Lactating 3 year old red nose

by Linda Stauder
(Milton, Pa. USA)

I have a 3 year old female red nose pit bull and just noticed that she is leaking milky fluid from her teats. She has been around no other dogs, period. She is by my side 24 -7. We also noticed approximately 2 days ago that her teats looked swollen. She does secrete when squeezed lightly. Can anyone give me an answer as to what is going on with Maddy?........Thank you, Linda

Gale's Reply:

Hi Linda:

Definitely take her to the vet. If there's no chance she's pregnant, this sounds like it could be a false pregnancy in which case, she'll go through many of the physical and psychological changes that she would if she were actually pregnant. I've heard that some dogs that go thru a false pregnancy are depressed afterwards and seem to be looking for their puppies.

Of course, I'm not a veterinarian and it's possible that there could be another explanation for all this--something that needs to be treated. So do seek professional help for her. I hope you'll let us know what you find out.