My mini dachshund has been leaking milk and today I noticed a reddish liquid coming out of a few nipples, what would cause this? We do not believe she is pregnant because she has not been around any males. Just want to know if this is something we should worry about or if she is just in heat?

Many times after heat a dog who has not been bred can get "Pyometra". This can cause many problemIt could be a Pyometra, false pregnancy, and seems like she may have an infection in her breasts. I would recommend getting her into a vet ASAP! She most likely needs to be spayed and for sure placed on antibiotics to stop the bacteria/infection.


Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the mammary glands, almost exclusively seen in females. It may occur in one or multiple glands and usually occurs in lactating animals. It is a fairly uncommon condition, but occurs more frequently in es (female dogs) than in queens (female cats).

Mastitis is most commonly caused by an ascending infection from the teat opening. Other potential causes or contributing factors include trauma (from nursing puppies) and hematogenous spread (spread via the blood). Mastitis can be a painful condition that usually is fairly localized, although some animals may become systemically ill or even septic (bacterial infection in the blood).

Canine Mammary Tumors: Mammary tumors in dogs are most frequent in intact es; they are extremely rare in male dogs. Ovariectomy before the first estrus reduces the risk of mammary neoplasia to 0.5% of the risk in intact es; ovariectomy after one estrus reduces the risk to 8% of that in intact es. Es neutered after maturity have the same risk as intact es. The two posterior mammary glands are involved more often than the three anterior glands. Grossly, the tumors appear as single or multiple nodules (1-25 cm) in one or more glands. The cut surface is usually lobulated, grey-tan, and firm, often with fluid-filled cysts. Mixed mammary tumors may contain grossly recognizable bone or cartilage on the cut surface.

More than 50% of canine mammary tumors are benign mixed tumors; a smaller portion is malignant mixed tumors. In the latter, epithelial or mesenchymal components, either singly or in combination, may produce metastases. Histologically, canine mammary gland tumors have been classified by the World Health Organization as carcinomas (with six types and additional subtypes), sarcomas (with four types), carcinosarcomas (mixed mammary tumors), or benign adenomas. This classification scheme is based on the extent of the tumor, involvement of lymph nodes, and presence of metastati

Spaying her is the only way to help reduce ovarian, mamary, cervical, and a host of other reproductive cancers. Not to mention you will have a better pet that is happier and lives longer!

See http://www.drna.org/ for any andf all questions on Dachshunds.
Another site for health issues is www.veterinarypartner.com

Likely the first answer is better than I could give in this technical matter.

Being spay/neutered is best for most pets. Digging up all the info you need to produce quality puppies is difficult, and needs to start before buying the dog in order to select a dog that might prove suitable as breeding stock. It isn't OK to breed any registered dog. Nor do some people realize the precautions they need to take to avoid accidental breedings.

Society in general does a poor job of educating people of the responsibilities of dog owners, and an even poorer job on possibly breeding them. It isn't easy, and our shelters slaughter dogs by the millions for lack of homes. I have long tried to do what I can. Unfortunately, I am not a gifted enough writer to avoid offending people sometimes. I hope you will understand.