Your unspayed female dog is nesting, carrying her toys around like puppies and her belly or nipples look bigger. But you know she isn’t pregnant. She may be having a false pregnancy, also called pseudopregnancy or phantom pregnancy. It’s common and usually harmless, and it often resolves on its own within a few weeks.
False pregnancy happens when a dog shows signs of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. It’s caused by normal hormone changes after a heat cycle.
After a female dog’s heat, her body produces progesterone for about two months, whether or not she’s pregnant. When progesterone levels drop, another hormone called prolactin rises. Prolactin triggers milk production and mothering behavior. In some dogs, this hormone shift causes signs that look like pregnancy or birth.
False pregnancy usually starts about 6 to 12 weeks after a heat cycle. Keeping a simple calendar of your dog’s heat cycles makes it easier to spot the pattern and share it with your vet.
Usually not. But some dogs develop:
Signs of a false pregnancy can also look like other problems, such as pyometra, a serious uterine infection that can happen in the weeks after heat. Pyometra signs include drinking more, vomiting, lethargy and vaginal discharge. It’s an emergency. Our guide to pet emergency signs explains other urgent symptoms.
Most cases resolve on their own within 2 to 3 weeks. Some last longer.
Call your vet if:
In severe cases, your vet may prescribe medicine to reduce prolactin.
Spaying prevents future false pregnancies. Vets usually recommend waiting until a false pregnancy has ended before spaying. Our article on spay and neuter explains what to expect.
It’s rare, but it can happen if a dog is spayed during the hormone drop after heat.
Some dogs do. Talk to your vet about spaying.
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