting, crying constantly for me to hold her, and fighing the male for his food.
I wondered if she might be pregnant. My husband asked if she had milk so I checked and she does, I called the vet and took her in today. She agreed she had milk and could be with pups but she could not feel any. She took an x-ray and didn,t see anything. I don't know exactly when she would have conceived so I guess it could be too soon to tell. I think it would have been around the end of march.

This is all new to me and I hoped to get some info on what might be going on.
The vet said to go ahead and feed her more if she wants it, but that it could be
a false prenancy?

Will a dog have a false pregnancy if she never mated? Can anyone help?

Yes they can, but I think you have been extemely fortunate if it is just a phantom. If it is too much trouble for you to seperate your two when she is in season, or even to notice when she is in season why not have her spayed, in fact I am amazed your vet did not suggest it when you went to him.

I believe bitches can have false pregnancys without being mated. It is just an over production of certain hormones. they will produce milk, make nests, carry soft toys around as if they were pups and even strain as if they were giving birth. I have read somewhere that once a bitch has had a false preg. she will continue to do so at each subsequent heat, of course to varying degrees, not all will be the full blown nesting/straining thing. If she does continue to have them it may be worth talking to your vet about spaying.

Hi, if she has milk and no puppies appear on an x-ray then its almost certain a phantom or false pregnancy. If she was in season late March, the puppies would be due now and so should be seen on an x-ray. I wonder why she was x-rayed and not scanned - very expensive option for you. If this happens to any of my bitches I give them a homeopathic remedy - you can ask for advice at www.ainsworths.co.uk, and cut out/down on the protein (meat/milk ) in the diet to inhibit milk production. Try not to sympathise with her too much and get her out for walks and play as much as possible. She may be grumpy with the dog, so be careful there isn't a fight. I am not a fan of routine spaying, but I would recommend it in this case, to be sure she doesn't have puppies at this late age and to stop the possibilty of her contracting pyometra - which can be fatal - and can follow falsies / phantoms. Main Symptoms of pyo : depression, discomfort, unwillingness to get out of bed, may have vaginal discharge but not always, great thirst, temperature and eventually ataxia (shaking) and then fits.