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Pyometra
is a relatively common disorder of older intact bitches.
Either estrogen or progesterone can cause thickening of the
inner lining of the uterus (cystic endometrial hyperplasia - CEH).
Exposure first to estrogen and then progesterone (as in the
normal heat cycle) produces maximal thickening. As bitches
age the likelihood and level of thickening increase
progressively, and by age 9 two-thirds of bitches will have some
signs. Bitches that receive estrogen or progesterone to
terminate pregnancy or suppress estrous are more likely to
develop CEH. During proestrus and estrus the cervix opens
allowing bacteria normally present in the vagina to ascend into
the uterus. These bacteria are the ones that invariably
cause pyometra. It has nothing to do with the stud dog,
and this process occurs whether or not the bitch is bred.
In bitches with CEH, bacteria colonize the thickened uterine
lining and arent expelled as they would be in a normal bitch.
Once diestrus begins the cervix closes and bacteria can no
longer exit. Progesterone prevents uterine contraction
while stimulating secretion by uterine glands to nourish the
fetuses, but also the accumulated bacteria. White blood
cells, secretions and bacteria fill the uterus, and antibiotics
cannot diffuse into this sea of pus. The pressure of the
fluid may cause the cervix to open (open pyometra), but this
doesnt occur in all cases. The infection may cause
secondary kidney damage, which may be irreversible.
Pyometra also causes suppression of the immune system by direct
effect on the immune cells. While pyometra is more common
as bitches age, it has been reported in bitches under a year
old. It is also more common in bitches that have never had
puppies. Clinical signs are usually seen within 12 weeks
of estrus. The most common sign is a thick, creamy
discharge that is usually foul smelling and sometimes resembles
tomato soup. Closed cervix pyometras generally produce
more severe signs including fever, abdominal distension,
vomiting, increased thirst and urination. After 24 days
ultrasound can be used to distinguish pyometra from pregnancy in
a bred bitch. An elevated white blood cell count, with
young cells predominating, indicates active infection.
Anemia may be present. Diagnosing a mild infection can be
problematic. Spaying is by far the preferred treatment.
Pyometra is progressive and CEH is irreversible. The dog will be
predisposed to pyometra for life. Medical treatment should
only be attempted in young bitches that seem healthy with open
cervix pyometras. It consists of antibiotics to control
infection which are not very effective, along with either
prostaglandins to cause uterine contraction, or antiprogestogens
(like RU486) to lower progesterone concentration. The
former is more commonly used in North America. In theory,
the increased pressure of the contractions will cause further
opening of the cervix and the uterus will expel the infected
fluid. However, if the uterus fails to open fully it may
result either in uterine rupture or backflow into the abdomen,
both will cause peritonitis and usually death. The antibiotics
are ineffective until the pool of pus and bacteria is cleared
from the uterus, and meanwhile the toxins they produce continue
to damage the bitch. The infection is never completely
eradicated but reduced to a subclinical level. If medical
intervention is attempted not only should the bitch be young, in
good body condition, show no signs of secondary illness and have
an open cervix pyometra she should be a very valuable member of
a breeding program even for appropriate candidates the
treatment is painful, and many vets will not attempt it.
She should be bred on her next season, monitored closely for
likely pyometra and then spayed after the puppies are weaned,
assuming she makes it through the pregnancy, whelping and
lactation successfully.
We
are lucky to have not one but two detailed accounts of breeders
whose bitches developed pyometra. Both were open cervix,
both had been bred, both breeders were extremely attuned to
their dogs. Neither bitch had experienced a prior pyometra.
Provided the bitch is stabilized prior to spaying the prognosis
is good. Provided the above guide-lines are followed in
choosing candidate animals prognosis for fertility in medically
treated bitches is fair to good. If medical treatment
fails, the bitch can still be spayed.
Linda
Aronson, DVM
Lisa
Danchuk (Auldscotia Bearded Collies) and Sydney aged 7
Sydney
(Ch. Auldscotia Truly Madly Deeply HIC) was my hope at a fresh
start - after a 10 year hiatus from breeding and showing, she
was going to be the one to get me started again - I
procrastinated and it was not until she was 5 years old that I
bred her for the first time with hopefully 1 or 2 more litters
to follow.
