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My dog is producing milk and needy. Is she pregnant or having a false pregnancy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 2 months old | 8 lbs

I think my dog is pregnant. She was around a male 3 weeks ago and I don't recall them being alone long enough to have done anything but she's producing milk and has become extremely needy. I thought she was in heat a few months ago and it was over but I'm not sure because she is 2 years old and has only bled once so I'm not sure when she is actually in heat or not. I know there is a thing called a false pregnancy but I'm not sure. Do you think she could be pregnant?

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5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 26th, 2017

Dogs are typically pregnant for 58-63 days. They do have false pregnancies which their bodies will think they are pregnant and go through the hormonal process just like being pregnant. Milk typically started to develop around week 6 of pregnancy. Dogs typically come in heat about every 6 months on average. Taking her to your vet for an ultrasound or x-ray will determine if she is actually pregnant or just going through a false pregnancy.

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    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    At this point, it is quite difficult to determine if Rowen is pregnant or experiencing a pseudopregnancy (false pregnancy). If she was around an intact male dog for any period of time while in heat, there is a good chance that she is pregnant. Dogs are typically pregnant for around 63 days. For a more definitive confirmation, you can take Rowen to her vet for an exam and ultrasound. After 45 days of pregnancy, x-rays can determine if she is pregnant and how many puppies may be present. If you choose not to continue her possible pregnancy, you have the option of taking her to the vet to have her spayed, but if you choose to do this, I recommend doing so sooner rather than later. The other option is to simply wait and see what happens over the next few weeks. If you decide to do this, be sure that you are feeding Rowen a dog food formulated for puppies because her nutritional requirements will be higher if she is pregnant. I hope that all goes well!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 18th, 2018

    Extracting the milk is encouraging Bella’s body to make more, which is why she had kept making it. You are stimulating the glands to make milk. Stop extracting the milk, and it should dry up on its own in a week or so. Unfortunately there is no treatment for a false pregnancy, but it’s strongly recommended to spay the dog because it can and does happen again. In addition, at her age, she is too old to have any more puppies. Dogs should not be bred past five years of age. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 16th, 2016

    No, this isn't normal. It sounds like Precious is experiencing a false pregnancy. Unless symptoms persist, treatment is typically unnecessary. If she has continually had similar problems to this, indicating past false pregnancies, I would recommend getting her spayed, as this will stop this from occurring.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 22nd, 2018

    It could be Cookie is suffering from a false pregnancy. This is when the dog shows signs of being pregnant without actually being pregnant. There is no treatment for it, but it is recommended to spay dogs who have them to prevent them from having future false pregnancies. I would not feed the milk to other puppies, it will prolong the flass pregnancy and prevent it from resolving. I hope this helps.

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