False pregnancy in dogs: causes, signs, treatment. False pregnancy in a dog: what to do Why can a dog produce milk?

Discharge from a dog's nipples is observed only in some cases, and if it does not occur during pregnancy or after it, then we are probably talking about some kind of problem with her “ women's health" This symptom is especially dangerous in combination with the appearance.

A bitch that is nursing or preparing for motherhood will have wet nipples because her body is already capable of feeding; it tells the puppies by smell how to quickly find food. In other periods, discharge is a sign of the presence of a disease or a process such as false pregnancy.

The appearance of colostrum during pregnancy

A dog that is ready to give birth produces milk from its nipples already in advance. This means that all necessary physiological changes have already occurred in the body. Motherhood should go well. Even colostrum will appear sooner - translucent white liquid, which precedes the arrival of milk itself in the nipples.

The glands may swell slightly, but they should not become very hard. The dog feels well, licks himself a little, and shows no anxiety or symptoms of fever. The presence of a dangerous pathological process that began during pregnancy can be indicated by bloody, brown and rotten-smelling discharge, red and cracked skin.

When feeding

White discharge from the nipples of a dog that is nursing puppies is normal. Especially if the amount of milk produced is greater than the litter needs. Here you need to ensure that the volume of leaking liquid does not become too large. If the glands swell, become hard and remain where the dog was resting. wet spots, then mastitis is likely.

The nursing bitch should react normally to the puppies trying to eat. If she gets up and walks away every time they start sucking, she may be in pain. Then you need to examine her stomach, feeling and checking which areas she reacts to touch. If brown or yellow discharge, and the nipples themselves become hard or cracked, then you need to take the animal to the veterinarian.

Discharge color

White solid or translucent color can be considered normal. This is either colostrum or milk. They should not leak out of the nipples on their own, but lubricating the mat or hand after stroking is quite natural. Colostrum is the fluid that begins to flow during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth, before the milk itself appears.

If it still hasn’t filled the glands of the already whelped bitch, then it’s probably not very good. Newborns will have to be transferred to artificial feeding, and establish supervision for the dog so as not to miss the moment if there are manifestations of diseases such as mastitis or infected fissures.

Yellow discharge from a dog's nipples will not always be a symptom of an illness. The color of breastfeeding milk is not snow-white, it may be yellowish. Here you need to pay attention to the consistency and smell. If the liquid is thick, heterogeneous, tends to brown color more than white, and it has a pronounced odor, then this cannot be considered the norm. Moreover, it is not necessary that the smell will be unpleasant - just in general, only puppies are attracted to milk by its aroma. To humans, it may not smell at all.

Nipple discharge between heats

One of the pathological processes that occurs in unsterilized bitches is the so-called false pregnancy. It usually occurs two months after estrus. It is characterized by swollen, very hardened mammary glands, as well as - transparent discharge from a dog's nipples. If your pet has not developed mastitis and has no symptoms of fever, you can try putting your pet on a diet and more active playtime before taking him to the vet. So a false pregnancy often goes away on its own. However, it is better to take care to prevent the occurrence of any associated diseases by having your dog spayed.

If you have mastitis, of course, self-treatment won't give any positive results. This will completely trigger the pathological process and recovery will take much longer and more difficult than it could. In addition, this condition is painful for the dog. She is worried about pain, itching and heaviness; milk can literally flow from her nipples. And its stagnation is also likely, which leads to completely catastrophic consequences.

U healthy dog Discharge from the nipples is observed during pregnancy and feeding puppies. At other times, their presence is a sign of mastitis, false pregnancy or other disease. The normal color of the fluid that comes out of the nipples is white, slightly yellowish or slightly translucent. Brown, gray, greenish masses or blood impurities are a clear symptom of an illness that requires urgent diagnosis at a veterinary clinic.

Most often, unexpected nipple discharge should be a sign of concern, but such signs do not always indicate that someone has a serious illness. The mammary gland is a gland for which the process of secreting secretions is natural. Therefore, discharge from the nipples does not yet indicate any violations and it is quite normal that they sometimes appear. Among the causes of this kind of discharge from the nipple, cancer is quite rare.

Nipple discharge in dogs: what is it?

If the dog does not feed the puppies, the fluid that is released from the nipples of its mammary glands during this period is considered discharge. Such secretions flow in the same way as milk during breastfeeding. Discharge from the nipple can occur on one side or simultaneously on both sides. They can be released independently or due to mechanical action - pressure on the mammary glands. The discharge is either milky or specific: brown, yellowish, greenish, sometimes bloody. The consistency of the discharge also varies depending on the thickness, up to liquid. With age and the number of pregnancies experienced, the frequency of nipple discharge in a dog also increases.