I
watched her closely so that I'd catch the very beginning of her
season. She was to be bred this time to produce her second
litter. Her first litter could have been pulled straight from
the textbooks. One natural breeding that lasted 32 minutes on
day 14 of her season. I knew the time was right because I had
done smears on her to determine her progress throughout her
season. I calculated her due date; I kept her well fed, stress
free, comfortable and happy. She was 5 years old at this time
and I knew I had already waited longer than I should have to
breed a maiden bitch. She blessed me with 7 healthy puppies 61
days later (one day earlier than I had calculated). 7 healthy
puppies! I was ecstatic! It is easier for me to learn about
things as I experience them, so I began to research just what
exactly goes on with the female canine reproductive system in
greater detail than I ever had before. What I learned at that
time taught me that I should not expect a large litter - I
figured I would be lucky to get perhaps 2 or 3 puppies, maybe 4
- but 7!!?? WOW. I'm not a vet; I'm not even a vet tech. I am
first and foremost a lover of animals, and my Beardies hold a
very special place in my heart.
Here
is some of what I learned about the intact female canine
reproductive system:
1.
Progesterone is the hormone that is produced in the bitch to
maintain a pregnancy to term. Progesterone is produced and
maintained at that level in all intact bitches EVERY season
whether they are pregnant or not. Progesterone wreaks havoc on
the lining of the uterus and creates areas of scar tissue. It is
impossible for fertilized eggs to implant themselves on scar
tissue. (In healthy bitches, the uterus will return to
normal 12 weeks after the season, only bitches with CEH have
progressive damage. LA)
2.
A bitch is born with all the eggs she will have for her entire
lifetime, unlike a dog who can produce sperm throughout his
life. Every season the bitch releases some of those eggs until
her stores are depleted ( I never did find any reference
to approximately what the numbers of eggs might be), and as she
gets older she releases fewer eggs. (Bitches dont run out
of eggs to mature each season, but produce fewer and may cycle
less frequently with age. LA)
Knowing
just these 2 things and given her age explains my surprise at 7
puppies. I'd like to add here that she delivered those 7 puppies
without complications in 1 hour and 50 minutes (that includes a
55 minute break between puppy number 6 and 7!)
April
2nd, 2008 1st sign of colour.
Begin
smears on April 8th - showing 100% cornified on
April 9th.
1st
progesterone test April 11th - < 0.6
2nd
progesterone test April 14th - <0.6
3rd
progesterone test April 17th 2.9
Final
progesterone test April 19th 11.1.
We
began breeding April 20th 35 minute natural tie,
April 21st - 8 minute outside tie, April 22nd
25 minute natural tie. We tried again on April 23rd
but Syd was no longer interested in him. Just as he was
penetrating for the final tie, Syd cried out, then settled once
they were tied. I thought nothing of it at the time other than
Syd was being a prude.
On
April 25th (a Friday) late in the evening my
curiosity got the better of me and I laid her on her back to
have a look at the appearance of her vulva, knowing that a
swollen vulva at this point was a good sign. There was dark
blood clotted around her vulva and I knew this was not normal
for my girls. I made a couple of calls to friends who were also
breeders to get their opinions and collectively we decided to
watch her over the weekend and if the bloody discharge was still
there on Monday I would take her into the vet. We all suspected
a small tear in the vulva area that likely occurred on that 3rd
and final tie, which was the cause of her crying out. Everything
else about her appearance and behaviour was completely normal.
Her colour was good, refill time appropriate. She was eating and
drinking well, alert, temperature was normal (for one of my
girls) at 100.6. Years ago I had read that a bitchs
temperature into the first part of diestrus could stay slightly
low, so I began to observe my girls and noticed a correlation.
