# tragedy - anyone heard of pyometra?



## alsublett (Jan 9, 2008)

A friend of mine lost her precious girl this morning. She started throwing up late Saturday night. My friend assumed it was because of her pregnancy. She was about 6.5 weeks along, pups were growing, she looked great. Vet cleared her as "perfect"... Sunday the puking continued. She took her in to the emergency vet, they did surgery. They removed her uterus, the dead babies, had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop... then, she had to make the decision to put her down. It is HORRIBLE.:uhoh:

The vet said that this "pyometra" is just about unheard of... anyone heard of it?

My friend is destroyed. I hate it for her. I am holding my two pups a little closer tonight.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

That is such a sad, sad stoy, and yes I have heard of it. If I am not mistaken, that is one good reason to get females spayed if You are not going to breed them, and then done when breeding yeas are over.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Pyometra is infection of the uterus. Our Apache had this a few weeks after a heat cycle and had to be spayed. Our vet said not too uncommon but definately a reason to get a female spayed if she isn't being bred. Have never heard of it DURING a preg. though. I'm so sorry for your friend... what a horrible tragedy.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Yes, I've heard of it. I was on the waiting list for a pup and the breeder almost lost her precious girl named Morgan to it. Thankfully Morgan survived, but she was awfully sick. I was just glad that Morgan survived. Hugs to your friend.


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## Argos' Mom (Jun 2, 2008)

That is so so sad. My heart just breaks for your friend. I've never heard of pyometra but I'm going to look it up. I can only imagine how her much this broke her heart. Makes me wanna hold my great big boy.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Actually, pyometra is not uncommon. It is not very common but it is not uncommon. Of the 4 of us in Goldens who are close, 3 of us have had at least one bitch with it. None of us has lost a bitch to it, but it was close in at least 2 instances.

There is a good explanation of it here:

http://vetsurgerycentral.com/pyometra.htm

I almost lost my Rikkie to it-very similar circumstances to what your friend experienced. She was so sick that they couldn't even operate on her, or we would have lost her for sure. They waited 24 hours and then were forced to operate-she was very close to dying. It was touch and go, and a very very very long recovery for her. They could not save the uterus, so she was spayed. I didn't care at that point, as long as they could save my girl.

I am so sorry for your friend-this is a terrible thing to have happen, and it does indeed seem to sneak up very fast sometimes, with little warning, especially if you think you have a pregnant girl.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Unfortunately it is not that rare. There is open and closed pyometra. Open has a much better chance of not being fatal where as closed quite often is fatal due to the fact that there are no outward signs till the bitch is VERY sick. It is one of the reasons Lucy is scheduled to be spayed next Monday.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I almost lost a girl at 7 years old many years ago to it. The vet said her uterus was so bad that it bled when he touched when he was taking it out. That was when I swore to spay (and neuter) my pets from that point on.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Pyometra is not unheard of at all, and is much more common than people realize. It is more commonly seen in non-pregnant bitches, athough it does occur in bred bitches. It is the result of the hormonal surge of estrogen, and the increasing levels of progesterone, which are very hard on the uterus. This is why it is important to spay bitches that are not to be bred. My CanAm Ch Halltree Lyric Moment, CD,OD pyo'd - a very bad, closed pyo. We chose to treat her. At the time (1991) what we did was considered extremely "cutting edge". We were able to not only save her, but she blessed us with 2 more litters after that. I spayed her immediately after her 3rd litter, and she lived to just shy of 16.

I am very sorry for your friend, this is doubly tragic to have lost the litter as well as the dam.




alsublett said:


> A friend of mine lost her precious girl this morning. She started throwing up late Saturday night. My friend assumed it was because of her pregnancy. She was about 6.5 weeks along, pups were growing, she looked great. Vet cleared her as "perfect"... Sunday the puking continued. She took her in to the emergency vet, they did surgery. They removed her uterus, the dead babies, had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop... then, she had to make the decision to put her down. It is HORRIBLE.:uhoh:
> 
> The vet said that this "pyometra" is just about unheard of... anyone heard of it?
> 
> My friend is destroyed. I hate it for her. I am holding my two pups a little closer tonight.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I hadn't heard of it until I visited Ike's Breeder. They had lost an older female that they were no longer breeding, she had become the family pet. They were devastated. They're spaying there retired females now.


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## Aprilpa (Mar 24, 2008)

Unfortunately it isn't that uncommon. I assisted in several of these surgeries while at the clinic and not all of them had great outcomes. The vet actually had a saying; "Never let the sun set on a pyometra." (Suffice to say, we did alot of after hours surgeries!) A dog can present with one and seem fairly stable and be dead hours later. We had several owners bring in dogs they thought were bred and gaining weight, eating more, and vomiting due to a pregnancy. Unfortunately it was due to an infected uterus full of pus not puppies. It happens alot more often in older, unspayed females after a heat, which is yet another reason to spay your dog if it isn't being bred. My mother in law lost her sheltie a couple years ago to a pyometra.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

My friend has lost two of her English Mastiffs to it. One was a very promising show puppy that she had paid an outrageous price for. The other was her eight year old.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Spaying a bitch with a pyo is more complicated than a routine spay. She is already debilitated (especially those with a closed pyo), the blood vessels are more engorged, and even the most careful handling of the uterus during removal can cause a tear, risking a dump of pus into the abdominal cavity resulting in peritonitis.
We always dreaded these surgeries in our practice. And the word pyometra strikes fear in the hearts of all breeders.





