My girl is having to go into vets for hysterectomy in morning.

The last few days she has been drinking more and a little restless but I put this down to the warm weather. She has been cleaning herself a little more often and unusually for her she has ate well for the last few days.

I felt a check up was necessary and vet scanned her and said she has a open pyometra. I thought she would have seemed more off colour than she is but thank god we caught it quickly. I am sure some CD experienced owners have been through this and would appreciate some advice.

Hi,
I had this with my old girl.
I found it the monday night and didnt sleep that night, the vet booked her in for first thing the Tuesday morning. She was 8yo Rottweiler.
She came through no problems.
The tuesday night I slept on the sofa but I hardly slept, so the next night I VERY SLOWELY walked her upstairs to bed.
I moved that weekend and she did too much, but that was due to having to be in and out of the car while I was sorting the house out, so he scar weeped, but she was fine :) :)
I couldnt believe how she bounced back so quick, when women take weeks.
Hope some of that is of some help.
Good luck with your girl tomorrow, I hope all goes well, and I am sure it will do
{{{{{{{{{[hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Lea :) :)

I would keep a very good eye on her as I have known friends that have lost bitches in a matter of hours with one.

If you see any deterioration in her phone the emergency vets straight away :-)

I am sure she will be fine but if she were mine I wouldn't risk leaving her. I had one bitch with a closed pyo but luckily again like you we got her operated in time and she was fine :-)

Yes, have had it a few times, never had any problem with the bitches recovery, have used both AB's and spay, would always spay with an old bitch.

Good luck tomorrow but I am sure she will be fine.

Hi Lollypop, We are going through this at the moment.  Tia had a pyo and had a hystorectomy a week past Friday (11days ago)  I had huge concerns because of her problems under GA etc.(That's just a Tia thing), but the operation itself was fine and she well on the way to a full recovery.  I may be hampering it just a tad through mollycoddling ;-) 

It is difficult not to worry, It is a big op, but possibly the most common procedure vets do.

Positive thoughts for you and your girl for a safe and speedy recovery :-)

I have had an open and a closed pyo. No problems either time. I am a little surprised that your Vet didn't suggest taking her in straight away but don't worry about that if he was happy to leave her until morning. Mine both went for a walk the next day but it is advisable to leash walk until the stitches are out. My Vet always sends mine out with Rimadyl and so I can keep the pains at bay.

my girl had an open pyo and she was successfully treated with AB's for 3 weeks.

Must say the discharge was horrendous and the smell even worse but she was absolutely fine.

hope all goes well tomorrow x

Just out of interest to you folks who've had dogs with pyos, how old were your dogs at the time and had they had litters previously, or were they maiden?

Thanks.

My lab was two and had no litters :-)

mine was 8yo and maiden.
lea

2 elderly, 1 was 3 and mated - the vet thought the infection was from the mating/pregnancy failure

3 Years old and 2 litters.

I've experienced pyo's in very young bitches (under a year, but this is uncommon) obviously no litters at that time but went on to have some. Also an older bitch of 7 that hadn't had pups. In the first instance treatment was antibiotics, in the second the bitch was speyed. Once my show girls have retired from showing and breeding, they are always speyed. Saves the worry of pyo's and gives the boys a break ;)

6 years ago our bitch had an open Pyo 3 weeks after mating.  She was 4 and this was her first litter.  I've always thought that in younger bitches that get Pyo, the frequency of seasons is higher.  She had seasons every 4 months.  Although it could just as easily have been the mating that caused the infection.  She had a very nasty Pyo but was treated with Alizin (although not registered for that use at the time - don't know if it is now) and double Noroclav dose as an inpatient, on the understanding that any turn for the worse and she'd be spayed right away.  She responded to this quickly and recovered really well without the need to spay at that point.  Never did concieve though and needed to be on ABs for each season until we gave up trying.

My girl is 8 years old and 3 litters

Thanks to all of you who replied and for the good wishes. She is home and op went well, vet said there was only a small amount of puss in uterus and no complications. She is on AB's and Carprofen for the pain.
We have been home a couple of hours now but she is still restless and whimpering, is this the drugs wearing off? I offered a little chicken but she wasn't interested and took her into garden for toilet but she didn't go. She is drooling (a lot) but nurse said some dogs do.
I will sleep downstairs with her tonight, should I put a collar on her to stop her licking the wound overnight or wait to see if it bothers her first.
Forgot to say she is just 2 years old and had a season in mid April, which appeared normal but maybe a little prolonged.

