My dog is leaking after pyometra surgery. Is a second surgery needed?

Stump pyometra is a common sequela to retained ovarian tissue in the female dog. This can happen when the surgery was performed, As the ovary continues to produce progesterone and estrogen in cyclical fashion, any remaining endometrium is stimulated and fluid accumulation within the uterine stump occurs, increasing the chance for infection during diestrus. Ideally an ultrasound is needed to make sure there is no remnant of the ovaries left. If antibiotics are not effective, a bacterial swab should be ideally performed to identify specific type of bacteria and most appropriate antibiotic.

No, that is not normal. She should be put on broad spectrum antibiotics. There may be an infection in the uterine tissue that is remaining in the abdomen (stump pyometra). A second surgery may be needed to remove the infective tissue. The bloodwork shows a high white blood cell count indicating infection. Some of her liver enzymes are mildly elevated but I don't think they are significant at this time. She needs to be evaluated for a stump pyometra. ( https://healthtopics.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/canine/stump-pyometra )

Hi Maleeka! I'm sorry to hear that Mira has had these ongoing issues. It is uncommon to have a recurrent stump pyometra. At this point, other issues should be considered, such as an ovarian remnant syndrome (a portion of an ovary remained after a spay or was present in an abnormal location), contact with any human hormone creams/ointments, or resistance to the antibiotics being used. A 5 day course of amoxicillin is not likely to treat this type of issue. At this point, I strongly recommend taking Mira back to her vet for further evaluation, including a physical exam, blood testing (primarily to check her white blood cells), and possibly another surgery. She may need to have biopsy and culture samples taken of the uterine stump. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

It's a little difficult to see for certain in the picture, but I do see a fluid filled structure in the photo near the urinary bladder that certainly could be the uterus. In your final picture the discharge on the ground does not look what I would typically expect from vaginitis. You may want to get a third opinion from a veterinarian if you're concerned about going forward with surgery. If it is a uterine infection it is unlikely to clear with antibiotics alone and even if it does the infection returns with the next heat cycle, so I typically recommend surgery whenever I am concerned about a pyometra.

Symptoms of a stump pyometra include discharge, vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, increased thirst, and increased urination. Your vet can do a blood test and urinalysis to see if Chutki has a UTI as opposed to a stump pyometra.

I'm sorry Chutki has a pyometra. She won't get her another heat while having a pyometra. Unfortunately medical treatment of a pyometra frequently does not work, and surgery is the best option for her. It sounds like the treatment isn't working if she still has a discharge 15 days later, and this infection likely will get worse and can kill her if not treated correctly. I would strongly recommend getting her the surgery. Best of luck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Laika. Success ratios for pyometras (infected uterus) may differ between regions. However, most pyometra surgeries are up to 90% successful. Complications associated with this surgery include bleeding, peritonitis, spread of infection and abnormal heart rhythms. In a paper published in 2014, they found that these complications can be seen post-operatively in about 25% of cases. Post surgery Laika should be exercise restricted for 2 weeks until her stitches (if any) are removed. She should wear a cone to avoid her licking at her own incision and your veterinarian will likely give you antibiotics and pain medications to give her at home. Not following strict exercise restriction and wearing a cone may lead to her incision re-opening up or becoming infected. Post the 2 week period, Laika may resume her normal lifestyle. The only way to avoid this disease is by spaying her in her early age. This is generally a big surgery, we are going into the abdomen to remove infected friable tissue. So therefore, it is no longer considered a routine spay and as previously discussed, there are some complications that can be associated wth this procedure. Unfortunately, the other option to treat medically has only been proven to be about 60% effective in one paper and 25% on most other papers with a high re-currence rate. Ultimately the complication for not treating the pyometra or failed medical treatment includes a widespread infection which could lead to death. I would recommend moving forward with the surgery as soon as possible as it is the best way to treat this disease. Hope this helps and best of luck.