Hi, I have a question about 'phantom' pregnancy.
My 10 month old GS bitch (German working line and Australian pedigree show dog line) had her first season for the month of June. Everything went fine, exactly as expected. Towards the end and afterwards she has developed teats, they have remained somewhat distended (not lactating) and remain so now 2 months later. As I was 99.99% sure that she hadn't had access to a male, I was fairly certain it was a phantom pregnancy. She also developed increased vocalisation but showed no other symptoms or changes. It is now about 10 weeks since her season now, and everything has remained the same. Can you tell me how this condition resolves?

Also, in the last few days she has exuded a very strong odour (probably from her vulva, which still remains a bit distended). I had noticed this at earlier stages as it would come and go. It is very distinctive but this time is very strong and pungent. I am thinking it may be hormone related but would prefer to know for sure. I suppose that my biggest fear is that she is "really" (not just phantom) pregnant - and I have missed it somehow... Your advice, as always, is greatly appreciated. All the best, Mara

PS apologies to Cindy if this Q is repeated, as I had trouble with the Q&A.

PS she was 10 months at the time of her season/heat and is now 12 months of age.

Contact your veterinarian and bring the dog in. I'd be concerned about pyometra. She is young for it, but it's not unheard of at that early age. Pyometra is serious and potentially deadly. Not something to be diagnosed in the internet. You need to have your dog looked at, ASAP.

I second the getting her into a vet right away. There are a lot of things I will try and self treat and/or diagnose but this is not one of them.

I've had girls go through real and false pregnancies and a strong odor is not normal.

Thanks for that :-)
The odour hasn't worried me that much as it has been intermittent since I got her at 8 weeks and she is very healthy. She has been to the vet several times and the vet always comments on her vitality. If it persists for more than the next day or so I'll go into the vet about it specifically. My mother describes it as "very doggy", but I have a very acute sense of smell and can smell the distinctiveness of it. It certainly doesn't smell 'sick' (I live on a farm and am used to wound and festering smells etc).

Could you tell me a bit more about how false pregnancies progress or resolve?

Mara,
Get your gal to the vet! He/She can answer your questions as they pertain to your girl. If the odor prompted a post it most certainly is worthy of a vet visit.

Strong and pungent needs a vet visit. You need a vaginal smear done at the very minimum.

A distended vulva would concern me also.

"Something" is going on with this dog, it could be anything from a minor infection to life threatening.

Please trust me on this, I have several intact females and this is something that you need to have checked out like yesterday.

 Quote: Betty Waldron

Strong and pungent needs a vet visit. You need a vaginal smear done at the very minimum.

A distended vulva would concern me also.

"Something" is going on with this dog, it could be anything from a minor infection to life threatening.

Please trust me on this, I have several intact females and this is something that you need to have checked out like yesterday.

I just went thru an ememgency spay with my female. She was having a serious not normal false pregnancy 7 1/2 weeks following the end of a completely normal heat. She was not showing any signs of carring milk or destention of her abdoman but I was pretty sure it was a false pregnancey. But not enough to not have it checked out. She was not having any discharge or odor. Which can be a huge tipoff to an open pyometra...I was concerned that she might be having a closed pyometra...the most dealy kind. Although she is an older intact fenmale, my concern was for her going into pyometra.

When the surgery took place she presented for spay as if in a full-blown heat, as if her normal heat had never taken place. She was totally engorged & with very cystic ovaries & she did secrete milk while under anesthesia. My vet told me that had a waited & not been aware of the signs...the outcome would not have been good at all.

ALthough pyometra is more common in older intact females...it is still seen in young females...just more rarely. I usually occurs 8-12 weeks after the end of a heat.

Take you dog to the vet. DO NOT DELAY!!! Don't risk you dog's life.

I've known a few dogs that had Pyo after their first heat. I just went through it with my 7 year old Malinois Cat. Scary as hell... had I let it go she would have died.

Even if you think the odor is "normal" for this dog, there is something going on.. odor could indicate infection- if there is infection going on in there, it can spread into the uterus when the cervix is open (during the heat cycle). You will want to clear this up before her next heat cycle.

Please, take her in... mistakes with a Pyo will end with a dead dog. I would much rather over-react when it comes to this than under react and lose my dog.

For what it's worth, Cat would milk up 8 weeks after her heat cycle- every time. There is some evidence that Pyo is hormone related, so bitches that have false pregnancies or milk up could be at increased risk of Pyo.