Stephanie's Friend's Girl Dog was Diagnosed with Pyometra (Email Query From Dog Owners)

Email Query From Dog Owners

 Question contributed by Stephanie Clifton, UK, London

One of the female GSDs with my friend has been diagnosed with Pyometra, when she was taken to the vet due to odd discharge. Can you provide me with the information about the condition and what causes this?

Response to Stephanie's mail

Thank you Stephanie. We are honored to have your name displayed on this page of frequently asked questions about dogs, as a contributor to the growth of this website. 

Pyometra is a uterine disorders in dogs (irrespective of breed). The abnormal uterus of the dog gets infected, and in worst scenario it accumulates pus. Pyometra is actually a chronic ailment in female dogs, although it may appear acute. Pyometra usually develops slowly over a long span of time, without showing any clinical evidences.

Symptoms - First stage: Development of cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH), which is an abnormality of the uterine lining of the dog. With the repeated heat cycle this abnormality gets worsen, and becomes noticeable until the condition deteriorates to a great extent.   

Cause that worsens the condition: Once the uterus gets infected, it gets more infected easily. Normally the dog's vagina is not sterile, and the cervix that connects the vigina and uterus remains closed in normal situation. The cervix gets opened when the female is in heat. This allows bacteria (commonly E.coli) to move into the uterine region from the vigina. After heat period is over, the cervix closes up and bacteria gets trapped within the uterus, which worsen up the uterine infection.

Age: Female dogs of and over 5-6 years of age are prone to Pyometra

Clinical Symptoms: On maturity the symptoms of pyometra includes depression, lack of appetite, occasional vomiting, and heavy water intake, frequent urination and discharge of pus through vaginal passage. Quite often in older females the fluid becomes purulent even without bacteria being found on testing.

Cure: Most vets recommend ovariohysterectomy as the best treatment for canine pyometra. Vets will suggest the best antibiotics to treat canine pyometra

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