I've heard that urinary tract infections mimic heat in female dogs, is that true?

Question

If any of you are a vet, it would be appreciated. I have an intact female that shows no signs of heat or a UTI, but my male is going nuts! I know there is a such thing as a silent heat and I'm wondering if that may be it. She shows no swelling, bleeding whatsoever, so I am concerned. She playful towards him (but she typically likes to pick on him unless we put an end to it) but she displays no flagging with her tail. Should I wait and see if she shows more signs/breeding behavior in a couple weeks or should I run a urine test to the vet pronto?

If any of you are a vet, it would be appreciated. I have an intact female that shows no signs of heat or a UTI, but my male is going nuts after her! I know there is a such thing as a silent heat and I'm wondering if that may be it. She shows no swelling, bleeding whatsoever, so I am concerned. She playful towards him (but she typically likes to pick on him unless we put an end to it) but she displays no flagging with her tail. Should I wait and see if she shows more signs/breeding behavior in a couple weeks or should I run a urine test to the vet pronto? My male shows no interest in the spayed female I have.

The intact female has never had a heat before and she is about 13 1/2 months old.

Answer 1

There can be a silent heat. I have also had males go crazy for a not in heat female at my house when an INheat female was up the road. He knew he was smelling someone!!!!!! You should know when her last heat was. A UTI does not mimic heat. A male should show no interest in a female with a UTI.

Answer 2

Mounting behavior in animals is not only sexual but can also be a dominance behavior. This is why sometimes you may see a male dog mount another male or even a person's leg, etc. The problem could also be just a very faint heat cycle...some dogs certainly do have this. Just because we can't see any physical signs of a cycle doesn't mean that the male canine can't smell it. And she is definitely old enough to become pregnant, so be careful. Typically dogs go into heat every 6 months or so and gestation, just so that you know, is about 60 days (varies slightly depending on breed).

To be sure if she is having normal heat cycles you could always get her hormone levels checked. Just ask your local vet to draw and send out bloodwork. Results for progesterone usually come back the next day, other hormone levels can take a few. This would require several rounds of blood work to monitor the hormone levels over a period of time. It can also get a little costly so this may not even be an option.

The problem is definitely not a urinary tract infection, so don't worry. Dogs present with the same symptoms as humans do when they have a UTI (frequent urination, bloody urination, pain, lethargy, fever, etc).

Hope this helps. I'm a vet tech, so if you have any other questions feel free to ask!