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Pyometra? Pregnancy? Paranoia?

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  MyDogRulesK9 
#1 ·
The Dobe I am currently fostering but can't give details on for legal reasons has started to put on weight - which is a good thing because she was very skinny when I got her. I've had her for about 2 weeks now and she was in heat when I picked her up and has continued to bleed even though it had slowed down drastically but now it seems to have increased a lot... Anyway. She is looking rather full in her tummy. I got notification from the AC I'm fostering through that some of the dogs were experiencing Pyometra and I'm wondering if that is what's going on with her. She has smelled pretty awful since I took her in, but I've only ever dealt with one other dog that was in heat and pretty sure she smelled bad too... I initially was worried that she may have gotten pregnant when she was still in her original situation, but a pregnancy would not present this way if she's still in heat, right? And then there's also the fact that she's putting on weight slowly but surely so maybe the tummy is just related to that?! I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow but was hoping someone could provide some advice/experiences with any of this. TIA.
 
#2 ·
How can I tell if my bitch has pyometra?
Pyometra, or 'pyo' for short, can present from the obvious: thick, brownish pus seeping from the bitch's vulva, to the much vaguer symptoms of being a bit quiet and perhaps just off her food. The reason for this wide spectrum of clinical signs boils down to both how long the pyo has been established and whether the creamy festering pus is being allowed to drain out from the womb or not.

For example, a classic scenario would be an unspayed bitch with a noticeably increased thirst (polydipsia) who seems to be spending most of her time licking an abnormal (and usually smelly) discharge from her private parts. Perhaps her abdomen is also swollen and painful to touch and maybe she's been acting tired, depressed, and even turning her nose up at food - including her favourite treats. Occasionally she'll exhibit a fever, have greyish gums (depending how advanced the pyo is) and will have been in season between one and three months ago, with some cases even having vomiting and diarrhea too.

This is a classic 'open' pyo scenario, in which the bitch's cervix is open, allowing the pus being produced in the uterus to freely flow outside the body and thus be visible on examination.

In a less obvious, 'closed' pyo situation, the cervix remains tightly closed, providing an effective seal capable of withholding the pus and making the condition slightly less obvious to diagnose. In either case, a thorough investigation, that may include blood tests, ultrasound, X-rays or even the decisive exploratory laparotomy - will point to a positive diagnosis that can then be treated safely and efficiently.
Pyometra: Early Signs and Treatment Options

The only experience i've had was with one bitch that came into the clinic I was working at, she was very lethargic, obviously not herself and had a slightly distended abdomen but overall it was the attitude and the discolored seepage from her vulva that were the two big factors in deciding on x-ray's to check for uterus size and the diagnosis of pyo and to pursue surgery. I'll never forget the sight of that uterus when it came out of her..... poor girl.
 
#3 ·
How can I tell if my bitch has pyometra?
Pyometra, or 'pyo' for short, can present from the obvious: thick, brownish pus seeping from the bitch's vulva, to the much vaguer symptoms of being a bit quiet and perhaps just off her food. The reason for this wide spectrum of clinical signs boils down to both how long the pyo has been established and whether the creamy festering pus is being allowed to drain out from the womb or not.

For example, a classic scenario would be an unspayed bitch with a noticeably increased thirst (polydipsia) who seems to be spending most of her time licking an abnormal (and usually smelly) discharge from her private parts. Perhaps her abdomen is also swollen and painful to touch and maybe she's been acting tired, depressed, and even turning her nose up at food - including her favourite treats. Occasionally she'll exhibit a fever, have greyish gums (depending how advanced the pyo is) and will have been in season between one and three months ago, with some cases even having vomiting and diarrhea too.

This is a classic 'open' pyo scenario, in which the bitch's cervix is open, allowing the pus being produced in the uterus to freely flow outside the body and thus be visible on examination.

