The bitch's mammary glands are swollen. Inflammation of the mammary glands in dogs. Causes of false pregnancy in dogs

This phenomenon is quite common, and is most typical for females who have not yet given birth and for those who were mated once, and as a result there was no pregnancy. False puppyhood manifests itself in dogs in that the animal behaves as if it is expecting offspring, although in fact this is not the case. In such an alarming state, the pet needs especially careful care and affection from the owner, and sometimes professional help.

Does your dog have swollen mammary glands? What is the reason? We'll figure it out.

Some time after the estrus, the pet begins to show all the signs of pregnancy, although in reality there is no trace of this.

False pregnancy cannot be considered a disease, anomaly or some kind of pathology. It is associated with hormonal imbalance after estrus. The fact is that in the dog’s body, even if fertilization has not taken place, the same hormones are produced as in pregnant individuals: prolactin increases, and progesterone decreases, which causes all the symptoms of false pregnancy.

Signs of this condition in females are divided into psychological and physiological. The animal’s tummy enlarges and sags, the mammary glands enlarge, the animal begins to build a “nest” from rags, pieces of paper, etc., most often in a quiet corner. At this time, the female demonstrates maternal affection towards various things: toys, shoes, etc. She becomes restless, nervous, inactive, unplayful, and fussy. The animal begins to fawn heavily on its owner, becomes intrusive and too sociable. Shows open aggression towards other females. The pet can sit for a long time in her “nest” with toys (which act as puppies) and very fiercely respond to any attempts to lure her out and take the “children”.

The estrous cycle of dogs has several phases: proestrus - before estrus (eggs are just forming), estrus - coincides with estrus, metaestrus - the end of the sexual “hunt” (regression of the “corpus luteum” occurs if pregnancy does not occur) and anestrus - there is no sexual behavior or shows little.

To do this, the pet's walking regimen and menu are adjusted starting from the ninth day until the end of the heat. The volume of drinking and eating is reduced, dairy and meat products are excluded, and physical activity is increased. These measures significantly reduce or help avoid false pregnancies.

It is precisely because of the “corpus luteum,” or rather its regression, that false pregnancy sets in: the production of the pregnancy hormone, progesterone, begins. Unlike other animals, the “corpus luteum” does not disappear in dogs for another 60 days, despite the absence of actual pregnancy. The female's body receives a "warning" that it needs to prepare for the birth of the cubs. By the time the female is supposed to give birth, the body rapidly produces prolactin, which leads to the appearance of milk. So it turns out that a dog’s mammary glands swell after estrus. Milk may even appear. Plus, a change in eating behavior may occur: the animal begins to consume more food and drink or, on the contrary, refuses food.

In situations where false puppiness is severe, apathy is added to the symptoms described above. In such a situation, you cannot do without professional help. Hormonal therapy is often used for treatment, but this is fraught with a large number of side effects, which poses a great danger to the animal!

To prevent this from happening to your pet at all, many veterinarians advise sterilizing dogs; usually this really helps (naturally, in the case when the pet’s “tubes” are not “ligated”, but the reproductive organ is removed).

If the owner does not want to sterilize the animal, then you can try to reduce the manifestations of false pregnancy.

You should not be mistaken and believe that a one-time mating and childbirth will save your pet from the occurrence of false pregnancy in the future. In most cases, this only makes the problem worse. There is no need to drag your feet and torment the animal; it is better to make a decision right away.

The best alternative in such cases is the use of homeopathic medicines, but special remedies are selected for each pet and such treatment will certainly be discussed with a veterinarian.

Another problem that can arise due to a false pregnancy is inflammation of the mammary glands. In dogs, milk accumulates in them at this time, which is why mastitis develops. In addition, pyometra (purulent inflammation) may develop in the uterus due to the accumulation of excess mucus. This disease is very dangerous, the mortality rate in these cases is very high and can only be treated by sterilization. For this reason, you need to immediately decide for yourself whether you plan to breed puppies in the future or not; if not, then it is easier to immediately castrate the animal to avoid possible health problems!

