operation my dogs having?

Question

I posted a question yesterday about having my dog spayed (thanks for all the lovely replies) but i have just found out she has something a little more serious wrong with her. after having her last litter of pups she got an infection somehow that nobody knew about and it has made her stomach swell up and become rock hard. i havent been told what it actually is, although a vet told my mum its a disease. so they definately have to operate to take her womb out to get rid of the disease, but im not sure if its still classed as spaying them? my mum looked up on the internet that the operation she is having only has 25% of dogs that make it through, so im very upset and worried. shes finding it very hard to breath as the swelling is pressing on her lungs, and when they sedate her im scared it will be too strong for her and she wont wake up from lack of oxygen. does anyone know anything about this? or their dog had it and survived? shes having the op first thing tomorrow morning. ty

before i get criticism like from other posts, she is looked after and the vets didnt even know about the infection until the swelling started recently.

thank you all soo much, it makes the situation a little easier to deal with when you know the name of the disease, and it does sound exactly like she has that. im glad to hear no dogs died during the op, fingers crossed for my baby that she will be fine. thanks again everyone xx

Answer 1

Hi hun, I am a Veterinarian Technician and hope to help ease your worries!!

Does your dog have Pyometra? I am pretty confident it is Pyometra from what you described. Poor girl!!!

The word “pyometra” is derived from latin “pyo” meaning pus and “metra” meaning uterus. The pyometra is an abscessed, pus-filled infected uterus. Toxins and bacteria leak across the uterine walls and into the bloodstream causing life-threatening toxic effects, Without treatment death is inevitable. The treatment is an emergency spay and scraping of the pus in the uterus. So, yes, your dog will be spayed during the surgical procedure.

Your dog got Pyometra from an infection within the uterus. You see, with each heat cycle, the uterine lining engorges in preparation for pregnancy. Eventually, some tissue engorgement becomes excessive or persistent (a condition called “cystic endometrial hyperplasia”). This lush glandular tissue is ripe for infectionf (recall that while thei inside of the uterus is sterile, the vagina below is normally loaded with bacteria.). Bacteria ascend from the vagina and the uterus becomes infected and ultimately pus filled.

Like I mentioned before, the usual treatment for pyometra is surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries (spay). It is crucial that the infected uterine contents do not spill and that no excess hemorrhage occurs. The surgery is challenging especially if the patient is toxic. Antibiotics are given at the time of surgery and may or may not be continued after the uterus is removed (9 times out of 10 the patient will be on post-op antibiotics). Pain relievers are often needed post-operatively, just like a routine spay procedure. A few days of hospitalization are typically needed after the surgery is performed. Our clinic keeps dogs for 3 days after surgery.

It is especially important that the ovaries be removed to remove future hormonal influence from any small stumps of uterus that might be left behind. If any ovary is left, the patient will continue to experience heat cycles and be vulnerable to recurrence.

While this surgery amounts to the same end result as routine spaying, it is a little more risky than a "normal" spay. As noted, the surgery is challenging and the patient is in a life-threatening situation because of the infection, so it is considered more of an emergency type surgery.

However, in allllll my years working at our clinic we have NEVER lost a dog during a Pyometra spay. Please, try not to worry. Surgery is your only option or you will lose your dog. So, even though surgery is pretty risky, she will not survive without it.

Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Please let me know how she does and feel free to contact me anytime.

Note: Hi there Raspberry just wanted to comment on your statements. Actually, the website you posted is not where I got my information from. I know it is an exact match (they copied and pasted from the site I got my info from!!), but our clinic has a journal-based website where our doctors and colleagues (and us!) come together and post different articles, answer questions, and keep each other informed about the latest discoveries in animal science. That is where I got my information from. And since I am not only a member, but on the team, I have access and authority to use any information I see fitting. I use info from the site frequently because they are all forums I have either authored, co-authored, or edited already.

