Pyometra Symptoms (or lack of)

Pyometra, especially closed, can be very difficult to diagnose. My best advice to you is KNOW YOUR DOG! Sabrina was NOT "classic" and knowing her nuances probably saved her life.

A week ago Sunday, 6/14, Sabrina was "under the weather". Just "blah"... not her usual perky self. We thought it was a relapse of Lyme disease so I put her on doxicycline. With Lyme, even though they need the doxy for a month, they rebound in a day or two. Which she did… but then this past Sunday, 6/21, she was very uncomfy again and lethargic. She wouldn't jump on our bed and when we tried to lift her, her abdomen felt tight and you could tell that touching it hurt. There was NO DISCHARGE. During all of this Sabrina still had her appetite, even eating breakfast Monday morning before I brought her to the vet. She was dehydrated.

Pyo usually occurs in older bitches, 2-3 months after they come in season. Sabrina is 6 years old and never had regular heat cycles. I have been waiting for her to come in season. She was due in March. Most of April was I was out of the house between staying with a friend and traveling to and from the National. Our nephew house sat during the week and Leonard was home on the weekends. During this time I did not leave an intact male at home as I did not need an accidental breeding to happen. A good move on my part as Leonard caught Chloe coming in season while I was away, but not Sabrina. Maybe Sabrina had a silent heat at the same time? One usually brings in others.

For diagnostics, blood work is one of the firsts tests done. The infection becomes wide spread that the white blood cell count sky rockets. Sabrina’s blood work was fine but she was also on the doxy for a week. Having her on the doxy probably kept the infection in check.

BTW she did test negative for Lyme. One less thing to worry about!

Open pyo, where the cervix is open and the pus is draining from the vulva, can be treated with prostoglandens so you can breed your bitch the next season, but not closed pyo. And I prefer to spay rather than go that route so I do not have to worry about it reocurring, which it usually does.

Sabrina's show career is over, I truly wanted to finish her, but as long as I have her I don't care! She is the champion of my heart, and that's what matters! Sabrina is the dam of some very special pups out there and they will carry on.

Another Sabrina Update

Sabrina is doing well but still feeling a bit "punky" She will stay another day at the clinic, on an IV, and I can bring her home tomorrow. One uterine horn was bigger than the other, but not hugely engorged. Her cervix was closed, which is the more dangerous form of the disease, as the pus has no where to escape her body. We are very grateful we caught this when we did.

Again, THANK YOU very much for all your prayers. They truly work!

Sabrina Pyo Update

I had to pick Leonard up from the truck stop and (of course) I forgot to forward the house phone to my cell. My vet left a message that Sabrina came through the surgery fine and she was waking up. She did have a pyo going so this was a good call. I will talk to them tomorrow morning.

Thanks so much everyone for your good wishes!

Pyometra

Sabrina spent yesterday hospitalized and today we await her spay surgery for pyometra.

I am so trying to keep myself busy while pacing the floors until I hear back from my vet.

Lulu HT!

I got an email from Susan that Lulu, Visions-Greifzu Be Bop A Lula, got her HT this weekend!! Good going!

Hip Screening

This is my opinion on the subject.

OFA, PennHIP and OVC have evolved for a reason.

I applaud breeders who, should a dog be dysplastic , have removed that dog from the gene pool. The dog may appear to the eye "fit as a fiddle". That is why x-rays reveal what the eye cannot see.

I have done this. It is heart wrenching to watch as your plans and future "disappear" but that is part of the commitment of breeding for a better future.

I also agree with breeders who decide to breed a dog between the ages of 1 - 2 when they have such a stellar pedigree of "passing" or "clear" hips, when they do the breeding in a knowledgeable way. They will breed this individual to a dog who has his/her hip clearances or the dog is from a pedigree of clear testing. I have done this as well.

Long time breeders, many who have been in this breed for decades with great success, know when it is worth the risk. They have years of first hand knowledge on their side to take that risk.

I have a young adult bitch who does not have any hip clearances in her pedigree and she will never be bred unless she is OFA certified. She turns 2 in March and will be x-rayed. From there I will plan her future. She is not a dog I will take a risk on.

If your dog is a "borderline", or "questionable", and you are working with a knowledgeable veterinarian, follow his/her advice about redoing the x-ray. Yes, they can be redone if the pass/fail is close. Sometimes they actually will pass the next time and you may be wonderfully surprised.

I know for a fact that only the Lord is perfect.

If your dog is definitely not going to pass… please do the right thing.

We may not have the perfect method but, as responsible breeders, we must use the tools given to us. Whichever method of hip certification that is used, I know for a fact that the person/people evaluating the x-rays have the training and experience that far outweighs any lay breeder who themselves is not a veterinarian or in the fields of medicine.

Rome was not built in a day.