Aprilpa said:


> Unfortunately it isn't that uncommon. I assisted in several of these surgeries while at the clinic and not all of them had great outcomes. The vet actually had a saying; "Never let the sun set on a pyometra." (Suffice to say, we did alot of after hours surgeries!) A dog can present with one and seem fairly stable and be dead hours later. We had several owners bring in dogs they thought were bred and gaining weight, eating more, and vomiting due to a pregnancy. Unfortunately it was due to an infected uterus full of pus not puppies. It happens alot more often in older, unspayed females after a heat, which is yet another reason to spay your dog if it isn't being bred. My mother in law lost her sheltie a couple years ago to a pyometra.


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Another reason why all my female dogs have been spayed. I worked with a woman while in grad school who nearly lost her precious poodle to pyometra. And while living in Moscow, a semi-stray dog who would hang out at the apartment building where I lived got really sick, was shaking, etc., so I managed to get a Russian vet to spay her. A very nice ambulance picked her up and transported her. I picked her up with my Russian driver a few days later. The whole pyometra surgery, hospitalization, antibiotics and everything cost only $125. I saw Linda (the dog) 5 years later when I was in Moscow getting Julia, and Linda seemed to remember me.

Please tell your friend how sorry I am.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

My cousin lost his 11 yr. old Lab, Molly, to pyometra. I had been telling him to spay her for years. I told him about pyometra being a horribly painful disease that intact females could suffer from. He wouldn't listen to me, and insisted it was "natural" to keep her intact. He lost her 5 years ago, and I know he still feels guilty and that he let her down. 

I worked at a spay/neuter surgery center for almost 3 years and saw quite a few cases. Without a doubt, one of the most important reasons to spay if they're not being bred. What I found most unusual is that most people were not aware of this condition. Floors me that vets would not discuss this life threatening issue with their clients while, hopefully, advocating spaying. And then to hear that this vet said that it's unheard of is very frustrating to me. :doh: 

Oh well, if there are still vets out there that don't educate their clients, at least there's forums like this one to learn from.

Karen, Chance and Savanah *RB*


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

This is one of the most heart breaking stories I have ever heard. My heart is literally broken into bits.

I am PRAYING for your friend. I just CANT imagine what she is feeling. I am sorry for you all.
I too, will be holding Buddy extra close today as well.
RIP sweet one.

Victoria and Buddy


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## linncurrie (Jan 25, 2008)

The word "pyometra" is feared amongst cat breeders. I came very very close to losing both our gorgeous Star as well as my love Bibi Babette to pyometra. Emergency spays and a couple of days in ICU pulled them through. By the time you see the signs it is too late to save the uterus.

I feel for your friend.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm so sorry for your friend's loss.

Our Lab Carrie.....who lived to be 17, developed pyometra at about 8 yrs of age. Her's was an "open" pyometra, which wasn't difficult to discover. She kept licking herself, and when I checked, I saw the discharge. We had her treated with antibiotics, which cleared it up, and then had her spayed soon after.

Closed pyometra isn't as easy to "diagnose" for the routine pet owner, and is something that nobody wants their female to get. However, as everyone has mentioned.....it's not an unusual illness.

I tend to spay late.....after 4 yrs of age usually (but well before 8 - Carrie was DH's dog before I came into the picture), but do always keep a close eye on them, especially after a heat cycle.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

Sadly pyometra is not uncommon. I have known of three people whose dogs have suffered with this - 2 survived, 1 did not. I admit to never having heard of it in a pregnant dog.


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## twinny41 (Feb 13, 2008)

Yes, have heard of it. Meg had closed pyo and was very poorly but survived. Her sister was not as lucky and died. My previous dog also had it. Would always recommend having a bitch spayed if not going to breed to avoid this life threatning condition and the potential for mammary tumours in later life. I have never heard of it in a pregnant dog either. How sad.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Our dog when I was a little girl died of this I think. We didn't know she'd gotten pregnant (I was 7) she became ill, it ended up the puppies had died inside her and she was full of infection. She died. I'll always remember. and have always had my females spayed.


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## arcane (Sep 18, 2007)

I am so very sorry. It is so hard losing your bitch. I know  please pass on my sincere condolences.


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## RedWoofs (Apr 19, 2008)

My condolences to your friend. That is so tragic.

Our GR Treacle had it. She was passing blood and luckily the vet saved her life with surgery. We were so thankful!
YES fix dogs if not breeding them!


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## Eupher (May 9, 2008)

Tahnee GR said:


> Actually, pyometra is not uncommon. It is not very common but it is not uncommon. Of the 4 of us in Goldens who are close, 3 of us have had at least one bitch with it. None of us has lost a bitch to it, but it was close in at least 2 instances.
> 
> There is a good explanation of it here:
> 
> ...



The link didn't work for me, Linda, but I very much appreciate your expertise and knowledge (across the entire forum, not just on this subject).

For a noob like me, you bring a lot to the party. Thank you.


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## allux00 (Mar 2, 2008)

I'm so sorry for your friends, and a double shame about the pups, too  I've only heard about pyo from this board, and I'm sorry your friend had to go through it =(


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*So Sorry*

I am so sorry for your friend and the loss of her beloved Golden.
They both will be in my prayers!:bigangel::bigangel:


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