[Farm] Question about dogs in season

[tropicalfish]

I have several min pins. The boys are fixed, but everytime one of the girls come in heat they still try to go after them. Is there some kind of herb or something natural that I could spray on the girls to "conceal" the scent? I'm keeping them separated, but the boys smell that scent and they start fighting between themselves wanting to get to the girls. When these little guys start fighting, they can do some damage.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mrs Smith]

No, there's no way to "conceal" the fact that she's in heat. Boys will be boys, even if they're fixed. It's a natural instinct that you can't take away.

A male can smell a female in heat over 2 miles away under the right circumstances.

I would suggest getting the female fixed.

 

[Kathy in WV]

Not only will boys be boys, but a male that is fixed can sometimes still "do the deed". This happened to my female dog this spring courtesy of my dads "fixed" Boxer. It threw my dog into a false pregnancy and at the time she should have had pups she filled up with milk and got really depressed when no puppies came. Fixing her would be way easier. (Just my opinion )

 

[tropicalfish]

Thanks for your replies. I was afraid that would be the typical answers, but never hurts to ask. I was really hoping there was something out there that would help as we can't afford to have the girls fixed right now.

Thanks!!

 

[Willow]

Sometimes putting a little bit of Vicks Vaporub on the male dog's nostils confuses him. I know some friends who show dogs say it works but I am not confident it would stop a dog that lives with the female in heat and has time to sort out the scents that he smells.

A little bit on spaying and neutering. The earlier a bitch (correct term for a female dog :-)) is spayed the better it is for her long term health and ultimately your pocketbook. If you can get them spayed before their first heat you reduce the possibility of mammary cancer dramatically. Allowing her to come in heat once increases the chance of cancer but is still a wise move if you are playing the odds. Pyometra is also a nasty problem associated with intact bitches. This is a condition, usually related to hormone fluxuation right after heat where the uterus fills with pus. If the cervix is closed it becomes a life threatening condition within a day or two and the bitch must be spayed under terrible conditions and dramatically increased risk. If not spayed she will die within a day or two. If the cervix is open the pus will drain and some people try to treat without spaying. This is extremely costly and often not successful.

Both mammary cancer and pyometra can bring catastrophic expense and are the primary reasons to spay a dog when she is healthy. Of course the main reason for spaying is population control but the health benefits of spaying are so great that it should be considered for any dog/cat not used for breeding.

Then there is the issue of neutering males which is much easier on the budget. Neutering seems to be a big issue with men. Maybe neutering a guy's dog is like neutering the guy? I don't know. I just know that when I give the 'spay/neuter' lecture to prospective adopters it's the guy that won't consider neutering a male. No problem with the females.

I have noticed an increase in tescticular cancer and prostate cancer in male dogs. Neutering also helps with some types of aggression and reduces the desire to fight in the male. If done fairly early in life it will also help prevent the dog from wandering the neighborhood although owners are key in making sure management also encourages staying at home.

Willow

 

[DustMusher]

I have to agree with Willow 100% on the spay issue and on the Vicks.

Vicks is used by mushers to keep their teams' boys' minds on the trail not on the girl in the team who is in heat. This will work/help up until the girl is in standing heat (where she will accept breeding) but with the males neutered that should not be a problem.

Are the girls in panties? The discharge being left all over the house will just further interest the boys, and wearing panties will give you an absorbable surface to put the Vicks on. I am not sure if it would irritate the skin of short haired dogs--with the sledding dogs we put the Vicks on the fur, and that could be 3 inches from the skin.

Good luck, and check into low cost spay/neuter clinics. Most areas have them.

DM

 

[tropicalfish]

Willow & DustMusher,

Thanks for the tip about Vicks. I had never thought of that. I will give it a try. Yes, I agree they need to be neutered. I'll do some checking around to see if I can get it done sooner rather than later.