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My dog's teats are swollen and she's sick, but not pregnant. Why?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Treeing Walker Coonhound | Female | unspayed | 40 lbs

Our walker hound has swollen teats and is acting like she doesn't feel good. She has had puppies before we owned her but she is definitely not pregnant now. When we walk up to her, she comes right up to us whining like she's trying to tell us something is wrong. Her tail is tucked under her like she's scared. All of the teats are swollen and her stomach looks like it's drooping. There is no way she gave birth or anything like that. She hasn't been around ANY male dogs in over 3 months.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on June 10th, 2017

Poor silver! She could be pregnant (unless y'all have watched her 100% of the time she is outside) or she could be going through a false pregnancy (they think they are pregnant and will show similar signs of swollen mammary glands, nesting, whining, etc). She could also have an infection in her mammary tissues. I would recommend to contact your vet for an exam to confirm that she isn't pregnant and see what is going on. I hope she starts to feel better!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jessica Desrosiers
Veterinary Technician
Published on August 25th, 2018
If she is not spayed, all of those are possibilities, as well as a mammary infection or other issue. It would be best to have your dog examined by your local vet to rule out issues such as illness, infection, pregnancy, false pregnancies, etc, especially if she is showing signs of distress or illness.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on May 28th, 2018
She is most likely pregnant based on what you are describing, but there's a small possibility that this is a false pregnancy. They don't tend to have a dramatic increase in drinking when they are pregnant, so this worries me somewhat, because this can happen with some diseases. If she is also having other signs of illness, then I would recommend a visit to the vet as soon as possible.

Testing for pregnancy is usually most effective after 30 days of pregnancy, so it would be good to schedule an exam by your vet sometime soon. You may also consider getting her spayed to prevent the pregnancy. This can be done anytime now and is better to do earlier rather than later. Below is a link with more information about pregnancy in dogs.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/breeding-for-pet-owners-pregnancy-in-dogs

I hope that helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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