Gemma never wore a coller, she didnt bother with her scar at all.
Where as when Ebba had a routine Spey, she had to wear a coller all the time.
So if she bothers it then put it on, if she doesnt leave it off, you will probably sleep light tonight so will hear her licking if she does,
Pleased she is home :)
Lea :) :)

The whimpering and drooling and not eating is all probably due to the anaesthetic wearing off.  It can make dogs (and people) feel a bit nauseous.  I try to sit with mine as much as poss during this early stage.

Thanks for those who replied re the age and litters.  I just wondered since people say pyo is more common in older bitches, but sounds like some of you have experienced it in younger bitches too. 

How is she this morning ? Hopefully bright eyed and bushy tailed wanting some breakfast :-)

Much better thanks, ate a decent breakfast and toilet was fine too. I slept  with her last night but she didn't bother with stitches too much but has had couple of attempts today with back leg.

That is good news !!

hopefully she will recover quickly, we had a bitch with a pyo caught so early the vet had to scan her to make sure as an internal was inconclusive, she was was spayed at 8 years of age the only systems were she was off her food and very ratty, this was in the february she was shown and placed at crufts six weeks later,(our vets shows and had slicked with vaseline all her belly fringing back to her sides away from her belly shaved only where needed and all but the last six stiches were internal) her 8 year old daughter will be spayed after next season to prevent pyo there has been no change in her hair at all we just have to really watch her weight now she will be 12 in september and is still winning best veteran in shows

My GSD was 10 months old very ill before & after, had 106 temp.  At first the vet didn't consider pyo due to her age but dogs don't read the medical books do they? She's 5 now & hasn't looked back.

Spent another night downstairs with her last night. Brought my pillow and duvet down, spread them on sofa moved her bed next to mine and she did the smoothest transfer from her bed to mine I have ever seen. Do I need to say which bed I slept on........

She has eaten really well today, which is so not like her!  but I am a little concerned she is still drinking a fair bit. Could this still be the effects of the drugs?

>I am a little concerned she is still drinking a fair bit. Could this still be the effects of the drugs?

Possibly the drugs, but also there will have been a tube down her airway which will have made her throat a bit sore, which drinking will soothe.

Thanks, would you know why both of her front legs were shaved too, didn't notice at first as there was only a dressing on one.

She could have needed a drip in one, and the anaesthetic administered in the other. Or perhaps it was difficult finding the vein in the first one - it happens.

They may have shaved then looked for a suitable main , couldn't find one then shaved the other one.

Can you see an entry mark where the cannular went in both areas ?

I can back up JG's post as had an op myself a couple of weeks ago and have a very site throat after and drank bucket loads of water for a few days afterwards :-)

yes of course, your'e right. The nurse did say she had been on a drip but I didn't realise at the time both legs were shaved,thanks again.
Marks on both legs. Cheers.

How are things today, still improving I hope.

Thanks for asking Nova. Still eating well but seems very itchy, think its where she was shaved on op site rather than the stitches.I have put some E45 cream on taking care to avoid wound and she is getting gentle walks, more to take her mind off things than need for exercise.

Yes, the hair regrowth can make them itch as can a healing wound. Gentle exercise is good and she will soon have those stitches removed, I always think it takes longer to get over the anaesthetic than the operation.

I'm so lucky that my vet hardly shaves at all as he knows I show.  Of course as I usually have my girls spayed 11 - 12 weeks after their last litter are born there is hardly any hair in the area due to hormonal moult.

It looks like a huge shaved area and the wash they use to clean the area before surgery has left her coat matted. I am desperate to get her groomed and bathed but will just have to be patient.

I'd use some hypoallergenic/sensitive baby wipes just avoiding the incision area.

I don't think they would have much impact on her coat, she is a Poodle so it's more like wool than hair.

To help her keep calm and not nibble on stitches/wound, I would put a t-shirt on her. It helps in most cases. My spaniel was spayed recently and I put a t-shirt on her and she was comfortable with that. I soon as I removed the t-shirt she'd try to get to the wound, so the t-shirt stayed on for the full 10 days. Once the stitches were out, she didn't bother with the wound anymore.

She had her check up today and everything is looking fine,I mentioned her still drinking a little more and he said the AB's should clear out any remaining infection that could be round cervix area. Temperature was raised one degree and again he said that was nothing to worry about. Back next week for stitches out unless I am concerned that she is looking unwell.

Strangely she is eating really well and has been since about a week before she was poorly. Hope she keeps it up as would love her to gain some weight.