false pregnancy in dogs

My 3 yo yorkie recently had a false pregnancy, she has had 2 successful litters previously. I am wondering how I can prevent this from happening again? How to administer treatment?
Also, she had gained 2 pounds from this condition, however she did not consume that much food during that time with daily exercise. How can I help her lose the excess weight?

[ginger899]

False pregnancy is very common in unspayed females. In itself it is not exactly an illness, but is a response to shifting hormone levels. There are extremes, of course, and some dogs can be quite distressed by the condition, which usually lasts a week or two. It usually occurs about 8-9 weeks after the heat cycle is finished, (more or less the time pups woulod be born had the female mated) though this isn't always the case, and can occur earlier or later.

However it is often so that a female with a history of False Pregnancy can be more prone to developing Pyometra or problems with the breasts, including breast lumps.

The excess weight is either: because she had "nesting" behaviour during the False Pregnancy, and wasn't inclined to get much exercise outside....or is water retention, caused by her hormones. BUT it could be something else entirely. Other conditions also cause unexplained weight gain which are not directly food/exercise related.
The best treatment is healthy food, good exercise, distractions such as games etc, which will stop her brooding, and time of course, because this condition passes.
However it will no doubt recur. There really IS only one "treatment" which will totally stop this happening and that is having her spayed.

But, if you are interested in trying an alternative remedy, some people have had good results with homeopathic medicines which are quite safe for dogs and don't need a veterinary prescription. Pulsatilla, and also Sepia are remedies most often used for false Pregnancy. If you want to go down that road completely with your dog, you may be able to find a holistic or homeopathic vet in your area?
In my experience, homeopathic remedies either don't work at all, or work in the most astounding and quick way with dogs, and with no side effects.

[ginger899]

False pregnancy is very common in unspayed females. In itself it is not exactly an illness, but is a response to shifting hormone levels. There are extremes, of course, and some dogs can be quite distressed by the condition, which usually lasts a week or two. It usually occurs about 8-9 weeks after the heat cycle is finished, (more or less the time pups woulod be born had the female mated) though this isn't always the case, and can occur earlier or later.

However it is often so that a female with a history of False Pregnancy can be more prone to developing Pyometra or problems with the breasts, including breast lumps.

The excess weight is either: because she had "nesting" behaviour during the False Pregnancy, and wasn't inclined to get much exercise outside....or is water retention, caused by her hormones. BUT it could be something else entirely. Other conditions also cause unexplained weight gain which are not directly food/exercise related.
The best treatment is healthy food, good exercise, distractions such as games etc, which will stop her brooding, and time of course, because this condition passes.
However it will no doubt recur. There really IS only one "treatment" which will totally stop this happening and that is having her spayed.

But, if you are interested in trying an alternative remedy, some people have had good results with homeopathic medicines which are quite safe for dogs and don't need a veterinary prescription. Pulsatilla, and also Sepia are remedies most often used for false Pregnancy. If you want to go down that road completely with your dog, you may be able to find a holistic or homeopathic vet in your area?
In my experience, homeopathic remedies either don't work at all, or work in the most astounding and quick way with dogs, and with no side effects.

[ginger899]

Please excuse my typos!

[Ghilly]

The problems with false pregnancy in dogs is that once they have one, they are prone to having others.  While it seems harmless enough, it can be psychologically traumatic for them as they search for puppies that don't exist, and if they produce a large amount of milk, they can develop mastitis.

There also appears to be a link between false pregnancy and pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus.  Signs of pyometra present within three weeks of a heat cycle or of a false pregnancy or the whelping of a litter.

Since your dog seems so prone to them, unless she is an absolutely superlative representative of her breed being kept intact for the purpose of breeding more champions, the safest route to take in her case would be to have her spayed as soon as possible.  This will stop her false pregnancies and allow her to simply enjoy being your lovable pet instead of going through the angst of wondering where her (nonexistent) puppies are and producing milk to feed them and going through all the worry of nesting and expecting babies that are never coming.  

Ghilly