How to shrink dog teats? Did you know that a dog’s nipples are challenging to retract due to unexpected circumstances, such as after giving birth, or it could be a sign of illness?
Few people notice or care about this change in dog nipples and the changes in this part. So do dogs teats go back to normal? Let’s find the answer through this article!
What Causes Dog Teats To Be Difficult to Shrink

There are main causes of dog teats being difficult to shrink, including external stimulation, breast cancer, internal changes, and dog sucking a lot. Details are below:
Teats are Difficult To Shrink Due to External Stimulation
External factors can irritate your dog’s nipples. For example, their chest is often rubbed on the floor, carpet, and ground.
This leads to the phenomenon of breast damage, causing pain and discomfort. Leads to changes in the color and size of the breasts.
The dog may have a skin disease due to contact with the allergen. Dogs are sensitive because they lick their breasts too much.
If the above condition lasts for a long time, it will lead to the breast being irritated and swollen.
Teats are Difficult To Shrink Because of Breast Cancer
Dogs can develop mammary gland cancer, which affects mammary gland tissue, causing the teats to become enlarged and firm. This doesn’t always involve the nipples themselves, but it can.
The excellent news about mammary gland cancer in dogs is that taking good care of your dog when they are young will significantly reduce the risk of the disease.
This is because when your dog is in heat, their body releases hormones that can lead to abnormal growth.
Teats are Difficult To Shrink Due to Internal Changes
Many people ask us, “Do dogs nipples shrink after nursing?” The answer is quite tricky.
Your dog is more likely to have nipples that sag from breastfeeding after breeding and are more difficult to shrink immediately after weaning.
The leading cause of shrink dog treats is that the skin on a dog’s teat sags during pregnancy due to an enlarged stomach.
Even the nipples are difficult to contract due to Hyperplasia of the mammary glands. This disease occurs when progesterone levels in dogs are too high.
These hormone levels cause the nipples to grow more profusely.
Teats are Difficult To Shrink Due To Puppies Sucking A Lot
If your dog is in the lactation period, the puppy will often bite and squeeze the nipple. Dog nipples after having puppies, which causes irritation and swelling of the mother’s nipple.
Furthermore, a puppy’s toenails can scratch the nipples. It causes bacteria to penetrate the skin into the body, causing the dog to develop mastitis.
So, this particular time, you must pay more attention to them. Check for other symptoms and see if their breasts are swollen, red, etc.
Infected mammary glands cause mastitis, and the mother dog’s udder is swollen. Gradually the disease will worsen because the puppy scratches the mother’s breast, causing pain.
Fever in mother dogs and delayed puppy growth due to reduced milk quality are common symptoms. You should take antibiotics and apply warm compresses to the infected area to treat it.
If not treated in time, the breast will become necrotic due to infection and must be fed to the puppy.
How to Shrink Dog Teats?

“Do dogs nipples go back to normal after having puppies?” The good news for dog owners is that dog nipples can still return to their normal pre-pregnancy size.
If you apply the following methods regularly, their results will surprise you.
Give Your Dog Plenty of Physical Activity
Pregnancy and breastfeeding will always make your dog feel tired, fat, and saggy breasts. Dogs will always be in a state of exhaustion because they can’t be as active as before.
That is why owners should give their dogs regular exercise right after weaning their puppy. Regular and light dog exercise will be good for weight loss and shrinking dog teats.
An easy way is that owners can play with their dogs in the yard or take them for a walk when the street is close to home. Regular and scientific exercise will support nipple reduction.
Control Your Dog’s Diet After Birth
Controlling a daily scientific diet is also a way to increase the likelihood of nipple shrinking in dogs. You should immediately consider your dog’s diet since she weaned the puppy and limited solid food.
Normally, the dog will tend to eat more from pregnancy to breastfeeding. However, you must gradually return your dog to the same diet as before pregnancy to gradually balance its nutrition.
Application of Folk Remedies With Vinegar
You can also try an old remedy called vinegar. Since immemorial, herders have applied vinegar to their nipples to help them shrink.
Vinegar is also an excellent remedy for sore nipples. After being fed by her hungry puppies day and night, she would be in pain.
So even if vinegar doesn’t help her nipples shrink, you can apply it to ease her pain. However, only use vinegar after the puppy has been weaned.
Sterilization for Dogs
Sterilization is a long-term method of nipple reduction that you should apply.
When neutered, the dog will no longer be in heat or be able to become pregnant, so the situation of sagging or exposed nipples will be primarily limited.
Sterilization will also remove the pressure and stress when it comes to estrus or conflicts with each other when finding a mate.
In particular, sterilization in dogs also helps reduce the risk of diseases such as uterine cancer in female dogs and testicular cancer in male dogs.
Exact Time Dog Teats Shrink After Birth

It all depends on several factors over which you have no control. Some factors determine how long a dog’s nipples will drop after birth.
As every woman knows, some get in shape almost instantly while others can’t get back in form. Although the average time for nipples to shrink is 6-10 weeks, some dogs can take up to 12 months.
It’s also possible that some dogs’ nipples will never shrink.
You can raise two identical dogs exposed to the same level of physical activity and diet, and one dog’s nipples may still drop while the other won’t.
Safe Dog Neutering Process to Shrink Dog Teats
The Right Time to Neuter a Dog
The appropriate age for neutering dogs is about 6-9 months old. Male dogs can be neutered at ten weeks; female dogs should start at six months.
Beyond the above period, the surgical sterilization of dogs will be more complicated.
Safe Sterilization Process
A scientific, safe sterilization process takes place through these steps:
- Check your pet’s age and comprehensive health: Ensure the dog is healthy before neutering, not pregnant, not in estrus season, and prone to bleeding after surgery.
- Conducting anesthesia and sterilization surgery: Before surgery, the veterinarian will perform some tests, then endoscopically determine the area containing the chamber: eggs, anesthesia, surgical removal of the ovaries, and sutures.
- Anti-inflammatory drug injection and post-operative care instructions: For dog sterilization, the surgery takes only 7-10 days and uses pain medications; Dogs can cut the thread and gradually recover their health.
Caring for Dogs After Neutering
Before Sterilization:
- Choose a reliable and highly specialized veterinary address.
- Keep the dog mentally comfortable, limit excessive exercise, and fully supplement nutrition in the diet.
- If the dog has just been vaccinated, wait at least two weeks before taking it to be spayed.
After Sterilization:
- In the first 24 hours, it is necessary to pay special attention to the incision; if there is any abnormality, such as swelling/discharge/edema, etc., or the dog has a high fever or diarrhea, it is necessary to contact the veterinarian immediately.
- Choose a quiet, hygienic place for the dog to rest, not to go out on the ground or sand … nor for contact or aggression with other dogs and cats for at least seven days. It is necessary to wear an anti-licking ring so the dog cannot touch the wound to avoid infection. Do not let your pet exercise too much during the first 2-3 weeks after castration.
- Regulating the diet can add some essential foods as prescribed by the doctor.
- Take your dog to the vet for a scheduled post-surgery checkup.
Conclusion
I have solved the question “How to shrink dog teats?” in this article. It is tough for dogs to shrink their nipples after giving birth, after weaning, or getting sick.
You should take your dog to a reputable veterinary center to have it spayed after giving birth. This is a safe method to reduce nipples and prevent gynecological diseases.