Vet’s 2025 Guide to Maternal Behavior Problems in Dogs 🩺🐾

By Dr. Duncan Houston BVSc

Maternal behavior problems, or mismothering, affect some bitches—ranging from neglecting or harming their pups to adopting inanimate objects as offspring. In 2025, we offer you clarity on recognizing each type, understanding causes, and applying practical solutions, including telehealth via Ask A Vet. 💕

1️⃣ Types of Maternal Behavior Problems

• Deficient mothering: failing to clean, nurse, retrieve, stimulate elimination, or even attacking pups.
• Excessive mothering: nursing other pups or toys, enlarged mammary glands, guarding, and nest‐like behavior in the absence of puppies.

2️⃣ Who is at Risk?

• First-time mothers and breeds like Jack Russells and Cocker Spaniels show a higher incidence.
• Dams after cesarean sections often display deficient maternal behavior due to low oxytocin.
• False pregnancies can trigger excessive maternal responses via elevated progesterone.
• Stress, illness, or large/sick litters can disrupt maternal care.

3️⃣ . How to Recognize the Signs

Deficient:

• Poor/no cleaning or nursing.
• Discarding, attacking, or neglecting pups.
• Failure to stimulate elimination or retrieve litter.

Excessive:

• Attempting to nurse unrelated pups or toys.
• Protective aggression toward intruders, enlarged mammary tissue.
• Persistent nesting and guarding in pseudopregnancy.

4️⃣ Causes & Hormones

• Oxytocin deficiency after C‐section reduces bonding.
• Progesterone surge in pseudopregnancy triggers nurturing instincts.
• Stress, pain, and illness can lead to neglect or aggression.
• No firm genetic link, but breed tendencies exist.

5️⃣ Diagnosis & Assessment

• Detailed history of pregnancy, whelping method, behavior.
• Physical exam, bloodwork, urinalysis to rule out illness.
• For pseudopregnancy, confirmation via physical signs and hormonal staging.

6️⃣ Management & Treatment

Deficient Maternal Care:

• Create a calm, dark whelping area away from disturbances.
• Provide soft, high-energy food.
• Assist with puppy feeding and cleaning; stimulate elimination manually.
• If aggression occurs, supplement with a muzzle or temporarily remove dam.
• Administer oxytocin under vet guidance to support bonding.

Excessive Maternal Behavior & Pseudopregnancy:

• Remove puppies and toys; restrict food intake short-term.
• Consider medications like cabergoline to reduce prolactin.
• Delay spaying until 4+ months post-estrus to prevent resurgence.

7️⃣ Supportive Care & Brand Insights

• Ask A Vet telehealth: monitor maternal behaviors and dosing guidance.

8️⃣ When to Contact the Vet

• Pup weight loss or failure to thrive.
• Maternal aggression risking injuries to pups or people.
• Signs of infection or illness in the dam.
• Persistent mismothering behavior in second litter.

🏁 Final Thoughts

Maternal behavior problems, though challenging, are manageable when understood and addressed early. By 2025, combining veterinary insights with telehealth support and nurturing home care ensures better outcomes for both dam and litter. 🐶❤️

Questions about feeding help, behavior modification, or planning for spay? Visit AskAVet.com and download the Ask A Vet app for expert guidance anytime. 📱🐾