Pyometra

[Lea789]

Does anyody have experience with pyometra (infection of the womb)? Our dog has been diagnosed with this today.

She'll have surgery on Wednesday. Fortunately it is not all that severe (yet) - no raised temperature, vomiting or dehydration, and it's open pyometra so the pus etc can drain. Hopefully her kidneys have not been damaged yet. She is drinking lots and lots and has eaten virtually nothing for the last few days. Poor thing.

I'm a bit worried about the surgery, but hopefully she'll be ok. They will also remove a mammary tomour at the same time.

The vet has given her a shot of antibiotics, and we've also got to give her AB tablets today and tomorrow. We usually mix tablets into her food, but as she is not eating we can't do that this time! Any ideas how to get them into her?

 

[Acolyte]

Yep my little whippet had this - she was a healthy little soul generally, the only symptom for her was that when she was eating she would suddenly pause and arch her back..... so immediately took her to the vets, and she was operated on the next day.

I must say she was as right as rain as soon as the op had been done - she recovered as well as if she had been ordinarily spayed, and went on to live a very happy life

As far as the tablets are concerned I never try giving them in food with my dogs, just pop them down their throat and job done

It is slightly more challenging with whippets/lurchers/greyhounds (very strong and very long jaws with big teeth

) but I have been doing it for over 20 years now so I guess I am used to it

I hope your girl recovers well (I am quite sure she will) - I am a little surprised that they are not operating until Wednesday but I suppose the antibotics will help until then

 

[BigRed]

I think it depends on how bad they are. I had a whippet who had this badly and I chose to have her PTS because she was an older dog and I didn't want to put her through such a big op.

I was unlucky to have another bitch who was 7 who had a very mild case, the vet gave her anti-bio's and she recovered right as rain, although they advised her to be spayed within 3 months, which we did.

 

[hellspells]

As its an open pyo and she has been given a/b's the vet is probably waiting for as much as the pus to drain as possible. This makes it a little easier to remove the womb during the op and it is less 'friable' (i.e less delicate so less chance of it breaking and leaking pus as they remove it) and it isn't stretched so much ( I have seen closed pyo's that have stretched the womb more than a large litter of puppy's would).

As for the tablets I think it will be a case of throwing them down her throat -easiest way (I find) is pill inbetween thumb and index finger of left hand - right hand thumb and then middle finger on either side of top jaw just behind were canines are - middle finger of left hand lowers the lower jaw and the pill gets pushed as far down the throat as you can).

She'll feel alot better by the weekend when she's got the GA and pus out of her system!

 

[Acolyte]

Funny how people view things differently, I have seen dozens of bitches who have been spayed (literally over the past 38 years, as mum is a breeder) and I had never considered it a "big op".

I am quite sure that your girl will be fine Lea, please dont worry too much about her (easy for me to say though I know!)

 

[star]

speying is different to the pyo op. the dog is usually old and sick when it undergoes a pyo op.

also, speying is a hysterectomy and although most dogs bounce back very quickly, it's still a major op. it would have a woman laid up for weeks.

also, slightly surprised they are not operating till wed. if we see a pyo we normally admit it on fluids and IV antibiotics overnight and operate the next day or if it comes in first thing we'll operate that afternoon.

 

[Acolyte]

Oh right - when my whippet had pyo they did a hysterectomy, so it was a speying op. But then she was neither old nor sick - she got pyometra as a result of having the injections which postpone her seasons, something which (obviously) I would never, ever do again

I did want to breed from her but was also showing her so thought the injections would be OK

 

[star]

i dont mean it's a different op, just that it's a much bigger deal when they have a pyo. it's the same procedure, but the dog isn't young and healthy, it's old, poorly from absorbing pus and with a womb distended full of pus. the op is much more risky, everything is much more friable and bleeds really easily. TBH doing pyo ops is my least favourite surgery ever! most of them do fine after, but it is a big op for an older dog.

