My bitch went into heat for the first time in february, she was nine months old. Lately she's been very listless and sort of depressed. I know she's not pregenant because she was kept well away from other dogs, but her teats are all swollen and strange. I was just wondering if it sounds like a phantom pregnancy and what to do if it is?

Hi Elro,

Sounds like it, are you intending to breed her later on? If not, I would have her neutered about 12-13 weeks after she first came into season. Her hormones at the moment are all raging around and she is trying to prepare for non-existant puppies.

There are a couple of things that help with false pregnancies, but to have the full effect, they need to be given before it starts. These are:-

Raspberry leaf tablets or liquid.
Homeopathic Pulsatilla.

Both work well and have helped us out with our girlies. :)

You need to keep her as active as possible to stop her getting depressed and don't let her guard toys as babies, because this will make her worse!!

Good luck with her, it's sad to see them depressed. :(

manda
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