Phantom pregnancies - Advice on how to deal with phantom pregnancies in setters

[Noeleen Corrigan]

Hi everyone, I am really after some advice here, or experiences on dealing with phantom pregnancies. Betti is 19 months, and she is currently experiencing her second phantom pregnancy. It is really heart breaking, she is off her food, is carrying toys around whimpering and licking them, she is totally depressed, and she is full of milk. I did get some homeopathy tablets from the vet for her. She is settling down now, but this started 9 days ago and has gone on much longer than the first time. Does anyone have any tips?

Noeleen.

[Noeleen Corrigan]

Thanks Ev, that is probobly where I am going wrong she is getting so much simpathy!!!!! I have noticed it is worse when we are in the house and she has nothing to distract her. Thank goodness this time round I have been off work I couldnt leave her home by herself when she is going through this.

[Elaine Gratton]

hi my year old started a phantom after her first season i was told to give her 3000 mg a day of evening primrose caps and i have got to say it worked the swelling s went down after about ten days and no milk elaine gratton

[Dee Rance]

Hi I have helped a lot of people with a lot of poor bitches and their Phantom Pregnancies over the years...You can go to the vet and get something called 'Galastop' but I personally don't like chemicals, the remedy I use is something called 'Sepia' but the tablets that you get over the counter don't really work, you must go to a Homoeopathic Chemist and get 1M strength powders, you will need three of them, and give them at the same time for three consecutive days, this should stop the symptoms dead in their track, like most homoeopathic remedies you use like for like ie if you are being sick you are given something that would normally make you sick, so Sepia is made from Squid ink which is a natural to change hormones, anyway it has worked for many bitches including my own. Unlike the chemicals it can't do any harm.

[Cassie Allen]

When my girls are going through this I take away the toys that she is caring for, no need to keep that stimulation and increase the exercise dramaticly. instead of walking I bike them, take them out for long runs.

I will try the sepia next time.

[Ossian]

Ive tried taking toys away and leaving them She was just a moody cow whatever I did. In the end I left one "beany" black and tan and she nuzzled it and cared for it. carried it around and then, without fail, she would one morning appear with it carrying it by a leg and toss it nonchalantly at our old collie and walk off.

Hormones sorted!!

[Dee Rance]

She has got the way to deal with her 'puppies' give them to someone else, great idea..My Tammy used to have one of those 'Ferby' things that would talk and sing to you that thing went everywhere with her when she had her babies. I still have the Ferby unfortunately not her. The real characters leave far too early...

[Ossian]

Agree with Dee on the use of Sepia. Slightly different dosage though.

If you can time your bitch's season from this one to the next. Use Sepia for at least one week before the season starts and then continue with chronic dose (two pills three times a day) through the season and for one week after she stops.

for those with "dark headed" dogs use Pulsatilla and if you have a red and white or blak and tan alternate the Sepia and the Pulsatilla

Galastop will stop her milk but its not something i am fond of using

[Dee Rance]

I have never been able to calculate the time of the season, so I use the ''hit it hard'' method when she is going through the depression and digging up the garden stage, approximately 9 weeks after the time you would have mated her.
I personally, have never found, in my girls, that Pulsatilla works, but have definitely had really good results with the Sepia, on many girls that are having troubles with the depression and milk production, I agree entirely about Galastop, plus you have the added problem of it being a chemical based remedy, so there are a few side affects, which you don't get with homoeopathic remedies, well not on the whole. Thanks for the extra advice, as I have said before you are never too old to learn, or words to that affect.

[Ossian]

Dee
I had the most awful problems with my Gordon Piper but solved it by starting Pulsatilla and Sepia as soon as the season started. If I didnt I had a guerilla terrorosy when the "babies" were around.

But Pulsatilla wont work with your "reds" as it is for the dark heads as i said. The reason you have results with Sepia is that it is for "blondes".

Hence with black and tan you can mix

[Dee Rance]

OK another lesson learnt..;o))

[eva ciechonska]

I am very lucky because I have a homeopathic chemist near me who can make up any remedies I need on the day. I use Sepia in 200c potency on soft tablets twice per day, dissolved under the tongue, from beginning of the season (bottle of 100 tabs). When that is finished I reduce the potency to 30c and carry on until the 'critical' period is past. I used this regime successfully on a bitch who had bad phantoms but you can vary it to suit your bitch. Sepia is also used in homeopathic treatment of Pyometra.

[Ossian]

Eva that is a good one to know. How would you administer in Pyometra cases??