Treating pseudo-pregnancy with homeopathy

INTRODUCTION

If your female dog has not spayed yet, you may wonder why she started hoarding toys, growling if you come close? She seems lethargic and mimics symptoms of pregnancy and you are sure that there isn’t any chance of it. Cool, she may be experiencing a very common condition seen in intact dogs which occurs after they go through an estrus cycle.

WHAT IS PSEUDO PREGNANCY?

Pseudocyesis, Nervous lactation syndrome, Phantom pregnancy, False pregnancy, copycat pregnancy are the same. It is a syndrome observed in nonpregnant bitches displaying maternal behavior combined with physical signs of pregnancy following 6-12 wks after estrus i.e. diestrus in bitches that have not been mated. The incidence in some breeds like Afghan, Beagle, Dachshund's likelihood is as high as 75%. So, it is vivid that all non-pregnant bitches in the diestrus state of the cycle are referred to as pseudopregnant. Incidence of recurrence in subsequent estrus cycles is high and complications like mammary tumors, mastitis, pyrometers may set in. "Non-pregnant but mimics as pregnant".

ETIOLOGY

Mainly due to hormonal imbalance i.e. increased prolactin due to removal of negative feedback mechanism and decreased progesterone levels due to performing OH during diestrus period or antiprogesterone treatment or termination of long term progesterone therapy.

CLINICAL SIGNS

Diestrus nonpregnant bitch which shows clinical signs is called overt pseudopregnancy and which do not exhibit any clinical signs is called covert pseudopregnancy.

• Behavioural changes: restlessness, licking of the mammary gland, anorexia, aggressiveness

• Maternal behavior: nesting, digging, mothering of inanimate objects

• Late gestation behavior: weight gain, enlargement of mammary glands, lactation

• Ancillary signs: polyuria, polyphagia, diarrhea

DIAGNOSIS

Pseudopregnancy should be differentiated from pregnancy by taking the appropriate breeding history, by abdominal palpation, and by

ultrasonography.

TREATMENT

The pharmacological approach for the treatment of this pseudopregnancy includes steroids which will cause bone marrow suppression and other side effects. Repeated harsh or inadequate therapies targeted at eliminating symptoms tend to degenerate into mammary tumors. Homeopathy is giving promising hands to cure pseudopregnancy without any side effects within a limited time. The success of homeopathy treatment on behavioral signs was 100%. Remedies should only be used under the guidance of a qualified veterinary practitioner.

Goel Vet Pharma Pvt. Ltd. is a unique pharma company that releases new homeopathic veterinary medicine products into the market. Their years-long experience with dedicated trials and consultations between homeopathic doctors and veterinarians resulted in this wonder formulation called "FERTIGO". It is a renowned formulation for treating pseudopregnancy in female dogs. Homeopathy is one of the best alternatives to regular conventional medicine because of its side effect free and contraindication free recommendations. It is highly economical and farmer friendly in terms of expenditure to be incurred.

To read more about homeopathy, visit our previous blogs:

1. Homeocare For Bovine Mastitis

2. Role Of Homeopathy In Treating Dermatitis In Pets

3. Treating Arthritis In Pets With Homeopathy

4. Homeopathy For Ameliorating Anorexia In Pets

5. Homeocare For Symptoms Of Canine Distemper

6. Emerging Role Of Homeopathy In Veterinary

To Know more about this product click here

Pulsatilla 30c

Best for treating spontaneous lactation, a very useful remedy for false pregnancy in canines. Swollen udders with fat and milk. She likes to lie with her udders on the floor and leaves milk stains behind.

Dose : 3 times for 5-7 days and repeat only after a week if necessary.

Sepia 30c

For nervous signs and aggression.

Dose : 3 times daily for 5-7 days and repeat only after a week if necessary.

Asafoetida D4

It is oxytocic in action and helps in emptying the udder. Alternative for restlessness, irritability, or nervous signs in bitches.

Thuja occidentalis D30

Affect renal function and the nervous system. It is effective in the abdomen and mammary edema regression.

Bryonia Alba 6c

Used if the mammary gland is hot and swollen.

Calcarea Alba 6c

Used if the mammary gland is swollen with milk.

Urtica Urens 3x

Used to dry up milk flow. Used if udders are swollen, red, and hot to touch.

