Is My Dog Having A Phantom Pregnancy?

I am 8 months pregnant and recently my dog started acting very strange. At first she started sleeping in the bed, right beside me, on my pillows like a person would. And now in the past few days she has started whining all the time if I don't constantly sit with her. Yesterday she started walking around with a toy in her mouth and crying. I even caught her giving one of these toys a bath. I was wondering if you have any insight as to what could be going on with her. (Hollie Miller - North Carolina)

Your dog's behavior sounds like a phantom pregnancy. This is quite common in unspayed females and normally occurs 1-2 months after their heat cycle. There are various symptoms, some physical (water retention, nipple swelling, lassitude) and some behavioral such as nest building and mothering of toys. It could also be linked to your pregnancy as she may be influenced by your own current nesting instincts and quite possibly hormones or pheromones.