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Why is my dog's nipple leaking milk, but she doesn't seem pregnant?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female

My dog has white stuff coming out of her nipple that looks like milk but doesn't have a pregnant belly

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2018

Not all dogs get a big belly when pregnant, just like how human women are get pregnant differently. It could be Princesses is pregnant and the discharge is milk, but there could also be an infection causing it. I would have her seen by a vet for this problem. The vet can diagnose what is causing this discharge, and let you know if treatment is needed. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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8Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My dog has a large lump that came up on her lower abdomen but is growing bigger today she seems constipated straining to have bowl movement and brown discharge from her vagina also her nipples are filling with milk but she is not pregnant
Hello there! It looks like Princess has a mammary gland problem. What is causing the swelling should be determined at the vet's office. It could be mastitis (an infection of the mammary gland), a cyst (a fluid filled sac), or possibly mammary cancer. At the vet, they will give Princess a complete physical exam, and most likely they will take a small sample of cells from the mass with a small needle to look at under the microscope. This is called a fine needle aspirate, or FNA. The FNA will help the vet determine the cause of the mass and decide it's treatment. An infection may require antibiotics, a cyst may require regular draining, and a tumor may require surgical removal. Mammary tumors in unspayed dogs have the potential of being malignant (the kind of cancer that multiplies and spreads), so they may want to biopsy the mass to rule this out, should it be removed. The brown discharge and milk production may be from a condition called false pregnancy. This occurs when the body is re
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Im slightly worried about my 4 year old female dog she has a watery like fluid coming from her vagina and also has a slightly cream coloured substance coming from her nipples. I thought that this was maybe a phantom pregnancy but have only kmown this
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Have a 5yr old female chihuahua, she's been licking her teets and looks like she's in pain, she's been whining when she walks and she never does that. White stuff is coming out of her teets and they look swollen, I'm 100% she's not pregnant bc we tak
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Princess. I would advise taking Princess to your veterinarian. It's possible that she is going through a false pregnancy (pseudopregnancy) if you are sure that she didn't get bred by a male dog. Dogs often get mammary enlargement and will lactate when they are in a false pregnancy. Your veterinarian can gather a history and assess Princess. They may want to x-ray or ultrasound her to confirm that she is pregnant or not if she was out of your sight within the past 2 months or so. A false pregnancy usually resolves without treatment but it's also possible that she is developing some mild mastitis from the mammary enlargement. Your vet can advise you on any treatment that might be needed. Good luck with Princess
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog has milk coming from her nipples. Does this mean that she is pregnant? If not, what does it mean? She isn't due to be in heat for a few months.
She may be having a false pregnancy. If she had contact with a male while she was in heat, she could be pregnant. She could also have a hormonal problem or a mammary tumor. It would be best to take her to a veterinarian for an exam. The vet can also tell you whether she is pregnant. Unfortunately this is impossible without a hands-on exam.
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My dogs nipples are starting to dry up and leak a clear yellowish liquid from them. She had her heat like 3 weeks ago. She mated with my male while we weren’t supervising them. What does this mean ?? Does this mean she is pregnant or is it a false pr
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I have a pitbull. She mated on june 18,2017. I am not sure about her pregnancy. There is white substance coming from her nipples, but her stomach is not fat like pregnant dogs. How can I be sure whether my dog is pregnant or not.
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Hi, we have a 2yr old shihpoo who’s lactating but is not pregnant. We only have 2 female dogs and they’re both inside dogs so we’re sure that it’s possible that she’s pregnant. But our worry is that, the discharge is liquid but a little yellowish/gre
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mira. If you are sure that she is not pregnant, then she is likely experiencing a phenomenon known as a false pregnancy. Most of the time, symptoms will resolve with in 2-3 weeks. However, this is likely to recur with subsequent heat cycles. If she is not going to be used for breeding, spaying her will prevent this in the future. If she is acting ill or her symptoms do not resolve, then she will need to see her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hello, my 4 year old pug is having a whitish discharge from her nipples when they're squeezed and I'm not sure what it is.
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I think my dog is pregnant she has full milk sacks and is showing all the signs of pregnancy, but her belly is firm and not swollen much, any ideas?
I'm not sure what additional signs of pregnancy she is showing, and because I can't see her in person, I can't say whether she is pregnant or not. She could be pregnant, but if her mammary glands are enlarged, that can also be a sign of mammary tumors. I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can do a blood test to look for relaxin (which is produced when a dog is pregnant), x-rays, and/or an ultrasound to see if she is pregnant. If the vet is concerned she may have mammary tumors, can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take her into the vet today.
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