Checkup / Pseudopregnancy?

[Abulafia]

Hi All—

Hoku just back from her 15 month old checkup, and the Vet said she looks great (even at 87 lbs of pure muscle), but also that it looks like she's in pseudopregnancy. Her mammary glands are enlarged (which I'd noticed), though not hugely, but nothing else, really. The Vet palpated her glands, and there are no lumps, so she thinks it's all fine. Just told us to watch it. Stomach's not distended, no other signs (no lactation, no discharge). There's absolutely no possibility that she is pregnant.

Has anyone else here had an intact bitch go through this? Anything I should be on the lookout for?

[Berna]

If she behaves with her toys like they are her babies, take these away. Other than that you just wait. If her appetite is good and there is no vaginal discharge, if she otherwise behaves normally (some females do tend to be more aggressive with other dogs in that period), everything should be fine.

I just wanted to point out that you should spay her before her next heat. Females who get pseudopregnancies are at a higher risk of pyometra. A colleague of mine just managed to save his dog in the last possible moment, she had an emergency spay and a long recovery. They didn't spay her after her last heat, although they planned to because she got into pseudopregnancy, so 6 months later she got into heat again and after that she developed pyometra.

[Abulafia]

She doesn't play w/ her toys differently, appetite's fine, no nesting or guardedness or restlessness, no discharge. Actually, nothing beyond perhaps slightly enlarged mammaries.

It's not even certain that she's had a pseudopregnancy. Sorry: I surely overstated that in my first post. I should have written "the Vet thought maybe."

But I'll contact her breeder about this as well. Again, I don't see any differences other that the mild physical ones (slightly enlarged mammaries).

[SunDance]

Folks I see in the park with their Leonberger keep her away from other dogs when she's in heat...as do friends of mine with a Rhodesian Ridgeback. In both cases, these otherwise friendly girls get a bit unpredictable with other dogs during that time.

[Annette47]

If that’s the only sign, I wouldn’t necessarily jump to false pregnancy (which is very common in dogs although none of mine have gone through it). Cookie’s nipples were slightly enlarged after going through her first heat and the vet did comment on it, but mostly in comparison to her sister Sass who hasn’t gone in yet and who barely has any, LOL. I think nipples enlarging with heat cycles is pretty normal. Since weaning the pups and being spayed, Chloe’s have shrank to smaller than they have been at any time since she first came in at 18 months.

If that’s the only sign you are seeing, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, although of course watch her for any signs of pyometra (all intact bitches should be monitored for that regardless of whether or not they’ve had a false pregnancy).

[Shelley]

We routinely see nipple enlargement, that doesn't go away, after a first heat cycle, so that may be what your vet is seeing. I had a girl here that had a few false pregnancies. She lactated, had signs of labor, had stuffie "babies" (by the way, I did allow her to keep her "babies) and for all intents a purposes looked like she was preparing for a litter. I did breed her once, and she was a terrific mother, she is retired and spayed now and living with friends and happy as a clam.

Just watch for discharge, and watch for behavioral changes that last for more than a few weeks. This is also prime time for pyometra, and closed pyo does not present with normal discharge and odor, like open pyo does, so if it persists, I would ask for an abdominal ultrasound to rule out pyo. Other than that, it will pass. Like someone else said, she may get a little moody, due to her hormone fluctuations, or not, they are all different. This is pretty common for dogs.

I also wanted to mention that many girls have false pregnancies and do have any higher risk of developing pyo their next cycle,or ever. Even if it anecdotally happened to one dog someone knows of, does not make it a steadfast rule. There is no connection whatsoever to pseudo pregnancy and pyometra. :-) So if you would like Hoku to go through one more heat cycle, for developmental purposes, there is no reason not to. Every heat cycle does incur the risk of Pyo, by its very nature, but the risk factor did not raise because of a false pregnacy.

[Abulafia]

I think it's just enlarged nipples. Also, upon further questioning my husband (who is the one who took her to the Vet), the Vet did not say "it looks like she's in pseudopregnancy," but "Oh, her nipples are enlarged, but as long she's not acting any differently, it doesn't look like she's in pseudopregnancy."

Thanks, husband, for getting that slightly completely backwards. Sheesh.

And no, she's not acting differently at all, which is why I was surprised by my husband's report. She's active as ever, swimming loads, eating normally, no mood changes. Nothing.

Sorry about the alarm. My husband's such a dork.

Will keep an eye out for pyometra, but as I understand it closed pyometra would present by swift extreme illness, right?

[Abulafia]

Oh, and our contract w/ the breeder agrees that we won't spay until she's two years of age, so she'll go through at least one more cycle.

[Shelley]

Symptoms of pyo vary greatly between dogs, some you can tell they don't feel well, (vomiting, diarrhea, bloated abdomen, elevated temperature, increased thirst/urination, licking the vulvar area, can't get comfortable, etc...) and some act like nothing is happening, especially our stoic Labradors. So I pay attention to my instincts, if something seems 'off', it usually is.

Closed pyo is a true medical emergency, if it ruptures the mortality rate rises significantly.

Related question, do you allow her to swim while she is in season? I think we chatted about this before, so forgive me if you already know this. :-) Edited to add, I know she isn't in season now, but was a few weeks back.

Technically, depending on where she is in her season, the cervix is more open and receptive for breeding, this also allows bacteria in, such as E. coli, or contaminated water from swimming, then when the cervix closes, it traps whatever is in there, inside. I caution my families to not allow swimming while they are in heat, from first sign to at least 4 weeks later. I know others aren't as cautious as I am, but thats the way it is.

[Berna]

I also wanted to mention that many girls have false pregnancies and do have any higher risk of developing pyo their next cycle,or ever. Even if it anecdotally happened to one dog someone knows of, does not make it a steadfast rule. There is no connection whatsoever to pseudo pregnancy and pyometra. :-)

Do you have something to support this? I just mentioned my colleague's dog because it's a more recent example. I didn't say it will certainly happen, I just said there's a higher risk. Also, you breed your females and Hoku won't be bred, which should also be considered. Of course it should be Abulafia's choice whether she spays her dog before her next heat, in 5 years or never, I just said what I would do and that I definitely wouldn't take that risk. There's also the option of taking the uterus out and keeping the ovaries, which allows the female to get into heat cycles and she keeps all the hormones, but she can't get pyometra.