11 year old dog with pyometra

I have a 11 year old golden mix ,I just took her to the emergency vet today because it is a wekend and her vet is not open. He told me that she has Pyometra and put her on a antibiotic. The question is that I love my dog very much and do not want to see her suffer,so I am to see her vet monday  and I know that the only true fix is to have her spayed but is this to risky for a 11 year old dog and is there other options that I may have?I don't want to put her down put I'm afraid the she will not make it if she has surgery.

[ginger899]

There is always a risk with any surgery. With humans as well as dogs. And the vet will tell you, the older a dog is, the greater the risk.
But I always think it is the general fitness of the dog which decides whether it has a better chance of coming through surgery successfully or not. And not necessarily its age.
If your dog is not under, or over-weight...if her heart and other organs are functioning well...if she has no other problems such as Diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid problems....and many other things, then she has a good chance.
I know it is a tricky decision to make. And only you can make it.

Definitely as far as I know, the best treatment for Pyometra is spaying. But it could depend on how she responds to the antibiotic. Perhaps by Monday she may respond well and be through the worst of it.
However, the difficult thing is Pyometra will almost certainly recur if she is not spayed.

I spoke to a friend of mine the other day whose dog (A German Shepherd) had an emergency spaying surgery for Pyometra at age 12, and came through fine. Now that may not be the normal course of events for an older or unfit dog, but it goes to show some older dogs can get through surgery ok.

Of course the thought of it will make you nervous. I would feel the same. But if it's a choice between having her put down, or giving surgery a try, and hopefully her having relief from recurring bouts of Pyometra, and hopefully a new lease of life, and a few more years....
You will have to trust your instincts about this, and any feedback you can get from your vet about her general health and condition for her age. (A blood test could be run to see how her organs are working, and her general health.)

[Des_a_rae]

My dog was diagnosed with pyometra and she was "fixed" years ago. She's 10 now and she was fixed when she was 6 months old. They say they can still get it in the "stump" that they leave behind. Anyways they put her on antibiotics and she's fine now.  She had to take them twice a day for 10 days and she was showing improvement after about the 4th day.  I know it's completely up to you but my dog also has Cushing's and was told she probably wouldn't live through the surgery so antibiotics were my only option. Thank goodness they worked. I wish you the best with your dog. :)

[nacole757]

My 12 year old lab mix was also diagnosed with a uterine infection aka pyometra.  The vet suggested we have her spayed asap, but we have decided to try the antibiotics and to take it from there.  She is overweight and has arthritis and although we love her very much, we are choosing not to put her through the surgery.  The symptoms became clear on Thursday and that was when we brought her into the vet and she started the meds immediately that day.  Today is Tuesday, and she is not bleeding and seems to be improving.  Her eyes are bright and her nose is moist.  Has anyone experienced positive outcome from just the antibiotics alone?  I know the chances of pyometra reoccurring are very high but we just want a bit more time with our dog before we know we will have to put her down.  She does not seem to be suffering.  She's not drinking as much water, she never really lost her appetite (just ate a little less) and her bleeding has stopped.  Is this a good sign??

[ginger899]

These do seem like good signs. What does your vet think?
Certainly, in the circumstances, it is worth trying antibiotic therapy. Especially as she doesn't seem to be suffering, and is even improving a little daily! If I were in your position, I think I would do exactly the same as you.
Good luck! and hope she gets better and better, and does make a full recovery.
Of course you will have to be very vigilant in the future, and watch for any signs this is starting again. It is possible it won't of course. There is just a risk of it coming back.

[nacole757]

I haven't had a chance to speak to my vet today.  I left a message and she called back after I went to work.  Thanks so much for the encouraging words...it does seem like she's improving for sure!!  

[nacole757]

Well, unfortunately I don't have good news!!  My dog has started bleeding again!!  I spoke with my vet yesterday and she wasn't as enthusiastic about my dogs improvement as I was.  She said that it didn't mean much that she had temporarily stopped bleeding,  I'm so confused as to what to do.  My dogs is 12 and I don't feel it fair to spay her at her age as she hardly her gets off her bed as it is.  How is the incision suppose to heal?  And from what the vet says...she probably has other issues going on too.  All this has already been quite expensive and I can't justify spending thousands just for us to still have our beloved dog around for a little longer.   It's not fair for th dog to have to suffer through all the poking and prodding.  HELP...what do I do???

[ginger899]

If you really, really believe the spaying surgery is out of the question....
Then I believe you do know what you must do.
God bless you. And your good dog.