 

[Acolyte]

Ah right, sorry was getting myself confused there! Sian (my whippet) was only about 4 when she got pyometra, and it was caught really soon, hence why she recovered very well I suppose

 

[danhappy]

Amber got it at 2 years old sadly. Again it was an open pyo but she was never a huge eater so didnt really notice not taking in so much food etc, I didnt see the signs. When the pus started to drain out was when I got her to the vets immediately and they had to operate that afternoon as an emergency.

 

[CAYLA]

Its a horrible condition for a dog to go through and varies in severity but all end in the same outcome(death) if left un-treated , this is the main reason all my bitches are spayed young to prevent mammary tumours and a possible pyo.
I hope your girl makes a quick recovery.

 

[Lea789]

Thanks for all your replies and good wishes! She's doing ok today, doing nothing much apart from sleeping. I'm very glad she's such a mellow, good-natured dog otherwise I'm sure I would have lost a finger when I gave her the ABs this morning.

Re. the timing of the operation - I think the vet wants to wait until the infection has subsided a bit, which might make it easier to operate I guess. She is not dehydrated or has a temperature, so she's not doing too badly at the moment. He told me to take her in asap if she gets worse or starts vomiting.

Cala, I agree - another reason to get them spayed early! To be honest, we had assumed she was spayed (she was a rescue) and didn't realise she wasn't until she got into season a month or so ago. I wish we'd had it done then.

 

[star]

you cant spay until 3mths after the season anyway, so you couldn't have done anything to prevent this.

 

[Lea789]

[ QUOTE ]
you cant spay until 3mths after the season anyway, so you couldn't have done anything to prevent this.

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't know that, thanks. Is that because of hormonal changes?

 

[star]

it's because the nearer the season you spay the more vascular and friable the uterus is, so the more risky the op. you cannot spay during a season or in a false pregnancy because of hormonal issues.

 

[fruity]

I'm also surprised they havn't admitted her and done it sooner,we always treat Pyo's very seriously and admit the same day.

 

[Lea789]

Thanks Star, that's interesting. Another reason, I suppose, why this operation is more dangerous now.

She was almost back to her usual self yesterday, even wanted to eat again. I took her in this morning and am now waiting for the phone call from the vets.

fruity - The vet said he preferred to wait a day (she wasn't dehydrated or had a temperature) and let the infection calm down with the antibiotics.

 

[MurphysMinder]

How is your girl Lea. Hope she is soon back home with you.

 

[Lea789]

The operation was quite difficult but went ok. They want her to stay in overnight as she was coming round from the ga quite slowly.

Poor thing. Hopefully we'll be able to pick her up tomorow. Amazing how empty the house seems without her here.

 

[Lea789]

Yay! They have just phoned, we can pick her up tonight after all.

She has come round from the anaesthetic and is threatening to howl all night if we don't get her.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Glad the op went ok. One of my girls had a mammary lump (benign thank heavens) removed last week. I was expecting to pick her up later in the day, as I have usually done after ops, including spaying, but vets said they wanted to keep her overnight. I was panicking but they assured me they were quite happy with her but she too had been a bit slow waking up. Picked her up the following day and she was full of beans, and raring to come home. So please don't worry, I am sure she will be fine, but know what you mean about the place being quiet, and I hve 3 others here!

 

[star]

glad she is home and doing ok - big relief.

 

[Lea789]

She's home now.

Feeling a bit sorry for herself, but glad to be home.

 

[dozzie]

Glad she is ok.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Glad she is ok. A couple of days tlc and she will be doing fine. They are amazingly tough these bitches

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Happy to hear all went well.

Up to now I've had three old ladies pyometraoperated through the years.
Both Norwegian Buhunds were around 11 years when it happened, and both of them were convinced they was fit for fight the day after the operation.

The Smooth Collie was 9 years, and her version of "overdrinking" was to go out and pee and come in and dip her tongue in the waterbowl once or twice, go to her bed and a little while later she wanted out again... She didn't act like she felt fit for fight the day after the operation like the Buhunds, but then she always liked beeing coddled.

from Sweden.