help!

[Lynette]

Our blue nosed pit bull "Balou" found today one of her old soft rubber play toys, a ball that has been out side in the back yard all winter. she now has that ball and will not put it down unless my son lets her in his room, on his bed.. then she takes a few minutes to wiggle around on the bed till she has the ball snug up to her chest and then she covers it with her body.
when my son has her get off his bed and leave his room , all she does is walk around with this ball in her mouth like shes very nervous and continuosly is whinning. We have never seen her act like this with another toy, she loves her stuffed animal toys and they ususlly only last about 2 days before they are piles of stuffing on the floor, but this soft rubber ball she is so very gentle with. This is really very strange behavior for her. She is 3 yrs old, never had any puppies, but to watch her you would think that she is carrying around her own little baby. very strange. any ideas on this matter? anyone?

Lynette

[hazelrunpack]

Sounds a lot like a false pregnancy. Was she in heat about 2 months ago?

[Lynette]

Yes She Was In Fact In Heat About 2 Months Ago. I Have Never Dealt With This Behavior, Is There Something I Need To Do Or Not Do, Will She Act This Way For Long....so Many Questions (:

[the gang]

get her fixed

[hazelrunpack]

Well, first off, I gotta warn you: we're very pro-spay and neuter on this board, so you're likely gonna take some flak.

However, to answer your question, if she wasn't bred, the behavior usually passes on its own. When a bitch comes into heat, her body doesn't know afterward if it's been bred or not. The hormonal fluxes follow the same course regardless of conception. So it's not uncommon for false pregnancies to occur. She's nesting, and showing maternal behavior because it's about "time" for her to whelp. In a few days, the hormones will subside and she'll get back to normal.

If she was accidentally bred, of course, there's always the chance of a litter, so keep a very close eye on her until her behavior changes.

We went through the same thing with two of our girls, who started a heat cycle before we could get them in for a spay. Both of them went through a nesting and maternal phase, just like your girl, two months later, even though both had been spayed as soon as possible after their heat ended. Unless you're a breeder, you should consider spaying your girl, too, to prevent unwanted litters in the future.

If she's not better in a week or so, I'd take her into the vet to make sure there isn't something else going on. And certainly, if she goes into labor, you'll need to get her to a vet right away!

Oh, and welcome to the forum, btw! Never did give you an official welcome!