We have had my girl for a year now and have gone through 2 seasons.
Last time she did have a phantom and changed quite a lot behaviour vise.
She even eded up to her first ever fight(loads of noice only, hand back out kind of fight) with a friend of hers! Actually I think it was very strong telling off...
Now we are heading towards a another phantom, well towards the birth of her phantom puppies...

-She changes pretty dramatically even starts behaviours she does not normally do like kicks the soil after she has a poo or pee!
-She gets a bit nervy and starts guarding the house...
-Digs mahosive holes in my flower beds, so now she is banned from going in to the garden on her own(she usually has freedom to come and go how she wishes)
-She gets very loving and would sit on you and be petted for hours(again very unlike normal her)
-She also wanders around whining and is pretty restless
-Stops eating
-Any sqeaky sound gets her worried
-She will given a change adopt a toy to look after too after the phantom puppies are supposingly born
-This time round she also seems to have a smell males are very interested in and she is obviously not impressed of the attention as she really wants to be as invisible as possible!

I have given her EPO, cut down food and topped her exercise loads in hope to reduce the symptoms but closer to the due date we get, less hopeful I am it has made any difference...
I try to take her with me when I can to keep her mind busy, but I really do not know if it is actually doing her any good as she is a bit nervy(very unlike her) and does not enjoy the outings. I'm not sure if it is actually fair to drag her with me...
We treat her like we would normally treat her and ignore the funny stuff she does.
She is over the top when out, stares at people and dogs in a way she normally does not, she just looks like she is suspicious of everybody!
She would just like to stay at home in our bed, even walks she does not want to go to but is ok when we are out (minus the funny behaviours!)

Is there anything else I can try to reduce the symptoms and what are peoples experiences on a bitch that has got them from being young?
Did they get worse with age?
What kind of mothers did the bitches with phantoms make & did their daughters follow the suit?
Her mother or G.mother do not get any phantoms like this but one of her sisters does.

I really do not want to spay her as after having one spayed and looking after the spay coat I would prefer not having that again.
Obviously if she is likely to get like this twice a year for the rest of her life, I think spaying might be the best option as nobody is enjoying the situation as it is.

I think you are doing all the right things....keeping the bitch in her normal routine, keeping her busy, upping the exercise etc. Maybe removing any soft toys she think are her pups, particularly if they sqeak. I did read somewhere that they are a perfectly natural phenomenon in the wild so if anything happened to the alpha bitch there would be others ready to look after the orphaned pups.
But I think spaying is the only answer to this one ultimately. I know once they have a phantom they are much more likely to have them at every season afterwards. Distressing for the bitch and the owner. Yet at the same time I know where you are coming from with the dreaded spayed bitch coat. My mother had a cocker, who's coat was terrible after the op.

My girl is 5 now and had phantoms after every season since she was 12 months old. She really suffered from the things and I did try everything to help her but she still had all the changes you mention, plus more. She was totally miserable and took it out on my other dogs too. She has had two litters and was an absolutely wonderful mum with no problems whatsoever.
I had her spayed three weeks ago and already the change in her is very noticeable. She is so happy and relaxed and is instigating play sessions which she hasnt done for a long time. It is a difficult decision I know but from my experience anyway, definitely spay.

If spaying is not an option, there is always "Galastop".
Galastop is a medicine, containing hormones, that will end the phantom.
It works after 3-5 days, during which the bitch can feel sick and go off
her food totally.
You will find experiences of using Galastop varies. Some like it,
some don't. Could be worth a try. Talk to your vet.
HTH
Karen

> what are peoples experiences on a bitch that has got them from being young?
> Did they get worse with age?
> What kind of mothers did the bitches with phantoms make & did their daughters follow the suit?
>

Well the phantoms don't go away in my experience. As for getting worse with age, I don't think they were any better or worse really, just always happened. But my bitch who always had them was an excellent mother. And the daughter we kept from her does not suffer from false pregnancies and is also a good mother.

I think you have to weigh up how much these phantoms interfere with her quality of life before you decide whether to have her spayed or not. Not to mention your quality of life too

My bitch had a mild phantom pregnancy after her first season, I was advised by my mentor when she starts her next to give her rasberry leaf tea supplement daily which apparently supresses it naturally.

She has not had her second season yet so I do not know if it will work but it is a natural substance so cannot see the harm in trying it. Our vet prescribed Galastop when she was having her phantom and in hindsight I think he was too quick in prescribing it but I think if a bitch is suffering badly with it it is a good thing, it did clear up her symptoms quickly.

Nicki xx

> You will find experiences of using Galastop varies

I totally agree. It works for some and not others. I did try it on my girl without much success. We spent almost a year trying to get her in just the right state to spay as my vet said that if he did it whilst she was still in the phantom state, then it could go on and on. Her very last phantom, which was much worse than all the others, I spotted really early on so went to get Galastop straight away. Unfortunately, it didnt help. She was producing milk and was thoroughly miserable, whining, restless etc. As a last resort and with a determination that she would be spayed this time, although reluctantly I agreed to yet another course of Galastop straight after the first one. It did calm things down but I had to check very carefully every day to make sure the milk was stopping. We did get her into the right state and the op was performed on the 14th September. As I said previously, she is fine and well now and very happy. Her daughter who is now 20 months old is now having her second season. Up to now she hasnt had a problem so hoping very much that mum hasnt passed it down to her.

Not really into homeopathy usually, but one of my girls was having a phantom and was acting quite out of character, so on speaking to a friend tried pulsitilla 3 times a day. It really did work and she has come out of it quickly! I also tried stroppy bitch by csj which is a herbal thing, which also seemed to help.

Both my Danes have just suffered phantom's and I give them plenty exercise, and Pulsatilla 3 times daily and it seems to help them through it, they become very fussy also, which is totally out of character for them, but are on the road to recovery again..!

Thank you very much everybody.
We do not have milk yet, fingers crossed we wont have it at all(wishful thinking really)
Will Galastop actually stop all symptoms, I thought it was just to stop the milk...
As my girl starts going funny about 4 weeks(This is when I can say I start noticing changes) after the imaginary mating took place and continues until the "puppies" are born and then few weeks.
I will try the natural remedies, I googled it... what is the pulsatilla product you use as loads of different stuff popped up?
Is it capsules, tablets, Homeopathic pearls?

one of my girls had a phantom months ago she was producing a tiny amount of  milk , vet suggested galastop I was aprehensive but eventually gave in,after 3 days she was near enough back to her normal self no grumbles at the other dogs ,no more digging frantically  and exsessive panting which concerned me a lot. I was surprised how quickly it worked and so relived for her . Very expensive but worth it .