My spayed dog is lactating and lethargic. Is it phantom pregnancy?

Hi, if she was pregnant and lactating it should be quite obvious by now because it would be the second half of her pregnancy. Unless she is just expecting 1-2 puppies then her abdomen would not be much different, however it is unusual to have 1-2 puppies only. Lactation could also occur with phantom pregnancy. In order for you to be sure, best to have her checked over, if she has puppies, your vet might be able to check them with the ultrasound and see if they have any major abnormalities. Hope this helps.

I would expect the problem not to reoccur a month after the spay surgery, but in some cases it can take up to two month for full effect of the operation. If by then the issue happens again then I would suspect there is a problem, possibly an email topic ovarian tissue some were in the abdominal cavity that was not removed during the spay and is still secreting female hormones. If it does happen again, a blood test to measure these hormones will be the next step.

I am sorry for the delay in answering your question. It sounds like you’ve gotten her to the vet by now, and I hope you got some answers. My thought when reading your question is that some dogs will have some remnant ovarian tissue (small amounts ovarian tissue that either is left behind at surgery or is growing elsewhere in the abdomen). Ovarian tissue can cause false pregnancy which could cause these symptoms. A hormone profile test (run on blood) should be able to give your vet information to determine if there is ovarian tissue still present. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Again I apologize for the delay in your answer.

Hello. Tasha is likely experiencing something called 'pseudopregnancy'. This is a condition in dogs that occurs about 1 month after their last heat, and their body thinks they are pregnant and about to give birth. She can lactate, and may also try to nurse stuffed animals, or make a nest for the puppies that she thinks she is about to have. This will resolve once she is spayed. In the mean-time make sure she doesn't develop mastitis. Check to make sure the nipples and mammary glands are soft, not painful, and not hot/cold. You can always get her checked by your vet if you aren't sure. Good luck with Tasha.

She is likely suffering from a phantom pregnancy, i would recommend taking her to the vet anyway in order to get it checked, just to be on the safe side. there is no treatment for this (other than getting her spayed, which i strongly recommend in her case), it will resolve eventually within a few weeks, but it is also likely to reoccur in future heat cycles.

The most common causes for lactation in an unspayed dog is pregnancy or false pregnancy. I would recommend that Caramel have a vet checkup to see if she is pregnant. If she is not pregnant, the signs associated with false pregnancy should resolve in 2-3 weeks. If they do not, she may need treatment or to be spayed to make the signs go away.

Unfortunately you can not stop the lactating. It will have to stop when the hormone level drops. When dogs are in a false pregnancy the spay has a higher risk of complications. The largest complication is extra bleeding. The blood vessels to the uterus and skin are very large when a dog is in heat or false pregnancy. The blood vessels get smaller after they cycle. Also the tissue is more friable and likely to tear. I find patients are more painful after surgery too. Hope that helps. If you have more questions you could always set up a pet coach consult