To Christine Connelly -
 
 
>-I was wondering what are the signs of a male being in heat?  I know about g
>eneral aggression and smell but are there any others.
>-Also what can be done if a male is in heat except breedig him, or will he g
>o out of heat eventually.
 
        Christine -
 
        Males don't come "into heat" - at least not into estrus.  They do have a
definite seasonal pattern to their appearance in their breeding season, also a
particular odor (which females are supposed to like) and become more aggressive.
 They also show increased testicular size, activity and decreased appetite.
However, in contrast to females, there are no health problems (except weight
loss) which are associated with this time in males. Rarely, males during this
time may also get stress-induced gastric ulcers.  Breeding a male in heat will
not change this appearance.  Generally you will have to just wait until the end
of the breeding season for that individual -usally around May - June or so, but
that can vary greatly.  They eventually all go back to their normal appearance
and behavior at the end of the breeding season.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0957]