# false pregnancy in dogs
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 21, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138 "2000-05-21T22:18:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/1 "2000-05-21T22:18:34Z")
Does anyone have any experiance with false pregnancy in dogs?
I’m supposed to be dogsitting a pair of dogs in a couple of weeks, and one of the looks like she’s pregnant(and her estimated due date overlaps with the time I’d be looking after her). The vet says it is a false pregnancy and the owners don’t need to do anything about it. They (and now I) am wondering how long a false pregnancy lasts, how does it end, etc. (And I’m wondering a little what if it isn’t a false pregnancy, do I need to do anything special if I discover her have puppies?)
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2000, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/2 "2000-05-21T22:33:35Z")
The body just acts like its pregnant, but isnt. Some women actually experience same…
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### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/3 "2000-05-21T23:09:39Z")
I have a friend who breeds showdogs (miniature poodles) and I’ve seen false pregnancies with them a few times. The interesting part is when they get to feeling as though they’ve had a litter - they typically round up a hoard of squeeky toys and nest with them.
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### Author:  [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/4 "2000-05-22T00:39:32Z")
I’ve never seen it in dogs but my folks had a quarterhorse brood mare that had everyone fooled. 11 months, the normal gestation came and went, then 12… At 13 the vet did a pelvic exam which was like popping a balloon.
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### Author:  [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2000, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/5 "2000-05-22T01:57:07Z")
Beatle’s experience is similar to mine, just poor dog’s hormones gone “wrong” my dog would select one or two toys to be her babies and take them with her all over the place, cuddle them next to her tummy. It would take a couple of weeks or so and then she’d go back to playing catch with the babies.
I’d say it is just a question of you being very polite to her and her babies and treating them as if they were her babies. I don’t think it ever happened after we had hwe spayed.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2000, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/6 "2000-05-22T02:10:25Z")
Maybe a similar phenomenon: Due to complications (she was too small to survive a term pregnancy), one of our cats had to be spayed while pregnant. Ever since, she’s believed that she’s the mother of our other three (older!) cats. Mind you, the other cats aren’t complaining… Our oldest, in particular, loves the idea of someone else giving her baths.
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2000, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/20138/7 "2000-05-22T15:06:10Z")
Check out these sites. Basically, it looks like “Don’t worry about it.” If the vet is halfway competent, he should be able to tell whether she’s pregnant or not.
> **[Pregnancy - False](https://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depregfalse.html)**
>
> VetInfo: Your Trusted Resource for Veterinary Information
[http://www.peteducation.com/isittrue/falsepg.htm](http://www.peteducation.com/isittrue/falsepg.htm)
This one’s a lot more technical.
> **[Reproduction Topics in Dogs](https://www.vetinfo.com/dogrepro.html)**
>
> VetInfo: Your Trusted Resource for Veterinary Information