What can I give my dog to induce heat? The Ultimate Guide

How to Induce Heat in Dogs: 3 Drug-Free Ways

If you find yourself asking, ‘Why isn’t my female dog going into heat?’ there are some simple things to check. Before attempting any of these three options, you want to be certain the female has not recently been silently in heat. The best way to check for silent heat in dogs is to run a progesterone test or use a canine ovulation detector that helps identify silent heats and ovarian cycle disorders. If her progesterone is over 1 ng/dl, you cannot induce a heat cycle. Using a drug at this time will block, not induce a heat cycle. If she has had a witnessed heat cycle, you need to wait at least five months between cycles for the female’s uterus to be receptive to a pregnancy. Once both of these factors have been checked and she still isn’t going into heat consider trying these three drug-free options that could help induce heat.

Diet: Be certain she is on an appropriate diet. We do not recommend grain-free or raw meat diets. Royal Canin’s HT 42d is the only pregnancy diet on the market. Other quality options include Royal Canin, Purina or Hills diets appropriate for puppies, performance, or all life stages.

Breeder’s Edge® B Strong™: Add Breeder’s Edge® B Strong liquid or powder to the female’s food ration. B Strong is a comprehensive B-complex vitamin, mineral, and amino acid supplement for dogs and cats. A vitamin B complex is key for successful reproduction, as they play a role in heat cycles and conception rates, sperm production and drive, and healthy embryo development. I recommend mixing in the liquid or powder according to label directions.

Sunlight: Assure that your girl is getting adequate amounts of daylight or daylight-like artificial light. She needs at least 14 hours of daylight a day. Leave the lights on in the kennel and assure the light bulbs provide full-spectrum light or let her spend more time outside. In the winter, in many parts of the country, it is not possible to provide adequate natural lighting, so I recommend looking into LED lighting for your kennel.

If you’ve tried these drug-free options and your female dog still isn’t experiencing a heat cycle, you may want to contact your veterinarian about prescription drug options that can induce heat, such as cabergoline or bromocriptine.

If you have any questions on canine reproduction, call our Pet Care Pros at 800.786.4751.

When Do Dogs Go Into Heat?

Most female puppies will have their first heat cycle between eight months of age and two years of age. There is a great deal of variation in this, based on the breed, her mother’s history, nutrition, weight, if there are other intact (unspayed females) in their household, and time of the year she matures. In general, the smaller the dog, the earlier they go through puberty and enter their first heat.

Is there a pill for dogs in heat?

There are currently no approved medications to control the heat cycle in dogs in the United States or Canada. In the European Union countries, there are some medications that are used to prevent pregnancy and regulate estrus. Some of these drugs have a high incidence of serious, even life-threatening side effects.

A silent heat, or sub estrus, is defined as the lack of behavioral estrus symptoms although the genital organs undergo normal cyclical changes. … A cow with a silent heat doesn’t display any of the obvious signs, like licking or sniffing other cows, mounting, standing to be mounted, or acting nervous and excitable.

Ways to bring a female into Heat