Author Topic: False Pregnancy  (Read 5602 times)

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Offline FionaM

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False Pregnancy
« on: November 05, 2002, 12:37:06 PM »
Well I had a major panic this morning because Poppy was very dull and lethargic, didn't seem to want to move around and then refused to eat her breakfast. I don't think she's ever refused food before so I was quite worried. Then I looked at her stitches and the whole of her tummy was swollen and her stitches looked really tight  :(

I immediately whisked her to the vet and it turns out she is having an"exagerated false pregnancy". The vet explained that spaying a bitch while she is having a mild false pregnancy can make it much worse. I wasn't very pleased about this because I had asked them to check her before they spayed her because she had been sick that morning and I thought she might be having a false pregnancy. I think they should have told me then that it might get worse and I would have postponed the operation  >:(

Anyway the reason she is all swollen is because she is producing milk. She looks like she has udders rather than a tummy and when the vet squeezed her some milk came out  :(

Does anyone know if there's anything I can do that will help her return to normal? She's moping around worse than ever. The vet said that sometimes they prescribe diuretics to help with false pregnancy but I don't really want to start that unless I have to. She's been needing to toilet much more than usual as it is. The vet said she could go on like this for another 2 weeks.

Any advice would really be appreciated  :)

Fiona

PS. Some good news - the baby-gro idea is working a treat. The vet said her stitches are perfect and she seems to quite like wearing her baby-gro. She comes running towards me wagging her tail when she sees i want to put it on her - poor Poppy, she obviously doesn't realise how silly she looks  ;D                    
Fiona & Poppy :)

Offline Jane S

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2002, 01:31:16 PM »
Hi Fiona

Actually I was a little concerned that your vets were willing to spay Poppy within a relatively short time of having her season but didn't want to worry you any more than you already were. It's definitely not a good idea to spay a bitch having a phantom as you have found out. Just wondering, did your vet actually ask you when Poppy had had her season? If not, he/she should have done. We're waiting to have one of our oldies spayed but it's too soon after her season at the moment so we are waiting for a few months.

Anyway, back to phantom pregnancies, I would cut Poppy's food right down - the more food she has, the more milk she will produce so don't worry if she misses a few meals - it won't harm her & might help. There are also homeopathic remedies for drying up milk which may also help - a good one is Urtica Urens. You can get this from Dorwest Herbs (http://www.dorwest.com/) who have online ordering on their website & are also very willing to give advice. Apart from that, there's not a lot you can do except for wait for this to pass - try not to molly coddle/spoil Poppy too much as this can also make her feel more "precious" (ie moody!)

HTH

Jane                    
Jane

Offline Pammy

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2002, 01:41:47 PM »
Fiona

Can't offer any help but just wanted to pass on {{{hugs}}} to poor Poppy and hope she gets better soon.

Love

Pam n the boys                    
Pam n the boys

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Offline FionaM

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2002, 01:48:18 PM »
Hi Jane

The vet told me that she should be spayed 6 weeks after the end of her season. I was actually going to ask on this forum if that was too early but  I felt like I was looking for excuses not to get her done because I was worried, and I thought the vets would know best. Wish I had asked now  ::)

I told the receptionist that I wanted her checked before the op because I thought she was having a phantom pregnancy and I saw her make a note, so I would like to think that the vet wouldn't have gone ahead if he thought it might be a problem  :(

I will cut her food down (the vet said she was slightly too heavy anyway so it will do her no harm) and I'll have a look at that website for the homeopathic remedy. I will also try very hard not to molly coddle her but it's hard when she's looking so pathetic

Thanks very much for the advice Jane, and the hugs Pam  :)

Fiona

PS. Just had another thought... We are moving house at the weekend. Is that going to make things even harder for Poppy? (sorry if that's a silly question - I would rather be prepared if it's going to make her worse though)                    
Fiona & Poppy :)

Offline Jane S

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« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2002, 03:25:09 PM »
Isn't funny how different vets have different ideas about things? Our vet would only spay a bitch mid-cycle (usually about 3 months after a season for a bitch with a short cycle of 6 months between seasons) which is what I have always understood to be the safest time from my reading too. Oh well :)

Moving house is always a pretty stressful time for both humans & animals - I don't envy you all the hassle ;D You may find that Poppy is confused to begin with although the move may give her something else to think about besides her hormones which might make her less broody. I've always found it best for dogs to be kept well out of the way when the actual move is in process as the too-ing & fro-ing can be very unsettling - maybe you have family/friends who could have Poppy for the actual day of the move?? Once its all over, our dogs have adapted pretty well in the past to new surroundings - as long as they have their familiar bedding & food on time, they seem happy enough & usually enjoy sniffing round the new abode :)                    
Jane

Offline FionaM

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2002, 03:41:01 PM »
You may find that Poppy is confused to begin with although the move may give her something else to think about besides her hormones which might make her less broody.

Well that might sounds like it might be good news Jane  :)

We've got a little team of movers organised. We've bribed family and friends with promises of lots of a big tastey dinner and lots of wine once all the stuff is moved ;D My sister and one of my boyfriends sister are arguing over who gets to Poppy-sit. I'm not sure if it's the joy of looking after Poppy or the thought that if they are looking after her they won't have to carry anything that's causing the arguements  ;D                    
Fiona & Poppy :)

Offline Pammy

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« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2002, 03:48:03 PM »
Good-luck with the move Fiona - with any luck it will be good for Poppy - although it's a rather dramatic way of dealing with a phantom pregnancy - I'm glad I've got boys!! ;D                    
Pam n the boys

Growing old is compulsory growing up is optional

Offline Michele

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2002, 05:52:27 PM »
Just want to pass on my sympathies to Poppy & good luck in your new home wishes to you Fiona.
Hope all goes okay                    

Offline Mike

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False Pregnancy
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2002, 08:19:59 PM »
Good luck with the house move - hard work but exciting! Dont forget where you pack the dog food now ;) Hope Poppy makes a swift recovery, poor little mite.