It was quite normal for my girls to have temps in the high 99's
and low 100's immediately following a season whether they had
been bred or not. This is not something there is much
information on, as there is usually no reason to take a
temperature on a healthy animal. (Normal canine temperature
is 99.5 102.5 oF (37.5-39.2 oC). LA)
April
26th I had all 3 girls in the yard with me. Sydney
and her nearly 2 year old daughter went for a tear about in the
yard as they usually do it didn't last long I don't like
to let them make much of a ruckus for fear of disturbing the
neighbours. That evening, I put Sydney up on the table to brush
her out. There was still some brownish red discharge, it was
clear not cloudy and there was no odour. All other signs
were still normal. The bloody discharge began to turn a brighter
red overnight and early on the morning of the 27th
when we woke, Syd had left behind a stain on the bed where she
was sleeping. I thought that if there was a tear that had began
to heal, she re-opened it when she went for the run around the
yard the evening before. Her temp at 5:30 am was 102.2 still
within the normal canine range, but I knew it was not normal for
one of my girls following a season. For me, it was a possible
indication of a fever. I was scheduled to work that day and had
no choice but to go in and get things started. I called a friend
to come and sit with Syd while I was out, knowing I would return
home by noon. I was not going to leave her for the day I
wanted to watch her closely. The bloody discharge was now bright
red, like what you would see from a nose bleed. It was Sunday
now and I was faced with having to take a (hopefully) pregnant
bitch into an emergency clinic with a bloody discharge. Avoiding
the emergency clinic had nothing to do with cost and everything
to do with not knowing the vet I would be dealing with. If there
was any way to get her safely through until Monday morning to
see our own vet that was what I wanted to do. All other signs
were still normal and by 11 am her temp had returned to 100.3.
Perhaps the tip of the thermometer at 5:30 am had gotten into a
ball of stool in her rectum that would explain the higher
temp, I told myself. I continued to monitor her temp every few
hours for the rest of the day 1:30 pm 99.8; 5:00 pm
100.8; 8:00 pm 100.9; 4:30 am Monday morning April 28th
her temp still seemed normal at 101.0. There were no other signs
that Sydney was in any type of distress at any time.
I
called the vet clinic as soon as they opened and got Syd in to
see the vet that afternoon. All her signs were normal heart
rate, colour, refill time, temperature, activity level, appetite
and water intake. The vet checked her over, looked inside with 2
different speculums no evidence of a tear or bruising. We
opted to start her on a course of Clavamox 250 mg every 12 hours
for 7 days just in case. I requested a CBC to get a baseline
in the event something developed later on. The vet agreed. She
also wanted to run another progesterone test at this time to see
where it was. Progesterone came back at 26.2 and CBC values all
came back within the normal range.
Tuesday
April 29th Temp 10 am 99.7; 4:30 pm 99.7
Sydney's discharge today was a brighter red than it had been in
the last day or so. I was still going with the theory that since
all other signs were normal and her discharge, although
alarming, was still clear and odourless, there must be the
tiniest tear and the walls of the speculum hid it from the
doctor's eyes. I justified it to myself that the tear (that I
was so sure was there) had begun to heal and was once again
disturbed by the speculum. The bleeding would slow as the day
wore on I assured myself. I gave Syd's back end a much needed
bath being oh so careful how I aimed the flow of water so as
not to allow anything to get near her vulva. I have always known
that during and immediately after a season a bitch is a very
sensitive to washing that area, but I felt so bad for her that
she was not clean. I towelled her dry, had dinner and left for
my weekly handling class. I returned home a few hours later, put
Syd up on the table to finish drying her legs. There was more
discharge and as I expected it was a darker brownish red than it
was earlier. Still alarming, but the colour was darker, so the
tear must have been re-healing, right?
I
would like to mention here that all this while, I am trying to
hide my worry and alarm from her. We are very much in tune, Syd
and I, and ultimately that is what saved her life. Something
else very important that deserves mentioning are the friends who
listened to me day after day, hour upon hour, as I voiced my
concern. Trying as best they could to calm my fears and simply
be there for Syd and me. I know they were as exhausted as I was
at the end of it all, and we are blessed to have such amazing
people in our lives. I could not have maintained my sanity
without them (and at times there wasn't much sanity).
I
steadied myself from checking her April 30th. I was
trying (and praying) to convince myself that I was
over-reacting. I wanted this litter so bad that I was worrying
unnecessarily. If I wasn't careful, I was going to annoy and
alienate my cherished friends and they were simply going to
write me off as a Kook. I kept assuring them that one day they
would see how normal I could be when a pregnancy was worry free
(is there really such a thing?).
May
1st 11:30 am temp 100.2 there is still blood,
but considerably less and a darker brownish red. I breathed a
sigh of relief; we are heading in the right direction I thought.
