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My unspayed beagle has swollen vulva, licks, looks pregnant. Why?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 24 lbs

My 14-month beagle has a large vulva and hanging teets. She looks pregnant. She had juvenile vaginitis and was treated with antibiotics many times. Recently, the urine test, blood tests, and x-rays came back normal. Once in a while, I see mucus. Lilly likes herself a lot. I don't want to spay her. However, my vet says that will fix the problem. Yet, he can't say what the problem is. The dog is very active and does not appear to be in pain. What should I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 21st, 2018

If Lilly is licking herself again, than can be a sign she is suffering from vaginitis again. It can also be a sign of a UTI or bladder stones. If she looks pregnant but has had no contact with a male intact dog, then she may be experiencing a false pregnancy. This is when a dog shows the signs of being pregnant but isn't actually carrying puppies. Without seeing her in person, I can't say what's causing her symptoms unfortunately. I personally do recommend spaying a dog if you aren't going to breed her. Spaying her has many health benefits including eliminating the risk of her developing a pyometra later in life (an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment and requires spaying to treat), and a reduction in the chance of her developing mammary tumors later in life. I would truly consider spaying her. I hope this helps.

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Lila is a year old, she already had one heat which finished two months ago and she is starting to have her vagina and mamary glands inflamed. Is this normal? Is possible to spay her still? Would it cost a lot? What if I don't do it?
This would be quite soon for Lila to go into heat again, and I'm wondering if she possibly had contact with an intact male dog during her first heat. Her symptoms could be indicative of a pregnancy, but it could also be due to a false pregnancy. This is when a dog shows signs of being pregnant without actually being pregnant. I would have her seen by a vet tomorrow, who can confirm if she is pregnant or is experiencing a false pregnancy. As for spaying, should she be pregnant, she would be far along in her pregnancy that at this point, spaying may not be an option. If she is having a false pregnancy, yes she can be spayed but keep in mind that if there is an increased blood flow to her uterus, the surgery will cost a little more due to the increased risks. You can speak to your vet to find out the costs involved. I would recommend having her spayed if you can, however, as it will reduce her chance of developing mammary tumors later in life (she will have an 8% chance of developi
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I have a female, 10 month old Great Dane and for the last week she has been furiously licking her genitals. She has yet to be spayed. Her behavior seems to be normal beyond the constant licking however both areas, especially the vulva have become qui
This may be a sign of juvenile vaginitis, which is a condition that will go away when she has her first heat and is an indication not to spay before she has had her first heat. By licking herr vagina, however she is introducing bacteria and irritating the tissue, and it may be necessary to put a cone on her to keep her from licking as well as a necessity for prescription antibiotics. The inflammation points to this. She could also be having her first preestrus (bleeding before the first heat) and could be cleaning herself excessively. As you wrote above, this could also be a UTI. I suggest you have her examined by your vet so any possible infection can be treated and she will stop the excessive licking which is rather detrimental.
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I have a 10 month old peagle. She got her first period 2 months ago. Recently her nipples swelled and she vomited occasionally. Today I noticed that she has nipple discharge. She was in contact with a male dog but they never mated. Could this be a fa
Hello. If this is a false pregnancy, there really is nothing much you can do at home. Unless you are going to use her for breeding, spaying will prevent this from happening again, but if you do not want to spay her, this will not cause any loss in fertility if you decide to breed her in the future. If her symptoms are mild, it is best not to do anything at all, as any stimulation of the nipples by applying warm compresses or wrapping them to prevent milk leakage will just stimulate more swelling & milk production. If she is licking herself, you may need to put a cone or E collar on her. If she really seems to be uncomfortable or there is a lot of leakage, sometimes we will treat these dogs with diuretics or even hormones. So, see how she does & see your vet if the situation worsens. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
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My dog has a swollen vigina and had been licking a lot at it she is sleeping a lot and is cranky she seems to be sick or something can you please help me
Her vagina could be swollen due to an infection, a UTI, or going into heat if she isn't spayed. I would take her her into the vet first thing in the morning. Doing a physical exam, blood tests, and a urinalysis, the vet can diagnose what is causing a swollen vagina, and can prescribe a treatment for it.
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My dog has started whining non stop and licking her teats. She had a litter 14 months ago, now her teats are leaking milk. She isn't pregnant.
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Boo! If Boo had a heat recently and you know for sure she isn't pregnant then she is likely experiencing a false pregnancy. This is a hormonal imbalance where the dog thinks she is pregnant when she isn't. The mammary glands can enlarge and produce milk, she can show nesting behavior, carry toys around like babies and act needy or anxious. False pregnancies last 2-3 months and tend to reoccur with subsequent heat cycles, so it would be best to have her spayed once her symptoms resolve. I hope this helps and I wish Boo the very best! http://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/reproductive-disorders-of-dogs/reproductive-disorders-of-female-dogs
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I just found my dog sucking on her nipples as if something is coming out. Why is she doing that? Please help.
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What its happening with my dog? Is that normal during uti? (see photos) her vulva is going up? Or is it the skin around it its getting swallow? I took her to the vet and she has an UTI, she's peeing blood clots as well. She's having a hard time but
I am sorry to hear about Lilo. It looks like she has a recessed vulva. This can predispose a dog to developing a urinary tract infection. If you have closely examined her vulva before and it did not look like this, I suppose it is possible she could have inflammation from licking resulting in swelling of the area but it is less likely. I would recommend having your vet examine the area in person to see if they feel this is a recessed vulva. Sometimes medicated wipes can be used to clean between the folds and prevent infection, but in cases of recurrent infection surgical alteration of the area can be helpful.
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My dog Zoe is very swollen in her vigina we are wired about her
Zoe isn't spayed, so she may be in heat. Now a swollen vulva could also be due to vaginal hyperplasia or vaginitis. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain, so I would take her into a vet to get checked out. Best of luck.
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I have a 9-yr old rescue border collie/golden mix. She is spayed. Her vulva seems to be a bit swollen, but she doesn't seem to be licking or having trouble urinating. Have not tried to treat yet, just watching to make sure it doesn't get worse. She h
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My dog is 13 years old and we had her spayed. We have had her since a puppy and she has had no problem until recently. She has lumps on her stomach, neck, leg and back. But these don’t effect her. Her recent problem is a sore vagina, well the bit ab
Poor Tazzy! I can see the small red lumps and overall redness of her belly. That amount of redness is definitely uncomfortable! This can be caused by a bacterial or fungal skin infection, food or environmental allergies, as well as some hormonal imbalances. Your vet can rule out any underlying disease and provide antibiotics if there is an infection. In the meantime, you can get her an E-collar or "cone" to prevent her from licking the area. You can also try a dog shampoo formulated for sensitive skin, as this may help with moisturizing the skin and helping the skin barrier heal.
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