In Longhorn Country we say “the best offense is a good defense” or at Manchaca Road Animal Hospital “the best medicine is good preventative medicine”.
That held true this past October for an anxious patient of ours, “Moni”. This nine-year-old female blue merle Austrian Shepherd had a very painful abdomen on physical examination. Moni had an abnormal heat cycle three weeks prior to arrival at Manchaca Road Animal Hospital and her vulva was still swollen and enlarged with some brown mucous discharge.
One of our veterinarians ordered blood work and abdominal radiographs immediately since our work day had almost come to closing time. Moni’s labwork showed she had an infection and the x-rays confirmed the source of the infection. She had very large fluid-filled uterine horns. The diagnosis was pyometra, which is a very serious and deadly infection in the reproductive system.
The patient was put on pain medications, intravenous fluids, and antibiotics. We rushed her into emergency surgery to undergo an ovariohysterectomy, the surgical removal of Moni’s very fragile, Elgin sausage-like, pus filled uterus. Moni’s infected uterus weighed three pounds! Normally the entire uterus weighs two to four ounces. Moni was sent to Emergency Hospital for overnight observation and care. She recovered beautifully and is doing well at home with her family.
So the tip of the day is… Spay and neuter your pets early to avoid heartburn, a broken heart, or a hole in your wallet.