Phantom pregnancy and pups!

[Jericho]

Hi our 2 yr old JRT has become obsessed with 5 of her fluffy toys and is treating them like puppies. Luckily she isn't being aggressive or overly posessive but it obviously is causing her some distress if she needs to leave them eg she always wants to be in her basket rather than playing or being outside or being with the family (normally she is up and about with me down the fields or wherever we are in the house). She has free rein of the house with several beds upstairs and she will take the 'puppies' very careful to which ever bed she wants to sleep in at night. I Was hoping it would just pass but it has now been nearly three weeks and I don't feel it's particularly healthy for her and I would quite like our happy sociable dog back so how do I handle it? Do I just remove the 'puppies' when she is not there or just let her work it through hersrlf?

I realise we have left it a little late to have her spayed and this behaviour is because she isn't.... she has been booked in to be done next month!

 

[Kaylum]

Leave it to work through or you will stress her more.

 

[twiggy2]

increase her excersise to as much as you can give, take her new places, occupy her brain and body, if she is carrying enough weight then you can reduce her food-all these things can have an effect on the hormones and reduce them-then after a few days remove the 'puppies'. If you are still struggling take her to the vets for a jab to help straighten out her hormones-be aware that pyometra is far more common after a phantom pregnancy and it is thought it is increased further by allowing the hormones to continue to soar

 

[Jericho]

Thank you twiggy.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I would keep an eye on what she is mothering (buttons, zips, sticky outy bits etc), I know I have told this story ad nauseum but my old girl swallowed two pairs of balled-up tights during a phantom, these unravelled around her innards and nearly killed her (this on top of the phantom and the pyo!!!)

She was spayed in an emergency fashion at 11 years old, so I wouldn't call two, too late, and she lived til 14 before being put down because of something unrelated.