May
3rd 9:00 pm temp 99.8 dark discharge, clear,
no odour, small amount. I am proud of myself for being able to
resist checking her every few hours. Sydney is still happy,
alert, her colour and refill time are still good. She is eating
her usual amount, drinking well. I began to wonder now if
perhaps I am seeing this discharge because Sydney has simply
become lazy about cleaning herself. My girls are incredibly
clean and often I see no signs when they are in season unless I
physically check them. Maybe this is a normal amount of
discharge and she isn't being as diligent about cleaning herself
as she usually is. That must be it, I assure myself, as a matter
of fact, I haven't really noticed her doing much cleaning
lately, yes, that's the reason.
Monday
May 5th 11:30 am temp 101.5; 10 pm 102.0.
This morning was Sydney's last scheduled dose of her 7 day
course of Clavamox. Until now I simply placed her pill on top of
her meal and she eats it along with her food. All my girls do
this, bless their hearts I hate shoving pills down their
throats. Syd turned her nose up at her food, I make sure she at
least gets her pill and I do a little happy dance this MUST
be a good sign she is refusing food normal for a
pregnant bitch. Syd is reluctant to take her dinner tonight
also. As happy as I am that we are now getting positive signs, I
don't like her to miss too much food; she is, after all,
pregnant, right? We play a game and I begin to hand feed her.
Syd eats most of her food. There is still evidence of some
discharge on her back legs, but when I check her vulva for blood
there is NOTHING! It is the cleanest I have seen it yet to this
point in her pregnancy. I cried. I was so relieved that we
seemed to be through the worst of this scare. Little did I
realize at this point that the worst was yet to come.
Tuesday
May 6th I left work early today I just wanted
to come home and relax on the bed with my dog, relieved that
things were starting to look up. 3:00 pm her temp is 101.9
higher than I'm expecting, but there is very little discharge at
this point. Her bum bath from last Tuesday had not lasted and I
opted to do it again, repeating last week's regimen. I was still
being cautious to not get water or soap near her vulva but
wanting her to feel clean. I finished towelling her and put her
on the table to brush her back end. I noticed the tiniest bit of
creamy, very light green tinged mucous at the tip of her vulva.
My heart stopped. Surely I was imagining things. I continued to
brush her legs getting more and more uneasy with each stroke and
trying not to panic completely. Within moments there was a wee
bit of watery blood and a slightly larger glob of whitish green
mucous still odourless. This is NOT a good sign and I knew
it. I called the vet. The receptionist was not at all
co-operative; try as I might, I could not get across to her the
urgency without completely losing my mind remember, I was
trying hard not to panic for Syd's sake. The vet I was familiar
with could not see her today, and I did not know the other vets
in the practice. There was no appointment available with my vet
until Thursday late in the morning. I left a message for my vet
to call me I just needed her to know of the changes in Syd
so she could decide the urgency. The receptionist told me,
I'll pass along the message, but I make no guarantees. I
could not believe what I was hearing. I called back a few
moments later to ask that they add my cell phone number to the
message and she repeated again: like I told you earlier, I
can give her the message, but I make no guarantees. I know
this vet, and I know she would call. I got the distinct
impression from this girl that she had no intention of passing
my message along. At this point I was still hoping against all
odds that this could somehow be fixed without jeopardizing Syd
yet still saving this precious pregnancy. I continued to brush
her and try to remain calm and keep things as normal as
possible. I remembered my email group repro list where someone
had posted the contact number recently for a phone consult with
Dr. Hutchinson in Ohio a very well known repro vet. I
frantically sought out that post. I scribbled down the number
and called. Dr. Hutchinson's secretary was not in the office
that day, but would be in tomorrow at 8 am, I was welcome to
call back then. What was I to do? I started trying to reason
with myself be logical, don't panic there is only a
small amount of discharge and aside from her not wanting her
kibble (she will take rollover and other tasty morsels) she
appears otherwise fine from every angle. There is no longer a
bloody discharge. I watch closely for the next couple hours,
then put her in her crate and it's off to handling class again.
