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Why is my unspayed dog lactating without being pregnant or mated?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Japanese Spitz | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 13 days old | 11.023 lbs

my dog is lactating but i'm 95% sure she hasn't mated. is this possible? what can cause this?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 9th, 2017

The most common causes for lactation in an unspayed dog is pregnancy or false pregnancy. I would recommend that Caramel have a vet checkup to see if she is pregnant. If she is not pregnant, the signs associated with false pregnancy should resolve in 2-3 weeks. If they do not, she may need treatment or to be spayed to make the signs go away.

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