If a dog experiences a false pregnancy, under no circumstances should it be punished or scolded for odd behavior, because it is not responsible for itself, it’s all about hormones. You should be more lenient and patient.

You should know that if the animal produces milk during this period, it is not expressed. The dog itself should also not be allowed to suck it out (in these cases, a veterinary blanket is put on), because the mammary glands in dogs in such cases easily become inflamed. In such a situation, the pet is always carefully monitored, because it is easier to prevent complications than to treat them. Moreover, mastitis in females is not something to joke about.

During such a difficult period for the animal, professional consultation with a veterinarian is necessary.

Such a condition in an animal should not be left to chance; it is fraught with dangerous diseases of the mammary glands and reproductive organs. It is better not to tempt fate and sterilize your pet, especially if mating and the birth of puppies are, in principle, not planned.

False pregnancy in dogs or “false pregnancy” is a failure of the reproductive system in bitches, 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, more 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 from 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, the 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, in dogs the corpus luteum does not dissolve, but functions for about 60 days, regardless of whether the bitch is pregnant or not. Thus, the dog’s brain and internal organs seem to receive a “hormonal signal” that it needs 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 (provided 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 activity 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 must seek professional veterinary help. Hormone therapy is often used to treat false pregnancy, but hormonal medications usually have a number of side effects and can be dangerous. An alternative may be treatment based on homeopathic medicines, but it is necessary to select individual remedies for each dog 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 of the uterus). This disease has a high mortality rate and can only be treated by removal of the 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.

Hello! I bought a dog for the first time, I don’t know much, please help! At 10 months the dog passed through her first heat, and she survived it safely. After 3 months, I discovered that the mammary glands were swollen, the nipples were not enlarged, the behavior had not changed, she was active, there was no discharge, her appetite was normal, she was not building nests. I'm waiting for advice.

Answer

The pet probably has a false pregnancy. The condition is not a disease; it often occurs in dogs and pack canines, cats, rabbits and other animals.

Causes of false pregnancy

The causes of the condition are hormonal imbalance after estrus. Often occurs after the first heat. The animal's body produces hormones similar to those of a pregnant bitch. At the physiological level, the dog feels as if it is waiting for puppies. The reason is simple: in dogs, the corpus luteum, formed during each estrous cycle, does not disintegrate for 60 days and produces hormones, in particular the pregnancy hormone progesterone, even if the female does not become pregnant.

Such hormonal changes are determined by evolution and occur in pack dogs. In a pack, females come into heat at the same time, therefore, puppies are born at the same time. Hormonal changes allow even females who have not become pregnant to participate in feeding puppies, thanks to which even cubs whose mother has lost milk or died survive.

In the wild, when food is scarce, females produce less milk and the strongest puppies survive. This is advisable so that the flock does not increase in unfavorable conditions and there is no competition for a small amount of food. To prevent and treat false pregnancy in domestic dogs, artificial “unfavorable conditions” are created - a diet with a reduced calorie content and increased physical activity.

Symptoms

False pregnancy occurs 1-2 months after estrus; it is normal that the author of the message noticed the swollen mammary glands in the pet later. Symptoms manifest themselves individually, sometimes clearly expressed, sometimes invisible.

Manifestations of false greed:

The mammary glands swell and enlarge.
Colostrum begins to be released.
The color of the mammary glands changes.
Appetite increases.
Discharge appears from the loop (genital organs).
Behavior changes: the dog becomes restless or lethargic, loses interest in walks, games, builds a nest and guards, nurses soft toys, licks them.
The belly becomes enlarged, as during pregnancy.
In severe cases of severe hormonal imbalances, imaginary labor and contractions occur.

Manifestations of the condition vary from person to person; in the absence of discharge and changes in behavior, the case is considered mild.

Treatment

Although the condition is not recognized as a disease, veterinary attention is required, especially in severe cases. False pregnancy causes psychological discomfort to the animal and can lead to diseases of the mammary glands due to stagnation of milk. For example, mastitis is possible.

Before visiting the veterinarian, try to help the animal yourself.