I could care less about points, levels, best answers, top contributor, etc., I am more concerned with giving accurate information to people who are in need. Thanks for your concern :)

Answer 2

This is quite a common infection that can occur in unspayed bitches. It sounds like your dog has pyometra which is a often fatal womb infection, the womb [as you describe] swells up, becomes hard and if not caught early enough can kill the dog. The womb fills with pus which obviously slowly poisens the blood stream, but hopefully you have managed to catch your dogs before it worsens. If your dog is young and generally healthy then she has a better chance of survival as she's stronger. In older bitches it's more life threatening. As with any animals there is always a risk during operations as animals dont react very well to anesphetic, but stay positive. This is why it's best to have bitches spayed as there is so many life threatning infections and diseases in unspayed dogs. Good luck i hope your dog recovers well.

Answer 3

If it is a pyometra as suggested then take heart from the fact that our 6 year old unspayed rottie girl had it a year or so ago. She was in such a bad way that the vet rang up during the evening as he didn't think she was going to make it through the night! She pulled through fine :) Another reason people should have their dogs neutered, 1 quick operation and it saves all the heartache. Fingers crossed for you and big hugs to your dog :)

Answer 4

I'm so sorry your beloved is sick. I don't know much about the disease, but if she is having a hard time breathing, a trip to the emergency room may be in order.

RASPBERRY AND VET TECH:
It doesn't matter where the information came from. The whole point of this is to help someone with their pet if/when needed. Both of you have a valid argument, but this is NOT the place for it. BOTH OF YOU NEED TO GROW UP

Answer 5

Ah, sweetie, it's a hysterectomy that she is having, i think you need to ask the vet more about the disease, i'm so sorry to har that, as i told you i have a sick dog too, i know what you are going through but also i dont think that the vet would give her too much sedative , as thay have to calculate it al based on the health and fitness of the dog, good luck sweetie and let me know how you get on, if you want to chat you can email or i.m. me at [e-mail]. xxx

Answer 6

you have to trust the Vet.
they'll know exactly what they're doing
with a course of anti-biotics, after the operation, your dog should hopefully make a full recovery.
worrying's natural & your dog is very lucky to have an owner who cares so much as you
believe me that's the one of the best things to pull your dog thru a spell of bad health or an operation.
one of my dogs had the worse kennel-cough the Vet had ever seen ( yes i know it's not exactly the same situation ) & the care he got from his owners ( & my other dogs ) gave him the will to pull through.
best you stick to the Vets advice rather than worrying yourself with scare-stories off the Internet.
talk to the Vet & ask them to keep you informed.

Answer 7

The statistics in books are often wrong and out dated. In medical journals, it depends ewhen the book was published - that chances are your dog will have a much better than 25% chance, hon.
I am sure she will be fine. She is in good hands. Vets and their nurses are very thorough and well qualified, and she has the advantage of being a well-fed, healthy doggy. All will be well, I feel it in my bones!

Answer 8

Hi Sammy!
Vet Tech is a very kind and knowledgeable person here and is very well respected by all here.
I would not hesitate to take what she has said as the truth.

I hope your dog does well and I know we would be very happy to hear what the outcome is.

Personally I'd be more suspicious of someone calling them selves a vet when their answers are not only unprofessional but have come under suspicion for months.

Answer 9

That is a low percentage. Good luck. Sometimes you need to just make them comfortable as posible if the risk is to great. I have not read other post but smaller dogs are risker than larger ones.

Answer 10

dont fret.... and dont assume its Pyometra because some over enthusiastic vet tech told you it is.

Pyometra is only one thing that might be wrong with your dog - theres actually quite a few things that give the symptoms you describe that require surgery.
also, while it could be Pyometra im not so sure simply because you said shes not having the operation until tomorrow. Pyometra is usually needs emergency surgery and the vet will rarely wait until the next day (though im not sure what time it is where you are? im in australia) although its possible.

all the problems i can think of that she might have, have a much higher success rate than 25%.

my advice - call your vet and ASK. dont look up unreliable statistics on random websites when youre not even sure what the problem is, or how developed the problem is, to begin with. no sense in stressing yourself out for no reason.

p.s. that "vet tech" cut and pasted her answer from a website - http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=189&A=603&S=0
thats called plagarism and its illegal. in fact, if you look on her profile at a lot of her other answers, they are also cut and pasted from other websites. just cut and past part of her answer into a search engine and youll see for yourself.
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