# Dog treating toy as puppy???



## MeganLB (Jan 9, 2017)

1 week after spaying.

Pip has attached herself to a little soft elephant toy that squeaks.

She doesn't normally do this;
She has started to make her bed, get the toy and take it to the bed. She cried whenever it squeaks, whenever I throw it she cries and runs for it, she then wonders around with it in her mouth and goes crazy if I put it away. I don't understand why this is happening but it isn't normal. 
Anybody else had this? 
Should I hide the toy when she isn't here? What can I do? Thank you


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Her behaviour is fairly typical of a phantom pregnancy. She thinks the toy is a pup.

I would have a word with your Vet.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

MeganLB said:


> 1 week after spaying.
> 
> Pip has attached herself to a little soft elephant toy that squeaks.
> 
> ...


Is she unspayed and has she had a season in the last few weeks maybe even up to 60days or more ago? If she has then she could be having a phantom pregnancy.
It normally occurs in the days and weeks following a season, when the hormone levels are still raised even though, the outward signs of the season have finished.
They can start to exhibit all the signs of a real pregnancy, even increased appetite, weight gain, they will often start to collect up inanimate objects usually toys and carry them around and treat them like surrogate puppies, some can become quite possessive and guarding about them too. They will also often start to produce milk, and nest too. If the symptoms start to cause too much of an issue and she starts to really suffer and produce milk, if you get her checked over the vet can also give you medication to deal with the symptoms.

I believe its normally recommended to remove the toys, if you can perhaps take her out for a walk to occupy her and get someone to remove the "pup" while she is out and otherwise occupied. If she has started a collection then often its advised you remove them one at a time while she is occupied elsewhere.


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Is she unspayed and has she had a season in the last few weeks maybe even up to 60days or more ago? If she has then she could be having a phantom pregnancy.
> It normally occurs in the days and weeks following a season, when the hormone levels are still raised even though, the outward signs of the season have finished.
> They can start to exhibit all the signs of a real pregnancy, even increased appetite, weight gain, they will often start to collect up inanimate objects usually toys and carry them around and treat them like surrogate puppies, some can become quite possessive and guarding about them too. They will also often start to produce milk, and nest too. If the symptoms start to cause too much of an issue and she starts to really suffer and produce milk, if you get her checked over the vet can also give you medication to deal with the symptoms.
> 
> I believe its normally recommended to remove the toys, if you can perhaps take her out for a walk to occupy her and get someone to remove the "pup" while she is out and otherwise occupied. If she has started a collection then often its advised you remove them one at a time while she is occupied elsewhere.


The bitch was spayed a week ago.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

MeganLB said:


> 1 week after spaying.
> 
> Pip has attached herself to a little soft elephant toy that squeaks.
> 
> ...


Just noticed she has been spayed a week ago. In which case she could well have been coming into season, in which case her progesterone levels would be raised
progesterone is present during a season whether pregnant or not, what could have happened is that the spaying has resulted in a drop in progesterone levels,
the progesterone drop would then probably have resulted in the increase of a hormone called prolactin, its this increase in the hormone called prolactin that causes the symptoms of the phantom pregnancy. Normally a female should be spayed about 12 weeks following a season, so ensure that the hormone levels and reproductive tract is in a resting state. I would speak to your vet, she may need something called galastop which is used in phantom pregnancies/


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Sweety said:


> The bitch was spayed a week ago.


Which could cause a progesterone drop when she was spayed if she was in season or coming into season and progesterone levels were already raised see above explanation, which in turn can cause a phantom.

Unless she was already beginning a phantom that would be another possible explanation I forgot about
*When should a bitch be spayed following a season to reduce the risk of chronic false pregnancy developing?*
It is important never to spay a bitch that is suffering from clinical pseudopregnancy1,2,3,4. However, as mentioned before, some pseudopregnancy cases can be silent and difficult to detect. There is a low risk of inducing chronic pseudopregnancy if a bitch is spayed within 5 weeks after the end of oestrous3. However, it is generally recommended to wait until the bitch is in anoestrous i.e. from 3 months after the end of oestrous. By this time, the ovaries (corpora lutea) have become inactive and the blood supply is minimal2. However, silent pseudopregnancy can still occur at 3 months after the end of oestrous1. Some authors therefore recommend spaying further into anoestrous, i.e. at 4 months after the end of oestrous1,4.

Its all explained in more detail on the Galastop website
http://www.galastop.com/Veterinary-Zone/False-Pregnancy/Chronic-False-Pregnancy


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Which could cause a progesterone drop when she was spayed if she was in season or coming into season and progesterone levels were already raised see above explanation, which in turn can cause a phantom.
> 
> Unless she was already beginning a phantom that would be another possible explanation I forgot about
> *When should a bitch be spayed following a season to reduce the risk of chronic false pregnancy developing?*
> ...


Yes, I know.

I mentioned it only because you asked if the bitch is unspayed.


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## shadowmare (Jul 7, 2013)

I would speak to the vet, but normally for phantom pregnancy you would take away any toys, socks and other things that can be "adopted" as puppies and increase physical exercise levels. Some also decrease food portions for a couple of days.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Sweety said:


> Yes, I know.
> 
> I mentioned it only because you asked if the bitch is unspayed.


Ahh I see, I didn't realise until after she had been a week ago, then we cross posted.


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## Nettles (Mar 24, 2011)

I would also advise speaking to your vet. Our girl had a phantom pregnancy just after being spayed and needed medication to stop it.. 

She was quite sick with the Galastop medication with her first phantom pregnancy so I wanted to avoid it if possible, but from what I recall, the way the vet described it to us was that the ovaries produce the hormones which switch a phantom pregnancy OFF as well as on. As her ovaries had been removed, she was no longer producing the hormone to be able to stop the phantom pregnancy herself so it would be much more severe and prolonged than a "normal" phantom in an unspayed bitch.


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