You will need to switch your pet to a lower calorie diet. Reduce the amount of protein foods, eliminate dairy products. If you feed dry food, choose a lower-calorie variety (“Lite”). In consultation with the doctor, decoctions of soothing herbs are given.
If milk appears, the dog should not be allowed to suck; it is unacceptable to express it - the action will become unnecessary stimulation of the mammary glands and increase milk production. If your dog frequently licks nipples and sucks milk, wear an Elizabethan collar or blanket. Try lubricating your nipples with camphor oil, alcohol or aloe juice - substances with a strong odor.
It is necessary to take the animal for walks more often and increase physical activity. It is necessary to change the regime, the time of walks, rearrange the bowl, change the sleeping place, distracting the pet from the experienced state and creating artificial “unfavorable conditions” that help the false pregnancy pass faster.

Prevention

It is possible to prevent false pride. It is necessary to take measures as early as the 9th day of estrus: increase the pet’s physical activity, limit calorie intake, protein content, stop giving dairy products.

A common misconception is that if you let a bitch get pregnant and give birth once, the dog will get rid of false pregnancies in the future. The opinion is erroneous; mating and the birth of puppies do not affect the likelihood of such conditions occurring. If you do not plan to use the dog for breeding, a reliable way to prevent the described phenomena, especially if the disorders are severe, is sterilization.

Does your dog have swollen mammary glands? What is the reason? We'll figure it out.

Some time after the estrus, the pet begins to show all the signs of pregnancy, although in reality there is no trace of this.

If the owner does not want to sterilize the animal, then you can try to reduce the manifestations of false pregnancy.

The best alternative in such cases is the use of homeopathic medicines, but special remedies are selected for each pet and such treatment will certainly be discussed with a veterinarian.

During such a difficult period for the animal, professional consultation with a veterinarian is necessary.

Diseases with oncological etiology are increasingly encountered in veterinary practice. There is no need to talk about how dangerous they are for four-legged pets. One of the most common types of cancer is a mammary tumor in a dog. Experts diagnose the tumor in females in 55% of cases, and in males in one case out of a hundred. The article will discuss in detail the types, causes and symptoms of this neoplasm, as well as methods of its treatment and prevention.

Breast tumor is the most “popular” type of cancer in females. In males it is very rare, but it occurs because they also have milk organs, albeit in a rudimentary state. It is important for the owner to understand that there are two types of cancerous growths: malignant and benign. Let's discuss them in more detail.

A malignant tumor is an almost fatal verdict for a shaggy pet. It is constantly growing, extremely aggressive and metastasizing. If it is not treated, then death occurs very quickly; if treated, then the chances of a complete recovery still remain negligible. The course of the disease is uncontrolled, and the prognosis is rarely comforting.

Benign neoplasms grow much more slowly and do not deeply affect the animal’s tissues. They do not metastasize, meaning the cancer does not spread throughout the dog's body. A specialist can predict the course of the pathology. If such a tumor is removed, the chance of its recurrence is extremely small. Sometimes they stop growing on their own, and if they do not interfere with the animal in any way, then they do not need to be removed at all.

Types of disease

Owners should clearly understand that mammary tumors in dogs are not always a death sentence. Experienced veterinarians are convinced that cancer occurs only in 40% of cases. Now let’s figure out what types of breast cancer there are.

Benign neoplasms include:

adenomas: simple and complex;
papillomas formed on the milk ducts;
fibroadenomas;
neoplasms of mixed type, which consist of glandular and connective tissues.

Malignant tumors are presented as:

carcinomas;
fibrosarcomas and osteosarcomas;
tubular cancer;
adenocarcinoma of the nipple;
anaplastic cancer.

Thus, treatment of a mammary tumor depends entirely on the course of the pathology itself in the dog’s body. If we talk about the differences in treatment depending on the tissue type of the tumor, then within the same course the methods of therapeutic intervention are always similar to each other.

