Our question this week was:I have an English bulldog (5yr) that had pyometra which vet gave shot and pills - all drainage seems to be gone and dog seems to be feeling ok.... dog has never been bred ...would like to have 1 litter from her and then have her spayed.. Do you think this is possible or am I just asking for trouble?
Thanks
Elsa CreedAnswerHi – thanks for your email. Personally, I think it is possible but also think you are asking for trouble. Here is some information from our article on Pyometra.
Pyometra is the medical term used to describe an infected uterus. This infection can be open (draining pus from the vagina) or closed (pus is contained in the uterus by a closed cervix). It can be life-threatening.
Medical management of pyometra involves the injection of hormones, called prostaglandins, to change the environment in the uterus. Antibiotics are also given. Medical treatment of pyometra is not recommended.
It takes two days for the hormone injections to take effect, during which the pet could die of infection or kidney failure. There is also a high incidence of recurrence of pyometra with medical management. Furthermore, not all pets respond to this therapy and require life-saving surgery after this therapy has failed.
Spaying an animal that has pyometra remains the best standard of care. This therapeutic course will unfortunately render a potentially valuable breeding animal sterile but it will likely save her life.An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is "
Pyometra in Dogs"
Best of luck!
Dr. Jon
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