HUNTING DOGS: Pyometra is an infection that affects female specimens that are not mated or particularly elderly.
It is the natural consequence of an abnormal response of the uterus when progesterone is produced. Prevention, medical therapy and surgery can resolve this dangerous infection.
Pyometra is a bacterial infection that affects the uterus and appears in the period following the heat, when the animal's body begins to produce the hormone progesterone to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. Pyometra particularly affects bitches who are not given the opportunity to mate and can appear at any age.
In older bitches, pyometra is considered to be the consequence of an abnormal response of the uterus when progesterone is produced. The latter, in fact, preparing the uterus for pregnancy, generates the thickening of the uterus wall and an increase in the number of its glands.
These glands are the best place for embryo implantation and growth, but at the same time provide an ideal environment for bacteria to develop. In female specimens, pyometra appears due to the administration of estrogen by the veterinarian, to prevent pregnancy after mating or to cancel or prevent heat.
Pyometra is of two types, open cervix and closed cervix, depending on the condition of the uterine cervix, which is the structure that divides the uterus from the vagina.
In the case of an open cervix, the pus produced in the uterus flows out through the vagina, appearing as a vaginal discharge containing pus and blood. This drain appears 4-8 weeks after the heat ends.
In the case of pyometra with a closed cervix, pus accumulates in the uterus, gradually enlarging it: this pyometra is more difficult to detect on examination. In addition to any easily recognizable vaginal discharge, there are other symptoms of pyometra such as lethargy, depression, lack of appetite, thirst and excessive urination, vomiting and diarrhea.
If not taken action quickly, pyometra can cause serious damage to the body due to the toxins produced by the bacteria, which travel through the body through the blood, causing dehydration, shock, coma and eventually death.
To determine the presence of pyometra, blood tests are performed, with which an increase in white blood cells is observed, microscopic analysis of the vaginal smear, ultrasound, with which the size of the uterus is determined, and finally radiography.
To resolve this unpleasant and dangerous infection, surgery is performed with the complete removal of the uterus and ovaries, and medical therapy reserved exclusively for high-value breeding bitches. With this last intervention, very high costs are faced and, above all, possible serious side effects.
Furthermore, medical therapy is reserved only for bitches in good condition with open pyometra. This method consists in the administration of hormones, prostaglandins, which stimulate uterine contractions by favoring the expulsion of pus.
Along with hormones, antibiotics are also given for a long time. The therapy is performed under careful veterinary supervision, with hospitalization for a few days, in order to avoid possible complications.
If you choose medical therapy, it is good to know what could occur in terms of temporary side effects (45 minutes): restlessness, nausea, abdominal pain, fever and reduced heart rate. However, there is also the possibility of encountering permanent side effects, such as infertility and a greater predisposition to develop other pyometres.
To avoid the contraction of this infection, those who decide not to mate their bitch, must consider the possibility of neutering her at about 6 months of age. It is also possible to sterilize older bitches, which are no longer able to procreate.
The golden rule to follow when you want to get a dog is to be informed and be honest with yourself and with the animal. Repressing certain instincts is wrong; if you don't want a bitch going into heat, you should resort to neutering.