What you need to know when consulting a veterinarian

Before examining the dog, the veterinarian will ask the owner a number of mandatory questions in this case.

Therefore, the owner must be prepared for such an interrogation, and operate with the following information about:

1. Color of nipple discharge;
2. Number of discharges;
3. The place where the discharge comes from means that the substance is released from both mammary glands or from one;
4. The production of discharge from one or more holes on the nipple;
5. About the nature of their appearance: independent discharge or under mechanical influence.

The doctor will definitely ask about others, accompanying symptoms, such as:

• Lethargy;
• Fever;
• Pain in the mammary glands;
• Visual impairment;
• Presence of wounds and chest injuries;
• About medications that may be currently used to treat your dog.

Only after a detailed interview, the veterinarian performs an examination and examination of the mammary gland. Depending on the test results obtained, it may be necessary to additional research, which include;

• Mammography;
• Blood analysis;
• Ductography - special study, which makes it possible to bring everything necessary to the maximum condition of the ducts of the mammary glands.

Causes of nipple discharge in dogs

Discharge from the nipple may be physiological in nature. IN modern world In almost all countries, some changes occur with dogs, but, as a rule, they do not require special intervention. Irritation of the nipples occurs, which is caused by squeezing the nipples to contain the secretions. For example, stimulation itself is often accompanied by discharge from the nipples.

However, discharge from a dog’s nipples can also be caused by certain pathological processes. Such processes include:

Ectasia of the milk ducts

This condition is a common cause of nipple discharge. In this case, inflammation of one of the milk ducts occurs. This duct is filled with a mass of thick and sticky consistency of greenish or blackish shades. To somehow alleviate this condition, you can use warm compresses. To decrease painful sensations use anti-inflammatory drugs. Most often, for inflammation, the veterinarian prescribes antibiotics. Sometimes it is necessary to resort to surgery to remove the duct.

Intraductal papilloma

It looks like a small formation in the milk duct. As a rule, such papilloma is benign. The reasons that provoke its appearance have not yet been clarified. The discharge is bloody in nature, appearing either after pressing on the nipple or on its own. In the nipple area, formations may appear that feel like a tumor.

Breast injuries

Breast injuries are the most common causes of nipple discharge. They may be transparent or bloody in nature.

Mastitis

This inflammatory process in the mammary gland. It occurs due to the accumulation of pus in the mammary glands, which is secreted by the milk ducts.

Fibrocystic mastopathy

Mastopathy is characterized by a condition that results in an imbalance of the mammary glands, namely an imbalance of the cystic and fibrous components. The reason for this is considered to be a hormonal imbalance.

Breast cancer

Nipple discharge can even indicate cancer. You may experience itching in the area around the nipples, redness or darkening of the areola. The shape of the nipple may even change. Nipple discharge in dogs can also be bloody.

Thus, nipple discharge in dogs has a different character and is caused by the most for various reasons. Some of these discharges are completely natural and safe, others require examination by a veterinarian and appropriate action.

False pregnancy in dogs or “false pregnancy” is a failure reproductive system in bitches, which is expressed in the fact that psychophysiologically the dog behaves and feels as if it were pregnant, while in fact it is not pregnant. This is a very common phenomenon, most common in nulliparous dogs, bitches that were bred only once, and also in dogs that did not become pregnant as a result of mating. During the period of false pregnancy, a dog needs the attention and care of its owners, and in some cases, qualified assistance specialists.

Causes of false pregnancy in dogs

Most experts believe that the source of this condition in dogs is hormonal changes during the sexual cycle. As is known, there are several phases of the estrous cycle, namely: 1) proestrus: the period preceding estrus, during which the formation of eggs ready for fertilization occurs; 2) estrus: coincides in time with estrus, optimal time for mating 3) metaestrus: the period after the end of the “hunt”, during which regression of the so-called “corpus luteum” occurs if fertilization has not occurred 4) anestrus: a state of “rest” when the bitch’s sexual behavior does not manifest itself or manifests itself weakly.

False pregnancy occurs due to the fact that regression of the corpus luteum promotes the production of progesterone, the pregnancy hormone. Unlike other animals, dogs corpus luteum does not dissolve, but functions for about 60 days, regardless of whether the bitch is pregnant or not. Thus, the brain and internal organs dogs seem to receive a “hormonal signal” that they need to prepare for the arrival of puppies. When the time comes for the dog to give birth, the release of prolactin, a hormone that promotes the appearance of milk in the dog, begins.

