Meet Pink, A Chinese Crested Show Dog Who Needed Emergency Surgery For Her Pyometra

Symptoms:

Pink is a show girl. She has worked for many years to be a top performer and superstar. Her mom is a devoted caregiver and puts the health of her companions above all else. Her mom monitors her heat cycles. When they became a little wonky and Pink was not acting herself, or eating normally, she made a visit to come see me.
Here is a quick synopsis of Pinks;
July 2019 she had a urinary tract infection. treated and resolved with antibiotics. UTI’s typically are diagnosed by physical exam and urinalysis.
Nov 2019 Pink had abnormal vaginal discharge. She was also depressed, lethargic, and had a fever.

Diagnosis:

To diagnose pyometra I like to have the following in order;
1. Great concise history from the pet parent. Knowing the normal heat cycle, last heat cycle, and any and all changes in behavior, attitude, eating, drinking, and any kind of discharge matters.
2. Examination. I look for any signs of complicating factors to get a clear diagnosis. I am not so focused on “closed” versus “open” pyometras. A pyo is a pyo. There is an old saying that vets all share is, “never let the sun set on a pyo.”
Based on her exam and discharge we opted to do an exploratory surgery. It is important to say that her blood work was relatively normal. Her CBC was normal. I did not see a clear indication of her enlarged uterus on an xray. An ultrasound would have likely showed it.. We did not wait for this.
Her pyo was diagnosed

Treatment:

Pink went in for surgery the next morning,, about 12 hours after we diagnosed her.
Here is a list of her surgical treatments;
baseline anesthesia i.v. catheter, i.v. fluids, i.v. fluid pump $250
induction agent $60
pyometra $300
injectable analgesic $26
injectable antibiotic for surgery $22
analgesics to go home $30
antibiotic to go home $20
anesthesia additional $52
additional suture $60

Pink did very well. One of our biggest concerns was keeping a 6 pound hairless dog warm through her surgery. She woke up quietly and comfortably and did great!

Conclusion:

Pink was given everything she needed in a very timely fashion. That’s what makes the biggest difference in these cases. Prompt, thorough care. Too many people wait until their dog is really sick to get treatment, or, they try antibiotics, maybe dodge the first bullet for it to just happen again. Please have your dog spayed when t hey are young and healthy (and it is much cheaper!

This story is posted with Pink’s family’s permission.
The total below is for her initial exam, diagnostics, and surgery.

Want to read about other pyometra surgeries? Here is my blog and other cases I have worked on;

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2015/06/pyometra-challenge-of-finding-happy.html

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2016/05/pyometra-emergency-saving-your-pets.html

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2017/10/115-pyometras-left-this-er-alive_15.html

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2017/10/canine-pyometra-dog-edition-what-you.html

Here is my YouTube channel videos;