If you have a little dog at home, you may have been through the situation of seeing how you have a psychological pregnancy. If not but this pet has just arrived in your life, we tell you about the symptoms of psychological pregnancy in dogs so you can detect it and put solution.
What is psychological pregnancy in?
During the psychological pregnancy the dog will think that she is pregnant, in fact she will have symptoms that are typical of a real pregnancy and, therefore, will act as if she is waiting for puppies.
Psychological pregnancy in is very common among those that are not sterilized or neutered, but symptoms may be more or less strong depending on the case.
Why does it happen?
The first thing to clarify is that psychological pregnancy is not a disease. In fact it is something that has to do with their survival instinct and mechanism and has been inherited from their ancestor’s wolves, animals in which it also occurs.
Pseudo gestation, which is another name with which psychological pregnancy is known, allows the females of the herds to raise any puppy, whether their own or not. In this way, the young manage to survive even if their mother dies.
You think your bitch is having a psychological pregnancy? These are the symptoms that will help you detect it.
Symptoms of psychological pregnancy in dogs
Symptoms of psychological pregnancy in dogs occur both in the physical appearance and in the psychological aspect of the animal.
In the physical field, the dog undergoes the typical changes of a real pregnancy such as: breast swelling and milk production, vaginal discharge, weight gain and bulging of the abdomen.
As for the psychological symptoms, you'll notice that the bitch's behavior changes a lot. The highlights will be:
You may choose a toy that will take on the role of child and take care of as if it were your calf. Its marked protective character can even translate into aggression if you try to take it away.
The bitch will be very nervous all the time.
You may have mood swings and moan or cry frequently.
She will choose a place as an ideal bed where she thinks she will give birth and raise her cubs.
What do I do if my dog suffers from a psychological pregnancy?
If you notice any of these symptoms, it's best to go to the vet. Especially if you don't know if your bitch is really pregnant!
If the veterinarian determines that your pet is going through a psychological pregnancy, it will be necessary to consider whether the symptoms are mild or not.
If they are, it is normal that no treatment is used. You just have to try to keep the bitch as distracted as possible and give her a lot of love so that little by little everything will be back to normal. This period should not last more than 3 weeks.
However, there are more serious cases where we need to know how to act:
You must remove the toy that has been chosen as a calf.
You have to increase your physical exercise a little to keep it busy and motivated.
Make sure your breasts aren't being laundered so milk production decreases. If this production is very high, the veterinarian should recommend a medicinal product regulating the milk-producing hormone.
When you are helping your little dog in this process you can feel it sad and decaying, so you must give her so much love. But the best way to avoid a psychological pregnancy and, at the same time, an unwanted real pregnancy, is to sterilize your pet. Take care of your health!