Pymotra in Dog

I have a 12 year old Chihuahua, diagnosed with Pyometra.  Symptoms were lethargy, hard time walking, loss of appetite (hadn't eaten in 3 days), and bloated and hard abdomen.  The antibiotic, orbax, prescribed immediately resolved the dogs bloating and she was eating and slightly more active within one day.   The first day/night of antibiotics the dog was urinating or secreting a putrid smelling substance, which I believe was clear.  The second night she began spotting and today, the 3rd day on antibiotic,  it appears she is discharging puss.  Although the dog has shown and continues to show improvement, the Vet says it is only temporary.   He could not tell me how logn temporary is.  My dog also has an enlarged heart, which we've known about for some time.  All that said, isn't it more risky to try to put the dog through surgery than treat her with antibiotics?  Does anyone have any idea how long she could live with anitbiotics and would she be suffering during this time?  Should I be coming to the realization that it is time to put her down?

[have 2 kids]

I'm very sorry you are going through this.  I would think with her age and enlarged heart it would be very risky to put her through surgery.   Only you can make the decision but it sounds like it may be the best option to put her down.  You definately don't want her to suffer.   Good luck and may you find peace with your decision.

[ginger899]

By far the best solution to pyometra is surgery. In your vet's opinion -what are her chances with an enlarged heart? She may have some odds. Ask him to give you a frank answer about the possibility of her survival.
My mother was given less than a 30% chance of survival when she decided to have a mastectomy (breast cancer)age 83. And she actually came through just fine.

Antibiotics will definitely help her condition, but are usually not a permanent solution. If she is showing improvement, it may well be she will be ok for a while, then need another course of antibiotics at a later date. You will have to keep a careful watch on her for any deterioration or recurrence of symptoms in the future, even if she gets over this bout.

You know, surgery might be a good choice. It will be a very very hard decision to make, but if she comes through and receives careful nursing and after-care, she may go on fine afterwards. And if she doesn't make it through....well at least you will have tried. She will not feel a thing -just won't wake up.
I feel for you. I certainly do. My dog had pyometra last year. She came through the surgery ok, and healed ok. But it was a very tense 48 hours. The vet gave her a 50-50 chance because of her age.

[deadgamegrrl]

I had a bulldog that was born with several severe heart defects.  She was never spayed due to the belief that she would not survive.  However, if she had ended up with a condition that would be fatal or cause suffering if it continued, I would have done the surgery.  As ginger says, at least you will have tried.  Say your goodbyes before the surgery but hope for the best.  Dogs are fighters and she may do just fine.

You may want to discuss with your vet how much (if at all) she is suffering while on the antibiotics.  If she is responding and not in pain, you may want to let her regain her strength a little before proceeding.

Good luck and please let us know how you both are doing.

~~ dgg

[Margot49]

Nobody knows what's really going on with the dog but you and your Vet.  Was a blood panel done and is the WBC elevated?  Is there a chance that he could try her on Baytril IV for 12-24 hours but she would have to be  monitored.  You might ask him about that.  If he does not think that is an option to try, then I agree that I would probably opt for trying the spay surgery.
I only suggest that (long story) because I had a similar situation with a dog of mine post-whelping and the Baytril worked.
Only your Vet would be able to decide if that were an option to try.
Good luck.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello & welcome...I'm sorry your having to deal with this decision....I  want to add that because Pyometra is such a toxic infection, I'd be on the phone getting statistics from your vet!

If your dog is otherwise healthy w/ (Pre-anesthetic Bloodwork performed), I probably would try it.....I have a dog with an enlarged heart that has had many procedures done over the years.....She's 10 yrs. old (Or there abouts; Adopted).

Another one in the past had an enlarged heart because of heart disease....He was very old (12ish) when I adopted him & already sick....However his bloodwork always looked good and he also was put under many times for various things....He never had any problem!!!

I agree with Margot, I'd ask about IV antibiotics to get the infection under control faster and get her feeling better, first.....Take care and please come back and let us know how it's going........Karla

[ginger899]

I would definitely ask your vet about intravenous fluids too. It's my opinion that she should be hospitalized for a couple of days to do this properly.
The fluids are essential to flush out toxins from the system, and spare the kidneys which will bear the brunt of this infection, trying desperately to flush out the poisons in her system. It can affect the nephrons of the kidneys (filters) quite badly.

[ChitChatNine]

Sorry to read your post. My dog was 1.5yrs old when she had it. Awful disease for our pets. Today she is 8.5yrs old. Am sorry to learn of your tough decisions to make.  C-

[suegeorge]

i think my 15 year old  has pyometra. have just been reading about the symptoms. Do you think she is too old for surgery ? Please help!   sue.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Sue...The only way to tell if she's too old, is to have your Vet do a blood panel...Your Vet can determine from the lab work if your dog could withstand the surgery.....It's my understanding that this infection can take them quickly.....

If you will go to "Ginger 899" link, she talks alot about this disease as her own senior dog almost died of it a while back...She herself is out of town, but you can go read through her posts to get an idea of how dangerous her situation was.......I hope you girl can be diagnosed and treated quickly......Keep us updated & good luck, Karla

[ginger899]

I'm back again now, and only just read this post.
Suegeorge, I do hope all went well.....?  whatever happened?

I'll just throw out a few things in case you come back, or for anyone else's benefit.

Age isn't really the issue with major surgery, so much as general fitness is. If your dog is generally pretty fit and well, then they can sail through surgery just fine. Mine did, though it did take her a few days of some tender loving care and a few lay-ins by a log fire to fully recover. I'd say, all-in-all (she was nearly 13 when she had the surgery) -she did really well, but it took about a week-10 days for her to come right back to herself.
Pyometra is so dangerous I feel surgery really is the best option, even taking the risks into account.