My friends that have been helping us throughout this ordeal are
both at class. I relay to them briefly what is going on and that
I haven't heard from the vet as yet still hopeful that she
will call; she has kids and a life, and sometimes does not get a
chance to call until the kids are in bed. One friend suggests I
put in a call to Dr. Cathy Gartley the repro specialist at
the University of Guelph my friend offers to call me with
her number when she gets home from class. I get home, let Syd
out of her crate to potty and she is wet down her back legs
again she begins to have a bowel movement and I grab for the
flashlight instinctively to go check it out. It is a black,
tarry blob about the size of a golfball. I've seen this before
it is digested blood. Where was it coming from? Was that the
reason her vulva looked so clean yesterday evening? Perhaps she
passed a big bloody glob and cleaned it up perhaps the
little bits of creamy green I saw earlier were just residue from
the big bloody glob. I tried to find the most logical
explanation for this all her vitals were still normal and
she wasn't acting the least bit different aside from being very
choosey about what she ate. She was still drinking normally,
alert, happy, gums were pink and refill time was good. At 10 pm
her temp was 100.7 At midnight I had finally calmed myself
enough to try to get some sleep, although I knew I would only
sleep with one eye closed this night, in case something changed
with Syd I slept in track pants and a sweatshirt so I could
be ready should the need arise. I had placed a large, white
blanket on the bed beside me, so that any discharge would be
easy to see and take along with us to the vet if a trip became
necessary. We slept, if you can call it that.
Wednesday
May 7th 5:30 am temp 100.6 Sydney is
still refusing food, but all other outward signs are normal
she will eat hunks of rollover and cooked chicken, but wants
nothing to do with kibble. Picky Pregnant Princess I tell
myself, but deep down sensing something less positive. Her eyes
look sad to me. I head off to work armed with phone numbers for
3 vets Dr. Hutchinson in Ohio, Dr. Cathy Gartley at the U of
Guelph and my own vet. I need to run this past at least one of
them to either put my mind at ease or hit the panic button. It
is pointless for me to ask anything of a vet I'm not familiar
with and I know it. 8 am and I'm on the phone to Dr Hutchinson's
receptionist. He does phone consults Thursday evenings I put
my name on the list. I call Dr. Gartley in Guelph voicemail
I leave a detailed message asking her to call if she can
help in any way. It's near 10 am now and I've heard nothing from
my own vet quite unusual gut feeling still there that
the receptionist did not bother to get the message to her. I had
to pull the ace out of my sleeve Syd needed a vet, I needed
a Valium (OK, I needed Syd to see the vet, or at the very least,
I needed a vet to hear what was happening). One of the friends I
had been in contact with through this whole thing also uses the
same vet I do and is very good friends with her. I call my
friend in hopes that she can get in touch with my vet to let her
know what's happening. Within 10 minutes I am on the phone with
my vet she wants to see Syd IMMEDIATELY. I leave work and
head home to get Syd. En route I call another breeder friend and
ask that she meet me at the vet's office. I know instinctively I
am going to need 2 brains and 2 sets of ears to take in what the
vet is going to tell me. I was right. The words a breeder never
wants to hear pyometra the only option now is spay. Not
possible, I tell myself, trying hard to maintain my composure. I
ask the vet about the possibility of drug therapy we have
caught this early enough, haven't we? She is not very hopeful
about the outcome of drug therapy and is worried about it
actually backfiring successful treatment now only to have
the bitch pyo again later. I tell her about my appointment for a
phone consult with Dr. Hutchinson and explain who he is. It is
now Wednesday afternoon 1pm my phone consult is for Thursday
evening between 5 & 7 pm so many hours away. We decide
to do an ultrasound to get a better look. It doesn't look good
the uterus appears to be much larger than it should be at
this stage of the game. I have to make a decision and I have to
make it soon. In one last ditch effort to save Syd's uterus (and
still at this point unwilling to give up that she is pregnant
and Dr. Hutchinson will have some kind of miracle treatment for
us), I tell my vet if she is saying that Syd's life is in
jeopardy right now in any way, I will have her spayed. If there
is any way to get her through safely until tomorrow evening when
I can speak with Dr. Hutchinson that is what I would like to try
and do. No hesitation on her part Syd's life is not in
immediate danger; we can hold off and talk to Dr. Hutchinson.
