Typical signs of a false pregnancy include cuddling soft toys.

Last week Arya was brought to the clinic because she had gone off her food. Arya is a two-year-old white and orange Staffordshire Bull Terrier who is usually a delight to watch interacting with her owner because of the powerful bond that exists between them. Yet, this time, Arya was behaving differently.

Where usually she is impossible to keep quiet, now she was subdued; where usually her face seems to be mocking us in jest, now she hung her head with a worried expression wrinkling her forehead. Something was not quite right.

What was also immediately apparent was that her belly was distended and her mammary glands were enlarged, all typical signs of the latter stages of pregnancy. Except that she was not eating and clearly miserable. An examination confirmed that Arya was passing through a phase of false pregnancy.

False pregnancy, phantom pregnancy, pseudo-pregnancy and pseudocyesis are all medical terms used interchangeably to describe the physical and behavioural signs of pregnancy when it occurs in a non-pregnant animal.

False pregnancies can and do occur in many species but the female dog is typically the species which is most predisposed to and suffers most acutely from this condition, such is the intensity of their nurturing instinct.

In fact, it is also a well-known phenomenon that female dogs that rescue another dog’s newborn puppies, kittens, cubs and other such offspring are capable of producing life-saving milk to feed the orphans.

This is also another reason why wild female dogs that live in packs come into season together and why non-pregnant dogs can also contribute towards the feeding of the young.

When pregnancy happens, it occurs after mating and is defined as the interval during which the puppies develop inside the female dog. But sometimes, the insurgence of the hormones progesterone and prolactin following ovulation causes some female dogs to think and feel as if they are pregnant, even when no mating has taken place. These hormones generally happen in preparation of the female body and uterus for an eventual pregnancy.

False pregnancy generally resolves itself within a week or two when the hormones return to their normal levels

All breed of dogs are susceptible to false pregnancy, irrespective of pure or cross-breed and Arya was showing all the classical signs of passing through the latter phases of the condition.

Signs of false pregnancy may occur anytime between four to nine weeks after a female dog is on heat and the typical signs include loss of appetite, depression, shredding paper or bedding in an attempt to prepare a nest for the phantom puppies, cuddling soft toys and sometimes even milk production.

I have had cases where a dog suffering from a false pregnancy would walk about with a squeaky toy in its mouth and every now and then squeeze it gently, almost as if to simulate the mewling of new born puppies. Clinically, there may be more or less signs of the distended belly and engorged teats. The mammary line, which is the term used for the row of mammary glands, is also much more pronounced than usual.

False pregnancy generally resolves itself within a week or two when the hormones return to their normal levels. But the importance of this condition should not be underestimated: dogs that suffer from false pregnancy tend to endure this condition repeatedly after each heat. This continuous stimulation of the mammary glands has the known effect of increasing the incidence of mammary tumours.

For this reason, female dogs that repeatedly suffer from false pregnancy and which are not intended to be mated should be spayed. There are specific reasons why spaying is the optimal remedy.

Firstly, spaying interrupts the female dog’s heat cycle and therefore it controls the unwanted surge of hormones that bring about a false pregnancy and resulting depression. In turn, spaying reduces problems in the ovaries, uterus and mammary glands.

It is worth bearing in mind that mating itself does not eliminate the occurrence of false pregnancy at a later stage, so mating a female dog simply as a potential preventive against false pregnancy or tumours will not necessarily resolve the issue. Therefore, it is important that you consult your veterinarian should you see signs of a false pregnancy, particularly if it occurs more than once.

Having ruled out an actual pregnancy (which might have happened while you were not looking), your veterinarian will advise as to the best treatment and duration for your dog since this will depend on the severity of the dog’s condition. A one-off false pregnancy is not cause for alarm. But recurrent false pregnancies will need definitive action.

With Arya, this was the second time that she was diagnosed as having a false pregnancy and this time round her depression was particularly pronounced, so we decided that she needed to be spayed. Arya is now recovering from surgery. Her false pregnancies will not recur… and neither will her depression.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.