Symptoms of false pregnancy

Signs of false pregnancy in dogs can be divided into physiological and behavioral. During the “spoon”, the dog’s belly visually enlarges and sags, the mammary glands swell and seem to “coarse”. The bitch becomes restless and her appetite increases. She begins to prepare for the arrival of the “puppies” - she builds a “nest”, hides in secluded places in the apartment, sometimes on the contrary, she becomes overly sociable and even intrusive with the owners. After the “birth” period has passed, the dog begins to nurse toys, mistaking them for puppies. She can lie with them in the “nest” for a long time, reacting extremely aggressively to attempts to drive her out of there or take away her toys. Shortly before or immediately after “birth” (about 2 months from the middle of the last heat), the dog begins to lactate (i.e., milk appears).

False pregnancy in a dog: prevention and treatment

Many doctors recommend spaying dogs to solve this problem, and in many cases this actually helps (as long as the dog's reproductive organs are removed and not simply "tied").

If for some reason you do not want to sterilize your dog, you can try to eliminate or minimize the manifestations of false pregnancy after estrus by adjusting the dog’s walking routine and diet. Starting from the 9th day after the end of estrus, it is necessary to reduce portions of both food and water, excluding meat and dairy products, and at the same time increase physical exercise for the dog. As practice shows, this significantly “softens” or even helps to avoid the occurrence of false pregnancy syndrome.

If a false pregnancy in a dog is severe, the above symptoms are combined with apathy, you need to seek professional help. veterinary care. Often used to treat false pregnancy hormone therapy, however hormonal medications, as a rule, have a number side effects and can be dangerous. An alternative may be treatment based on homeopathic medicines, however, it is necessary to select for each dog individual means and be sure to consult with specialists before using them.

How dangerous is false pregnancy for a dog?

Due to the fact that milk accumulates in the mammary glands of the bitch during the “spoon”, mastitis can develop. Also, due to the accumulation of excess mucus in the uterus, false pregnancy often leads to pyometra ( purulent inflammation uterus). This disease is characterized high performance mortality and can only be treated by removal reproductive organs, i.e. surgical sterilization(castration) of a dog.

What an owner should not do if a dog is falsely pregnant

1. Do not punish the dog under any circumstances: its behavior during a false pregnancy is determined by hormones and it cannot control it.
2. If the dog produces milk, it should not be expressed. Do not let your dog suck the milk (you can wear a veterinary blanket).
3. Contrary to popular belief, a one-time mating and birth will not save the dog from developing a false pregnancy in the future, and in some cases will only worsen its course.

Husky gives birth

Hello friends! Today we’ll talk about childbirth in dogs, consider the main symptoms (precursors), how labor progresses (stages), as well as help with normal childbirth.

On average, a dog's pregnancy lasts 63 days (56-72 days), counting from the first insemination. It is assumed that the duration may depend on the breed, the number of fetuses, the age of the female, feeding and maintenance conditions, but there are no reliable studies on these issues yet.

Usually small breeds There are 1-5 puppies in a litter, and for large ones it can reach up to 15 or more. Also, the number of puppies depends on age; young and older bitches have fewer. It has been noticed that the more fetuses, the easier the birth is and, on the contrary, with a small number of them, weak labor activity is observed. This is due to insufficient stimulation of the uterus and relatively large fetuses. Similar phenomenon called "only puppy syndrome."

Symptoms of approaching labor in a dog

The timing of pregnancy can be guessed by the date of insemination, abdominal enlargement, appearance of colostrum, enlargement of the mammary glands, swelling of the loop, discharge from the genitals, site preparation, changes in behavior.

The abdomen increases significantly, which is clearly noticeable 9-14 days before birth; one might say it drops and sags. Hair will fall out around the milk bags, the dog prepares a “nest”, usually for this she chooses a secluded place: a wardrobe, inside a sofa, behind an armchair, a large box or something similar. It may constantly follow its owner or, on the contrary, avoid contact with people.

Over the course of a few days (1-2), the dog becomes restless, may whine, scratch the floor or walls, often licks the genitals, and behaves unusually. Breathing, pulse, urination become frequent.

Often food refusal occurs and thirst appears. The moment of milk appearance varies greatly, for some it is observed two weeks before birth, for others a few hours after the birth of the first puppy.