She wants to take vaginal swabs to run a culture and
sensitivities, also Syd should go back on Clavamox and I request
another CBC. I secure appointments for Syd for the following 3
mornings so that we can keep a close eye on her condition. Her
temps throughout this day were: 1pm (at vet's office) 102.7;
4:30 pm (at home) 100.5; 9:30 pm 100.1
Thursday
May 8th 7:30 am temp 100.5. We have a
10:40 am appointment with the vet. I'm not taking any chances
if she feels anything has changed with Syd's condition I
won't wait for the consult with Dr. Hutchinson and Syd will be
spayed. Everything still looks OK to hold off until this
evening, but come tomorrow morning we are taking action drug
therapy or spay no ifs ands or buts! I have so many
questions, how can it be pyometra so early on? Doesn't pyometra
take a few weeks to brew and show up? She tells me she suspects
this has been brewing for a while, possibly since the start of
her season. I question the fact that if that were the case, are
we running a risk of the stud dog being infected with anything
as we did get 3 natural breedings should we put him on
preventative antibiotics? The answer to that, BTW, from 2
different vets (mine and the stud dog owner's both) was NO
very little chance that the male could contract any type of
infection from this. I also confide to her at this time I'm not
so convinced that the initial course of Clavamox did anything to
hold any infection at bay (which was the original intent) as Syd
went off her food before the Clavamox was done. We decided now
that any hope of maintaining this pregnancy (if there even was
one) is pointless. The vet suggests a Baytril injection right
now and I agree. The best I can hope for is to be able to
salvage the uterus providing Syd's safety is never jeopardized.
50mg Baytril administered IM will hold her for 24 hours. That
will get us through the consult with Dr. Hutchinson and over to
our appointment tomorrow morning decision time.
It's
now Thursday evening. I'm home with 2 of my closest breeder
friends who have been through this entire ordeal with me, and
are also great fans of Dr. Hutchinson. The third friend had
another commitment and could not be present for the consult.
I've got the speaker phone ready, notepads and pens and we wait.
The phone rings and we are speaking with Dr. Hutchinson. What a
nice man so easy to talk to and absolutely full of
information. We relay Sydney's information to him and begin to
ask questions. He agrees it is likely pyometra, although he too
feels it's quite early for it to present. He gives me hope and
assures us all that Baytril is safe, even during pregnancy. He
suggests maintaining her on the Baytril and Clavamox until we
get the results of the Culture and Sensitivities back and to try
to get her through to day 21 in order to determine if in fact we
really do have a pregnancy here (we are now on day 17). He also
tells us that prostaglandins are much safer to use than was once
thought he uses prostaglandins in his practice on bitches
that are too sick for surgery. We talk for a while longer about
other repro related things, ask him when he is coming our way to
give a seminar (I, personally, can't wait for THAT opportunity!)
and then we say goodbye. Side-note for those that aren't
familiar with the treatment of pyometra (from a layman's view,
that is I'm not a vet!): Baytril and prostaglandins are used
the Baytril to treat the infection and the prostaglandins to
relax the cervix and contract the uterus to expel the pus. It
can be very hard on the bitch and is absolutely NOT without risk
to her life. Not a decision to be taken lightly.
After
speaking with Dr. Hutchinson, my vet, several other breeder
friends, listening to Syd tell me without words what she wanted,
searching my heart and my soul and then approaching the entire
thing from as logical a place as I could muster, I decided to go
ahead with the spay surgery the next morning. It was like a
blanket of serenity fell over me, and I was at peace. Even Syd
seemed to relax. I knew this was the best decision for her, and
that was ultimately the ONLY consideration.
The
points we considered were these:
#1.
Syd's age: She was 7 years old not terribly old considering
her breed and the longevity and vitality of my line. Her mother
and grandmother had litters well past 7, but they were not Syd.
This may have been a whole different story if Syd was perhaps 3
or 4 years old.
#2.
I was here trying to make the decision now of whether or not I
could salvage Syd's uterus. Quite likely I could, but at great
risk to Sydney, and if I did, what then? Breed her again on her
next season absolutely! What if she has pyometra again and
next time it is not an open-cervix pyometra like it is now, but
a closed-cervix when NO signs are evident until it is almost too
late then I'm looking at whether or not I can even save Syd
not a place I want to be.
#3.
Forget about saving any pregnancy what effect will the
poison in her uterus have on the whelps if we do manage to save
them and get her to term? Will they make it to term and then
just fade? Will they survive and just be sickly dogs for their
entire lives? Will they even live a normal life expectancy if
they dont appear sick? That was just not a road I was willing
to go down.