In a less obvious, 'closed' pyo situation, the cervix remains tightly closed, providing an effective seal capable of withholding the pus and making the condition slightly less obvious to diagnose. In either case, a thorough investigation, that may include blood tests, ultrasound, X-rays or even the decisive exploratory laparotomy - will point to a positive diagnosis that can then be treated safely and efficiently.
Pyometra: Early Signs and Treatment Options

The only experience i've had was with one bitch that came into the clinic I was working at, she was very lethargic, obviously not herself and had a slightly distended abdomen but overall it was the attitude and the discolored seepage from her vulva that were the two big factors in deciding on x-ray's to check for uterus size and the diagnosis of pyo and to pursue surgery. I'll never forget the sight of that uterus when it came out of her..... poor girl.
Poor baby. :(

Fortunately she's not lethargic.. She's gotten pretty goofy. It's just the tummy that's kind of concerning me.. and how it seemed like her heat was over but then started back up. Might be making a mountain out of a molehill, but I like her a lot and don't want anything to happen to her. :/
 
#6 ·
Hoping that she will be ok, and thank you for fostering.

My senior Doberman can't be spayed due to medical issues, so we have been through her heat cycles a couple times. I was very nervous about pyometra, but thankfully haven't experienced it yet although she did have one false pregnancy and UTI. She does have a longer heat cycle, and the bleeding isn't consistent through the cycle, so I wouldn't worry about that symptom too much is she is otherwise acting normally. You could also try taking her temperature to see if that is normal.

As a side note, when Hannah is in heat we use cholorphyll tablets to help with the smell, and they have worked really well for us.

https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-...d=1476109652&sr=8-2&keywords=cholorphyll&th=1
 
#7 ·
My girl suffered from pyometra before. The discharge from pyometra is slightly different in colour and in smell. Not too sure if you are familiar with the smell but pyo's discharge smells somewhat fishy and can be more pungent. The colour is also slightly different...more like the colour of hot chocolate or cafe latte rather than plain blood.

Hope your girl is just in heat. Pyo can be life threatening if the uterus burst. My vet decided to operate on her immediately as an emergency even i went to the clinic 10mins before they close. So meaning he is willing to work after hours and not wait till the next day. Not to send any panic but he probably made that call as she was experiencing the discharge for 2 days before i brought her in, mistaken the first 2 days for heat then.

Hope this helps!
 
#8 ·
My girl suffered from pyometra before. The discharge from pyometra is slightly different in colour and in smell. Not too sure if you are familiar with the smell but pyo's discharge smells somewhat fishy and can be more pungent.
The problem is that dogs don't read the textbooks. Unfortunately, sometimes the smell is not different. Learned that by experience. Gross story - I was at the vet with Jessie, concerned about possible pyo and we were passing her pad around between myself, 2 vets and a couple of techs, all smelling the pad and agreeing that it seemed ok. As it turned out, she wasn't. She did have pyo and her pus-filled uterus was 8 lbs when they took it out!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Former Amy had Pyo at 9.5 y/o.
- first Holistic Vet mis-diagnosed it & Dobe didn't smell
- there is a closed and open version / luckily she had open condition, and eventually dripped blood
- our other good Vet found on Ultrasound
- emergency surgery followed, senior Amy went into septic shock / but recovered fully
It was nothing short of a miracle that Amy survived the 1.75 hour surgery / she fought for her life & recovered swiftly.
 
#11 ·
Any updates? :)


I do not wish to get in to debate with anyone about spay/not spay, but for various reasons I am really considering not spaying (bitch is in second season now)
(I have researched this thoroughly, and hold multiple science degrees so feel I am in the right position to analyse the evidence and make an informed decision)

My main concern is spotting pyometra, which sometimes seems very difficult as lethargy and "depressed" are often exhibited in a dog undergoing a normal heat... Especially closed pyo.
 
#12 ·
Any updates?



I do not wish to get in to debate with anyone about spay/not spay, but for various reasons I am really considering not spaying (bitch is in second season now)
(I have researched this thoroughly, and hold multiple science degrees so feel I am in the right position to analyse the evidence and make an informed decision)

My main concern is spotting pyometra, which sometimes seems very difficult as lethargy and "depressed" are often exhibited in a dog undergoing a normal heat... Especially closed pyo.
She's doing fine! No infection, no pups (as far as we can tell).. Having a hard time keeping weight on her (no worms), but other than that she's healthy as can be.
 
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