How long does false pregnancy last??
 

Pita is going thro a false pregnancy after her first heat. Her poor lil boobs are all swollen up! How long will this last and what else can I expect?

How old was she when she came in heat? I am still waiting for mine to come in.

I am thinking they all get swollen boobies. I had the same fear about my maltese, but I don't really think she went through a false pregnancy because her swollen boobies were the only symptom. It took quite a while for those to go down.

My Kissa went through a false pregnancy with her second heat it went for the full term of a pregnancy THEN she had a squeaky she took everywhere with her for a couple of weeks after that all told I think we went through about 2 1/2 - 3 months or her "being pregnant and having a puppy". She would not be parted from the "puppy" either if we took the toy away from her to put it away with the other toys on the night she would cry until we gave it back to her. She would not leave the house or go anywhere without it. Good luck with your little girl. :)

Oh yea one more thing there was milk EVERYWHERE :eek: she had left big wet patches all over the house until her teets dried up

Wow, she really got milk? I hope Pita doesn't get that far into it! They are really swollen tho, they got bigger when she was in heat but now you can feel them when you pick her up!

She's 9 months old now. I am considering breeding her at her 3rd heat.

False preganacy??? Wow you really do learn something new every day! I never heard of this. I read and my mouth just droped. Shows you how much I know. lol

Here's something I just found...

FALSE PREGNANCY IN THE DOG

FALSE PREGNANCY IN THE DOG occurs when the bitch produces both physical and psychological changes that are a nuisance to the bitch and the owner. The psychological changes in the owner arise most often when informed that their prize bitch is NOT pregnant after all! The bitch will often produce milk, engage in nesting activity and look like she's pregnant. It's amusingly sad to see the affected dog try to persuade a tennis shoe to nurse! These visible changes take place beginning about 4 weeks after the heat cycle begins (estrus) and can continue for a number of weeks. False pregnancies are always unpredictable and can show up whether or not a mating has occurred. Often so much milk is produced the bitch becomes uncomfortable. Once a dog has had a false pregnancy she's likely to be afflicted again.

APPEARANCE
Most dogs experiencing a false pregnancy will begin to show some swelling in the mammary glands about five weeks after their heat cycle has ended. If you have bred your bitch, you will be elated that she "is getting ready to have pups". You might also be surprised that she "isn't filling out much". You will wonder why she isn't starting to show a big belly. Many dogs whether they are bred or not, will develop a false pregnancy, and look, act, and even think as if they are pregnant. Some will carry small toys or pillows around and even start digging a nesting site wherever they please. When the time draws near to when they would be delivering the pups, usually 63 days after a mating, milk will drain on its own from the mammary glands. Some dogs are really troubled that they cannot find the pups they psychologically feel they should be nursing.

CAUSE OF FALSE PREGNANCY IN THE DOG
The exact hormonal mechanisms that must occur to trigger false pregnancy are as yet unknown. We do know that a combination of interacting hormones including estrogen, adrenal hormones, and prolactin from the pituitary gland influence milk production in the mammary glands. Prolactin levels seem to be the main culprit, but why this hormone does what it does when it shouldn't is a subject for future research.

Fortunately 90% of false pregnancies resolve over a period of three weeks with no treatment. Since no real harm is done there's no reason to speed up what nature will take care of in time. For about 10% of bitches, though, the psychological effects directing mothering behavior are so intense that the bitch is miserable. She's continually searching for pups that aren't there and seeking relief from the mammary gland engorgement that's making her uncomfortable. Mastitis, an infection of the mammary glands, if it were to occur at this time could be particularly dangerous.

On occasion, in about 10% of false pregnancy cases, treatment is warranted. Various hormonal substances have been used to hasten the reabsorption of milk and to halt the milk production. None of these medications is entirely safe so close veterinary supervision is necessary. Most often the veterinarian will administer a hormone to interrupt the dog's secretions of internal hormones that may be promoting the production of more milk.

BREEDING SOUNDNESS
Any bitch showing false pregnancy is apt to have a reoccurrence in the future. There is NO reason NOT to breed this bitch but she may be a poor producer. There seems to be a greater risk of pyometra, a severe infection of the uterus, in any female dog that has had false pregnancies. Learn more about Pyometra in the Surgery Room. There's no way of predicting the outcome of any breeding but many bitches that have had a false pregnancy have gone on to whelp normal, healthy litters. Evidence does not indicate that false pregnancies are an inherited disorder.

wow thanks for that information,,,,, I had no idea. Your poor baby!

This is what I love about this site. I had heard of false pregnacies but knew nothing about them. Thanks for the information.

Yup she got milk and nested and the whole works it was amusing for a bit but after a couple of weeks we got worried about her cause of the milk thing... then one of her nipples started expressing this nasty brown stuff but the vet said it was just the last of her milk and she will be fine and she has been. She has had another heat since then and we were worried that she would have another FP but she didn't now we are waiting to have her spayed she has to be 3 months out of her last heat before they will do that in this country.

I hope that you are not going through this but if you are just remember you don't touch her baby =P Kissa never tried to nurse it just kept it by her and was very protective of it from the other dog in the house.
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions not often I can actually give any advice on here I am so far from being an expert on anything but at least this is something we have experienced and can share.

Missy is just getting over her false pregnancy. It lasts as long as a full pregnancy would last. Her due date is on August 22 so, I hope she will be back to normal by then.

During her false pregnancy, she slept alot, she carried around a favorite stuffed animal and layed with it and would protect it. She ate a lot more and her stomach even got a little swollen (it coulda been from eating so much) her nipples and her area down there were swollen. She had me fooled, I thought she was really pregnant.

We are in the last week of it, and all the swelling is going down, she almost looks back to normal ;)

We should throw a puppy shower for Missy..haha...Hey don't laugh too much what if there is that ONE puppy in there..then she'll be laughing at you..haha

Thats pretty funny, there was a story on the news a while back about a dog that thought that the cordless phone was her baby and everytime it rang she had to go find it and cuddle with it!

I saw that!!! Isn't funny how they are so naturally maternal?!?!

yes it is!