Friday
Morning May 9th, 2008 I take Sydney in for
her 9:15 appointment at the vet. Syd, BTW, walks into the office
still wagging her tail and jumping up to greet everyone in her
path. I've already spoken with the vet this morning, long before
the office opened. She wants to know what to do in the event
that they open her up and find a normal, healthy uterus? Not
likely, but possible. I tell her my decision has been made, they
are to remove the uterus. I have one request, though. Can they
save the uterus for me I need to see it I want to see
what was in my girl. Of course they will, I'm told. Just before
noon I get the call from the vet Syd has come through the
surgery very well; it was a pyometra, that uterus needed to come
out.
**
Aside from Syd's sad eyes, her refusal to eat, her discharge and
the occasional rise in temp, she showed absolutely no signs of
how sick she really was EVER!!**
I
waited for updates on her for the rest of the day to see how she
was coming out of the anaesthetic and get word on when I could
bring her home. Near closing time I arrived to pick her up. It
was not until then that I actually saw the evidence of just what
was going on inside of her I saw her uterus. Suffice to say
I was so relieved to know that it was no longer inside of her.
Incredibly, the vet had had another bitch in for a pyometra-related
spay and they saved that uterus for me as well, for reference
and comparison. They had to cut into Syd's uterus to take a
direct swab of the infection, thereby deflating it they
saved the second uterus to show me what Syd's actually looked
like before they cut into it unbelievable.
I
have so many questions that I am searching out answers for. Some
I am sure I will find; others I may never get. This entire
experience has left me reconsidering how to go forward with my
breeding programme. To the best of my understanding at this
time, pyometra is a frightening and maddening condition that
every intact bitch runs the risk of contracting. It is not
something that can be predicted nor prevented. More than once I
have asked if pyometra was caused by something I did or failed
to do. Each time I have been answered with a resounding
NO. I truly wish it were something I had caused I
could take responsibility for it and take steps to ensure that
this did not happen in the future.
The
sense of loss that comes along following an emergency spay due
to pyometra is indescribable I had to make very difficult
decisions without much time to examine my options and emotions
were painfully raw. The finality of it all - Syd's uterus was
gone - no more Syd Kyds and I vowed that although her uterus was
lost, the lesson would not be and I would share our experience
with anyone who may benefit from it. I
am grateful to have come away from this experience with my
darling, bubbly Syd and that I was blessed with a daughter from
her to carry on. Count your Blessings.
Syds
deflated uterus
Uterus
from 12 year old American Eskimo with pyometra, not deflated.
(Above and below)
Diane
Wynen (Madigan Bearded Collies) and Danni aged almost 8 years
(This
was Dannis second live litter, born November 2008. She
was bred in spring 2005 and conceived a singleton that was
stillborn. She had a litter of 7 in 2006.)
Danni
(Ch.Madigan's Strawberry Wine AGX AGXJ AADC SGDC) was an
absolutely perfect, doting mom, until suddenly when the pups
were 8 days old. Late that Thursday night she went in the box to
nurse and proceeded to growl at a pup that walked towards her,
and snapped at another. I also noticed she had stopped cleaning
them because when I got them peeing they peed a flood! First
thing in the morning I called the vet, because clearly something
was wrong, though she was eating, active, and had no fever. She
had developed a very tiny bit of pinkish discharge again after
her post-whelping discharge had cleared up, but nothing that
seemed concerning. We got an appointment for noon, and in the
meantime I'd go in with her to nurse the pups and pretty much
had to just hold her muzzle so she wouldn't stiffen and snap.
She went in the box on her own and wasn't trying to leave, and
as long as the pups were towards her rear and nursing things
were ok, it's just when some started coming towards the front
teats, or worse walked in front of her where she could see
them. It was like she didn't recognize them as her pups, and was
warning some interloper to get the hell away. Literally a day
before I have pictures of her lying in the box with two puppies
snoozing on her paw lying nestled next to her face, so it was
sudden, dramatic, and worrying to say the least.