Causes

Until now, not a single scientist can give an exact answer to the question of why mammary gland cancer occurs in dogs. However, there are certain factors that significantly increase the risk of such a formidable pathology. These should include:

Symptoms of the disease

In the early stages, a breast tumor is almost impossible to identify. It can appear in the form of a lump or a small pea, which is sometimes very difficult to notice. The animal does not react in any way to the developing pathology; it does not itch, does not whine, or tries to lick it. Only an aggressive tumor such as inflammatory carcinoma, which affects the dog's mammary glands with large and painful abscesses, gives obvious symptoms at the very beginning.

New growths on the glands are most often discovered by owners accidentally, when touching the organ. At that time, a lumpy, stable formation will already have formed there. However, veterinarians advise paying attention to the following symptoms characteristic of a tumor:

Single or multiple, with good differentiation, lumps, swellings or nodules that are located in the tissues of the glands of the animal.
Often the neoplasms are connected to the nipple and may be covered with ulcers.
Lumps and nodules can move freely under the animal’s skin, which is a good sign of their good quality. Or, on the contrary, they are well fixed and sit deep, which indicates a formidable sign of malignancy.
When you press your finger into the area of the mammary glands, the dog may whine or even try to bite the owner. This indicates that the tumor is painful.
Unpleasant whitish discharge from the nipples.
Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit or groin area. This is a terrible sign that the tumor has begun to metastasize.

It is extremely important for the owner to understand that in many respects the development of symptoms in the case of a malignant tumor is related to where exactly it will metastasize. For example, the presence of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing is a sign that metastases are going to the lungs, lameness - to the bones of the paws. If a dog has any of the listed symptoms, it must be urgently taken to a doctor, who will conduct a diagnosis and determine how to treat the pet.

Diagnostics

Without carrying out a full range of diagnostic procedures, it will not be possible to cure an animal. Ordinary palpation, even if the doctor is very experienced, will never be enough to accurately determine the nature of the pathology. Therefore, in case of a tumor, a biopsy is required - tissue sampling from the affected tissue and its careful histological examination.

X-rays and ultrasound are used to determine whether the tumor is metastasizing. For example, if an animal begins to limp, then an x-ray of its paw is prescribed, which will help determine whether the bone tissue is affected by cancer cells. The best option is a comprehensive diagnosis, only with its help can you determine what stage the cancer is at and what to do to stop its spread.

Treatment options

In many ways, the treatment of the animal following diagnosis depends on the type of cancer. So, if the tumor is benign, then the doctor just needs to give the pet anesthesia and then simply remove it. Such operations have a high chance of a successful outcome, and the risk of disease recurrence is zero. Tumors with a malignant course are another matter. They may be inoperable or their metastases have spread too widely, in which case we are not talking about a cure, but simply about preserving the pet’s quality of life until death.

An owner should be aware that no matter what type of cancer their pet has, removing the tumor will still involve about an inch of healthy tissue. And around the entire area of the neoplasm. Surgical interventions are usually differentiated by size, location and number of tumors. Let's look at them in more detail:

Lumpectomy - removal of only the tumor with a rim of healthy tissue. After such an operation, the dog can still bear puppies.
Simple and regional mastectomy - removal of most of the affected breast.
One- and two-sided mastectomy - complete removal of the mammary glands.

If the doctor determines that the pathology has reached stages 3-4 of development, then the dog is prescribed chemotherapy. With its help, you can somewhat slow down the growth and development of cancer cells. Unfortunately, the disease in the last stage, in the presence of distant metastases, is incurable. All that remains is to improve the dog’s quality of life and eliminate the most unpleasant signs of the disease. Antibacterial agents and painkillers are used for these purposes. In addition, veterinarians recommend that owners be gentle with their pets, pet them more often, feed them tasty treats, and take walks in nature. There is no need to blame the animal for dying.

Disease prevention

There are no special preventive recommendations to completely avoid the disease. The best solution would be to sterilize the female before her first heat, this will increase her resistance to this disease. In addition, you need to monitor the dog’s diet and hygiene, get vaccinations and deworming on time. Feel your pet's mammary glands frequently to check for tumors. Early diagnosis means a half-cured disease.