Puppy Pregnancy Syndrome

Puppy pregnancy syndrome is a psychosomatic illness in humans brought on by mass hysteria, thought to be localized to villages in several Indian states, in which sufferers believe that shortly after being bitten by a dog, especially one that was sexually excited at the time of the attack, puppies are conceived within their abdomen. Victims are said to bark like dogs and report seeing the puppies inside them when looking at water or hearing them growling in their abdomen, and are believed likely to die, especially men, who are said to give birth to their puppies through the penis; witch doctors offer oral cures claimed to dissolve the puppies so they can be excreted without the patient's knowledge. Some psychiatrists believe puppy pregnancy syndrome meets the criteria for a culture-bound disorder.