Female

Question
I have a 14 month old American Staffy (female) She has only been on heat once about 3months ago but she still looks as though she is, she has milk in her breasts and her vagina is still really big. Please could you let me know if this is something to worry about, also, she isn't pregnant, she hasn't been around any males for that to happen.

Answer
Hi Janelle,

False pregnancy is actually a fairly common occurrence in dogs. It sounds as though it might be your dog's problem.

False pregnancy, phantom pregnancy, pseudo-pregnancy, or "pseudocyesis" can be defined as a display of maternal behavior together with the physical signs of pregnancy following estrus (heat) in a non-pregnant bitch. The female may or may not have been mated.

False pregnancy occurs 60-80 days after the dog was in heat, about the time a pregnant bitch would give birth. (Pregnancy in a dog lasts about 63 days.) A dog experiencing a false pregnancy may have some abdominal swelling and/or engorgement of the mammary glands which can be painful. In some cases the dog will actually produce milk, make a nest, and even collect socks or toys and hold them against her breasts.

You can read about the condition here:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_false_pregnancy.html

False pregnancy may resolve itself on its own in about 3 weeks. If your dog has been this way for a prolonged period of time, you need to have your dog examined by your vet. Canine false pregnancy is due to hormonal imbalance. It is best to treat it medically.

Reoccurrence of false pregnancy without spaying is common. To prevent a recurrent episode of false pregnancy, have your pet spayed. However, it is not advisable to spray your dog while she is going through her false pregnancy. This would result in prolonging her experience making it more stressful for you and your dog.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti