Has anyone on the forum had experience of pyometra?  Either open or closed?  What symptoms did your bitch have?  Was she in season at the time? Had she been bred? How old was she?  I have one very poorly bitch here at the moment and I'm wondering if she might be suffering from blood poisoning. If it was an open pyometra what treatment was given, and was she able to be bred subsequently?  ANY help or advice would be very much appreciated.....

My bitch, during her first season at 13 months, got an open pyo. It was successfully treated with anti-biotics but I had her spayed 3 months later.

Her symptoms: very subdued, very quiet and wanting to hide herself under tables, desks and anywhere dark and away from everything. She also left a huuuge great puddle of green yuk on the kitchen floor, where she had been moping in a corner. :(

Thanks for responding!  There is no green yuk - just very dark (almost black) blood drips, but she is still in season (day 17).   She stands stiffly, all her muscles tensed, her back roached and tail clamped tightly to her bottom as though she is in great pain.  If you rest your hand on her, you can feel her whole body trembling. She was mated last Sunday, and she first exhibited this behaviour the same evening, but by next morning she was as right as rain. It happened again Wednesday evening, and again she was fine next morning. The third time was last night, but she has not recovered today as she did previously.

I took her to the Vet last night - her temperature was normal and an internal examination showed only a slight greenish mucus that the Vet said was normal (?) at the end of a season. It was not particularly foul smelling as the Vet made a point of smelling it! All day today, she has just laid quiet and withdrawn.  I'm absolutely beside myself with worry, but from what you've said it doesn't sound like pyo - and I thank goodness for that!

I had an open pyo with an elderly Labrador some years ago. It started I suppose around 6 weeks after her season finished. In herself she was obviously poorly but there was also a dirty brown discharge. (Very obviously not a normal "Season discharge")

At her age, 10 years old, breeding was out of the question so she was spayed. She then lived out a normal lifespan.

Regards, John

Hi Lewie,

If your girl's still not quite right take her back to the vet to be sure - it's better safe than sorry.  I've no personal experience of pyo thank God but have been told that while bitches can develop it during their season the most likely time is 6-8 weeks after a season.  

Hopefully it is just a menstrual crampy thing like some women suffer from but I think I'd keep vigilant and in regular contact with my vet anyway.

Teri

Hello
Firstly as others have mentioned stay observant with your bitch.
You say she looked in some discomfort after the mating? I don´t want to sound rude but was the mating assisted/supervised by an experienced breeder? The reason I ask this as you bitch may have experienced some injury or trauma during mating?? This could be causing some discomfort now which may or may not wear off depending on the severity.
It could however be the first signs of Pyometria. Is she off her food, drinking excessivly, listless?? These are all symptoms but these symptoms are not always presented :-(
I had a bitch develop open pyometria when her litter were 3 weeks old. These pups had to be weaned overnight and the vets first decision was to do a hystorectomy there and then. I explained if at all possible to avoid this as she was our foundation bitch. A treatment called Prostaglandin was given with great success. It was recommended to breed her at her NEXT season too to reduce the risks of it returning and also at the next season to give a course of Marbocyl. We did both these things and she went on to have 3 more healthy litters.
I am now living in Spain and only on Monday I was talking to my new vet here - thankfully he speaks god English :-) and I was asking if he new of this treatment and indead Plasma transfusion for puppies with FPS. He already knew of the prostaglandin treatment and does try this procedure on bitches with open pyo. He was not aware of the treatment for FPS so I have given him details incase I or anyone over here should need it. Looks like I have dropped lucky with this vet. He also specialises in Reptililes and is on Cannel 9 TV over here every Sunday at 3pm - I have just been watching him :-)

Hi Lewie, pyometra is potentially fatal, I lost an Irish Setter bitch due to septicaemia from pyometra. Please get your bitch to a vet ASAP.
I had not been aware of the condition prior to my bitch having it 22 years ago, and she had been subdued for several days. This was about six weeks after she had been in season. Other than that, I remember particularly that she was drinking far more water than usual.
This bitch had had one litter, 5 years earlier.
She was 8 years old.

Hurry to the vet please, right now if you suspect pyometra.

Dawn R.

Lewie, you and I were typing at the same time.Didn't see the 18.39 post before.
Dawn R.

Sounds like your's was a closed pyo Dawn? And yes, I could not agree more about the seriousness of Pyometra. The closed which you had is potentialy worse than the open my Mandy had because there is nothing to see apart from your own observations of the fact that your dog is a bit "Off colour". So often this sign is ignored until it is too late. At least with an open pyo there is an obvious problem to show the vet.

Regards, John

Not wishing to scare you but a friend of mine had one of her bitches mated, 3 weeks later had the discharge etc. so took her to the vet, put on anti-biotics, discharge wasn't so much but it continued through the pregnancy, bitch stayed on AB for most of the pregnancy when things settled down at 8 weeks.  Suddenly she took a turn for the worst, so was rushed to the vet for a C Section, when they opened her up, the litter had died and her womb was a mass of puss, the vet said another hour and she would have lost her bitch too :-(

The bitch was spayed and lived out her life happy and healthy, but it just goes to show how dangerous it can be.

Good luck though, fingers crossed it all turns out well for you both.