New puppy causing bitches to lactate?

Kate · Post by **Kate** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:09 pm

I got a new terrier puppy 5 days ago, 8 weeks old. I already have a 1 year old labrador and a 12 year old colly, both bitches. The colly hates the puppy, hides in her kennel when the puppy is around, but the lab loves her and they get on great. For the first few day the puppy tried to drink from the lab but obviously it didn't work, until today when I noticed that both the bitches have got boobs

all of a sudden and have milk in them, and the puppy is drinking from the lab. Is this some kind of phantom pregnancy triggered by the arrival of the new puppy? And more importantly, is it bad for any of them to just let the puppy drink? The lab was due to be neutered soon enough, and the colly stopped going in heat a couple of years ago. What should I do, if anything? Is this something to be worried about?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:18 am

Kate;1362516 wrote: I got a new terrier puppy 5 days ago, 8 weeks old. I already have a 1 year old labrador and a 12 year old colly, both bitches. The colly hates the puppy, hides in her kennel when the puppy is around, but the lab loves her and they get on great. For the first few day the puppy tried to drink from the lab but obviously it didn't work, until today when I noticed that both the bitches have got boobs

all of a sudden and have milk in them, and the puppy is drinking from the lab. Is this some kind of phantom pregnancy triggered by the arrival of the new puppy? And more importantly, is it bad for any of them to just let the puppy drink? The lab was due to be neutered soon enough, and the colly stopped going in heat a couple of years ago. What should I do, if anything? Is this something to be worried about?

I knew of one bitch who did this regularly - indeed, her owners raised orphan pups with her with no noticeable harm to the bitch.