hi everyone, i had my bitch scanned with a dissapointing result of no puppies, but after getting over the dissapointment i noticed she was showing signs of pregnancy a quick second scan still showed no pups so i have put this down to a false pregnancy, every week she has got a little bigger she would have been due 26th october from her first mating so this would have been her final week of pregnancy she hasnt adopted a toy or anything but this week her rib cage has widened she now has massive pink teats which are forming a ring at the base she has also been sick a few times,weeing lots even having accidents in the house her woopsies have gone more loose and last night she couldnt get comfortable how long do false pregnancys go on for and should i expect anything else my vet does not seem concerned so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated many thanks.

Is she producing milk? If so you might ask your vet for Galastop which stops lactation. I would hang on before you go down this route just in case, by some miracle, she goes on to produce a pup / puppies, wait until after her due date.

Dobes are prone to false pregnancies, mine have them practically after each season.

If she was mated she is probably having a phantom pregnancy. How old is your bitch and how many seasons has she had?

Has she been mated before with a successful outcome?

Sorry for all the questions but to offer any help a bit more info. is required.

Regards
Karen

hi karen thanks for your help, she is just 3 years old and this is her fourth season, she is not running any milk, she has never been mated before and this mating went very well didnt stress her out at all the stud was experienced and proven 20 minute tie on both occasions which she happily stud for, and she has never had a false pregnancy after any previous seasons but as i say never been mated before many thanks.

The symptoms do generally go away of their own accord, so don't worry unduly, especially if your vet is unconcerned.

Keep an eye on her teats to make sure they are not getting hard and hot (signs of mastitis) but if there is no milk this shouldn't be a problem. If her belly is swelling just make sure it isn't a pyometra, but I would expect some yucky vaginal discharge and a temperature if this was suspected.

If her tum seems a bit upset, I would feed her fish (or chicken) and rice for a few days to see if that sorts out the sickness / loose poos.

Hope this helps.