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A life-threatening infection that EVERY female dog is vulnerable to but is barely known; pyometra.
This poor pup was recently rushed into emergency surgery after presenting with a swollen abdomen and lethargy. Upon examination by our team a diagnosis for pyometra was quickly reached.
Pyometra is a bacterial infection of the uterus, causing the womb to swell and fill with pus. Typically spurred on by a heat cycle that doesn't result in pregnancy, developments in the womb's lining and dilation of the cervix can create the perfect conditions for a bacterial infection to enter and take hold. Left untreated pyometra can result in kidney failure, bacterial septicaemia or even death, with the only hope for survival being removal of the uterus.
Thankfully for this brave pup her uterus was removed before things turned fatal. A post-surgery weigh-in revealed her uterus weighed a whopping 3.4kg - 15% of her body weight! She's now reunited with her family and on the road to recovery.
Pyometra is entirely avoidable through one simple action - desexing. The risk of pyometra only increases with age, with infection being common in older females. 1 in 4 undesexed female dogs will develop pyometra during their life. This is precisely why it's NEVER too late to desex!