Change rectal temperature– most reliable sign. A week before giving birth, the temperature begins to fluctuate, and within a day (12-36 hours) it drops sharply. The degree of decrease depends on the size of the animal; in small breeds the thermometer reaches 35 degrees, and in large breeds up to 37 degrees.

Friends, remember that the above signs do not provide a 100% guarantee that your dog is pregnant and going into labor. For example, with a false pregnancy, the abdomen will be enlarged, milk will be secreted, and a drop in temperature is acceptable. When spooned, an animal can behave exactly like a pregnant animal.

It is necessary to take into account the data obtained during examination, palpation of the animal, and, if necessary, X-rays, ultrasound, and others. special methods research.

Stages of labor

First stage. Preparatory, it lasts about 12 hours, in some cases more than a day (in nervous animals). At this time, the cervix relaxes and dilates, and you can see mucus coming out of the vagina.

The dog is worried, often changes its position, looks back at its stomach, breathes quickly, and vomiting is acceptable. At this stage, only uterine contractions occur, without muscles abdominals, that is, only contractions without pushing. It is important that the temperature remains low at this time.

Second stage. This period begins with the release of amniotic fluid and ends with the puppy emerging from the birth canal. In addition to contractions (contractions of the uterus), we observe pushing (contractions of the abdominal muscles).

While moving through birth canal the fetus impacts the vaginal walls, thereby causing reflex contractions abdominal muscles (Ferguson reflex).

It is important to distinguish the beginning of the second stage so as not to cause trouble. Often, inexperienced people delivering a dog's baby begin to get nervous and use stimulants, thereby harming the animal.

I'll tell you a little story on a topic that happened more than ten years ago, but was remembered well. As a young specialist, just over a year after graduation, I found myself attending the birth of a dog, or more accurately, witnessing the death of an animal.

A young dog, a spaniel, gave birth; everything, according to the owner, went well; it was 61 days after fertilization. As it turned out later, labor had not yet really begun, but the owner, for his own reasons, thought that the time had come for the dog to give birth. Perhaps he read it somewhere or someone told him, but he began to administer oxytocin to the woman in labor in large doses; it is not known exactly how many units the dog received. The owner was confused, answered questions differently, but I suspect the quantity would be enough to give birth to a cow. In the room where the dog was, I saw a pack of the drug and four opened ampoules nearby, perhaps it was not all oxytocin.

He began to induce labor in the morning, and when the dog became ill around lunchtime, he came to me. Having taken what we needed for such a case, we immediately set off to save the woman in labor, but upon arrival it turned out that there was no one to save. The dog died.

It is now difficult to say what was the cause of death; an autopsy was not performed. I assume that there was a rupture of the uterus, or a sudden change in pressure. But it is clear that premature stimulation labor activity had a negative effect.

After a sad note, let's return to how to understand that the second stage of labor has begun. There are three characteristic features:

1. returned to normal.
2. The waters have broken.
3. The abdominal walls are tense and straining is observed.

If one or all of the listed signs are present, then the second stage has begun.

Normally, 2-4 hours may pass from the beginning of the second stage to the birth of the first puppy. Puppies are born at intervals of five minutes to two hours, in general the birth lasts about 6-8 hours, sometimes up to 12. There are cases when the birth took place healthy puppies two days after the appearance of the last one.

Third stage. The exit of the placenta or placenta or baby part of the placenta. Usually, after the birth of a puppy, the placenta comes out within 10-15 minutes. Sometimes several come out, after 2-3 puppies. If the placenta does not have foul odor, then you can let the dog eat it, but no more than two, otherwise there will be diarrhea or vomiting.

Postpartum period. It begins after expulsion of all placenta and lasts until full recovery uterus and other female genital organs. Normally, a dog's vaginal discharge continues for three weeks, sometimes up to five. During this period there should not be foul-smelling discharge, increased temperature, depressed state.

Something went wrong, we need a doctor

Friends, now a small list of signs that should alert you during childbirth.

1. More than 4 hours have passed since the birth of the last puppy, but the next fetus is not coming out, although there are suspicions that not all the fetuses have come out.
2. Weak and irregular pushing (abdominal muscle contractions) continues for 4 hours to no avail.
3. You observe strong, regular, but ineffective attempts for half an hour.
4. If there is greenish-brown discharge, but there is no puppy for 4 hours.

I think we’ll stop here so as not to overload you with information, since the topic is important and interesting, but to make it easier to understand, it’s better to break it down into several parts. In one of the next issues we will talk about obstetrics, when the article is ready, a link will appear here, until next time, to be continued...