What does milk from the nipples of my dog mean?

Question

I have a female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she began her heat cycle the beginning of October.

I have heard that they can have a fake pregnancy within 30 days of getting off of their heat cycle but it has been 3 months .... so why does she all of the sudden have milk coming from her nipples? I am really good about keeping her close by when she is in heat, I have no idea how, if she got with a male dog.

I called the vet and they said the only other time she would produce milk is about a week before she was to go into labor, which is really weird, because if she was pregnant she would be due right around now. Just curious if anyone has any other ideas. I have a vet appointment for a pregnancy test but it's $40.00 just for that.

So I wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas. Thank you!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I work at a kennel. We have this one mom who had a heat cycle but we didn't think she'd been bred. She had puppies 3 months after she had the heat cycle, so she'd mated after we had thought she was out of heat.
Is her stomach bigger than usual? Are her teats swollen? Keep an eye on her in case there's a weird chance she is pregnant.
If you aren't planning on breeding her, then it's a really good idea to get her fixed, so there's no chance of puppies you might not be able to find good homes for.
P.S. Cavaliers are my favorite breed! :)

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks so much. I found all the information helpful. It was a false pregnancy, she would have been due around this time which is why she is producing milk. Thanks again for all of the help!

Answer 2

is there a reason why she isn't spayed? CKCS have more hereditary issues than any breed I've ever come across. Genetic testing on a bit** can easily run into the thousands of dollars, but must be done if you plan to breed her. Even if it was done on her parents and grandparents. If you don't plan to do this make an appointment to spay her when you take her in.

Source(s):

responsible breeder

Answer 3

A false pregnancy can occur well after being in season - I had a b*tch who had a false pregnancy nearly 3 months after being in season.

Pups are born roughly 63 days after conception --- so if she was in season 3 months ago she's not pregnant or your timing is wrong.

Answer 4

If it has been 3 months since her heat cycle she isn't pregnant. Dogs are only pregnant for 9 weeks.
I'd say it's a false.
You should probably look forward to spaying her sometime in the near future.

Answer 5

Sounds like a false pregnancy to me...remember she would be due about now, it's well possible that she wants it so bad she's making herself present as pregnant. If human women can do it dogs sure can!