Lachesis 30c

Used if udders are filled with milk, bluish, edematous, sometimes bloodied and combined with smelly pus, that may ooze spontaneously.

Agnus Castus 200

Has almost identical properties to cabergoline that reduces prolactin levels and increases the concentration of FSH and helps in maintaining a balanced hormonal system and gives endocrine support.

Apis Mel 200

Used to treat the swelling of mammary nipples.

Arsenicum album

The pet feels better with hot compresses on her cold flaccid udders, slightly swollen by a bit of sour milk.

Belladonna

Used to treat female dogs in which udders are very congested, hot, swollen, red, and painful. The dog may even not be able to lie on them and would tend to adopt a lying position on her side. The milk may come out on its own and often mothers her toys, hides in dark corners, barks when people pass by, and even tries to bite them. All these related symptoms can be improved with this remedy.

Atropium

Symptoms of mothering toys, local inflammatory reactions like calor, rubor, dolor, tumor, and pain can be cured with this drug.

Borax

Used to treat udders that are not swollen but full of milk.

Calcarea carbonica

Udders that are hard, swollen, hot, and painful, right from the beginning of the heat period, continuously mothering behavior, aggressive behavior which is shown by growling or biting if we try to take the toy it is mothering from her and other related symptoms can be improved with this drug.

Cyclamen

Symptoms of cold compresses that should be stroked on udders, swollen with milk, but neither hot nor inflamed can be treated with this drug.

Ignatia

Udders that are not too apparent, neither hot nor swollen, udders with very little milk can be treated with this drug.

Lac caninum is the nosode for spontaneous lactation.

Lycopodium

Udders that are hot but not swollen, oozing a bit of milk, can be improved with this drug.

Mercurius

Symptoms of dribbling cold and viscous saliva with offensive odor which covers whiskers, inflamed udders, very hot and swollen with milk streamed in the blood that tends to end in ulcers or suppurations are treated.

Opium

Active congestion of udders without milk secretion, aggravated by pressure can be treated.

Phosphorus

Animal avoids lying on her congested, inflamed, and burning udders, containing a bit of milk streaked with blood are treated.

Salvia officinalis

Galactorrhea remedy.

Stramonium

The most striking change in behavior is the moaning and howling during nights especially when left alone in a corner can be treated.

Thlaspi bursa pastoris

This may be useful in bitches that experience phantom gestation after being on contraceptives for a period of time with watery milk in the udders.

Veratrum album

Used to treat psychological signs, particularly with regard to digging holes and trying to find the best place for litter.

CONCLUSION

Homeopathy is being considered by many field veterinarians as the last try when every other alternative conventional medicine has failed. Fortunately, many feel that there is a great improvement with homeopathy even in chronic debilitating cases. Everyone says so that they just start homeopathic treatment as a trial because it's no side effects or no contraindications nature and highly economical from farmers' and pet owners' point of view. So, when there is nothing to lose, why not start with something which is within a reachable length.

REFERENCES

https://hpathy.com/veterinary-homeopathy/false-gestation-and-nervous-lactation/https://www.google.com/url? sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://sciencejournals.stmjournals.in/index.php/RRJoVST/article/download/106/127&ved=2ahUKEwiS6qSVnszsAhVJxDgGHUYkDaEQFjATegQIGRAB&usg=AOvVaw1RnmnxwQOHoWMBudkPoGJo https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.narayana-verlag.com/homeopathy/pdf/Everyday-Homeopathy-for-Animals-Francis-Hunter.00714_3Dogs.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi2uPqStszsAhUj5nMBHQNiCQEQFjAEegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw1JFjMNFAxyuUzbrO4U08hW https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.pawdiet.com/library/canine-false-pregnancy/&ved=2ahUKEwi2uPqStszsAhUj5nMBHQNiCQEQtwIwEHoECBIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0uXjJ3tunmxRdvxp54onoE https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234127275_Effectiveness_of_Homeopathy_for_the_Treatment_ofPseudopregnancy_in_Bitches&ved=2ahUKEwiLndPXtszsAhUYIbcAHYPfCNcQFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw2Dx9qWwOH3oH9ziDVJOqq0

By:

Dr. Vaidehi Pasumarthi

BVSc. & AH

SVVU, Tirupati

Editing:

Dr. Hemalatha Talluri

Dr. Amit Kumar Tripathy