Off to the vet and some bloodwork. We waited there while they
did it in house, and it showed significantly elevated WBCs, and
a smear showed some pus cells. So the diagnosis was pyometra,
obviously very early stages since no elevation of temperature or
other usual signs (not lethargic, eating fine, no copious stinky
discharge,) but enough to cause behavioral issues. We took her
home again that afternoon to quickly nurse the pups, and then
brought her back for the spay surgery. With 9 day old babies at
home they said she could go home right after surgery, so the
poor kid was literally just off the table at 6:30pm Friday and
shortly after 7pm she was walking out with us and heading home,
wobbly, groggy, and I'm sure still feeling pretty lousy. The
pups of course were starving so we went straight up to the room
Danni was eager to go in, but took one look at the pups like
"who are they and where are MY pups?" and climbed in
the chair. I put one pup on her and she was growling pretty bad,
but staying put, so I held her muzzle shut with one hand (thank
god for Beardie muzzle hair!) and with the other hand rotated
pups 2 x 2 until everyone had been fed. Then I went about
getting everyone to pee. Fortunately they could poop on their
own.
The next few times we went in, Danni went in the box on her own
to nurse, but she was showing no interaction with them, and she
was still stiffening and growling if a pup headed by or towards
her where she could see it, or if one tried to climb on her, so
I'd sit in the box with her holding her muzzle shut and
scratching her, and once she was done I'd do the rounds getting
everyone to pee. Danni was interested in licking the pee spots
on the blankie and towel, but still not cleaning pups on her
own. Saturday morning we went out and bought a soft muzzle, and
that helped a lot. She would go in the box, I'd put it on, and
at least then she could sniff the pups without me having to
worry she would snap at them. I'd still sit in the box with her
and she'd lie down with her head in my lap while they nursed,
still with growls pretty regularly. She'd finish and leave the
box and would go sit in the chair, so I'd stay in the room with
her for a while just hoping being in that environment would
help, because I couldn't leave her in there unsupervised. Late
Saturday she started licking a pup here or there through the
muzzle, and showing some signs of her maternal instinct coming
back; and when she went and sat in the chair she seemed
interested when I was getting them to pee so I ended up holding
one for her and she licked him up a storm. We then developed a
routine - go in, muzzle on, feed the pups, then in to the chair,
muzzle off, and one by one I'd hold the pups for her to get
peeing. After a while if I wasn't fast enough I'd feel her paw
on my shoulder like helloooo, another puppy please.
Sunday
there was much improvement (she went in first thing in the
morning and was wagging at her puppies like, There you are!
Where have you been?!!!!), and I only had to put the muzzle
on once. I had to be very much on guard still watching her
body language and listening for the sometimes almost
imperceptible grumble which occurred once or twice, and
frequently head off trouble if I saw a pup wandering towards
her, which I knew might trigger a reaction. I didn't dare leave
her in the room unsupervised still, just in case, so I had to
note when the pups had been fed, for how long, and figure when
they needed to be fed again. It was like hand-feeding but with a
mama dog to provide the food. She started to ask to go in the
room, which was a good sign. The nice thing too, I suppose, is
that even at her worst, I never had to force her to do anything
if I went in the room she always followed me, and other than
the night she was just home from surgery she went in the box on
her own to nurse too. She was on antibiotics and Metacam for
pain, and I found that the couple of times there was still an
occasional growl it was later in the afternoon, which was just
before her Metacam dose, so possibly she was feeling some pain
again as the previous days medication wore off.
As the days went on she continued to really do better and
better, and she seemed to want to make up for those couple of
days of not cleaning pups by almost CONSTANTLY cleaning them,
while they're running around going we're hungry would you sit
down!!!!!
The addendum to the story (since most of the above was written
when they were just 3 weeks old) is that she continued to make
up for the temporary maternal dip by returning to being an
absolutely perfect mom, completely attached to her kids, nursing
them long past the age when she needed to, and having a blast
playing with them and teaching them, and even now theyre 12
weeks old she insists on being with them regularly and spends
time cleaning them and otherwise doting on them (but still
teaching them you don't steal toys from mom). There was an
added little hitch at 4 weeks when her incision opened up and
she had to undergo another emergency surgery, but even after
that she still demanded to be put in with the pups regularly and
she ever so patiently stood and let them nurse. I suppose
despite all the stress and worry we really have a lot to be
grateful for, namely that the pyometra did show so early with
behavioral changes, because it's quite possible if it hadn't she
could have become a very sick girl in a very short period of
time before we realized there was a problem, and potentially we
could have ended up worried about saving her life and having to
hand feed the babies because she was toxic. So, while it wasn't
something I want to ever go through again, I know it certainly
could have been a lot worse! Danni and her puppies are all
doing wonderfully.
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