My old dog has pyometra. What happens if she avoids surgery?

First off, I'm sorry Maggie has a pyometra! Yes, you are correct that spaying her is the correct way to deal with it, and I do recommend having it done right away. The longer she has the pyometra, the sicker she will become, which will make the surgery more risky. Leaving it untreated is fatal, and in my opinion, it's better to have the surgery done and try to save her life even though you do take the chance she may not survive the surgery. I have seen numerous dogs and cats survive the surgery. One option you have is to euthanize her instead of doing the surgery. This will put her out of her suffering from the pyrometra, but it does mean you lose Maggie for sure. In same cases, such as with an open pyometra, medical treatment with antibiotics can be attempted, but that that often isn't successful and cannot be done with a closed pyometra. Only your vet can determine if medical treatment is an option for her. I would get her into a vet immediately, as the longer you delay treatment, the worse the prognosis is for her. You can discuss the options with the vet, and make the best choice for her and you. Best of luck!

Hello. The pus in her uterus is a very serious condition called pyometra. Usually, the best way to deal with this is to perform an ovariohysterectomy & spay her. The only time to consider treating this condition with medications is if Chuski is a valuable breeding animal. But you are risking her health & she could die from this. Please consider the surgery. Most dogs do very well if it is done before they get too sick. I hope she is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Taffy. Unfortunately, surgery is the only ways to cure her if this condition. The sooner it is performed, the better as she will be less debilitated. If her veterinarian will not perform the surgery due to the risk, then you will need to seek specialist care. Otherwise you will need to discuss euthanasia with her veterinarian if she is suffering. I am sorry about her situation and hope this information helps.

Surgery is in most of the cases the resolutive treatment and, if performed by an expert surgeon, it does not last more than 30 minutes, especially in small dogs. Medical treatment rarely is very effective. I would recommend to discuss with your veterinarian pros and cons of the anesthesia. Unfortunately holistic treatment won't be effective at this stage and for this type of disease.

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.

Antibiotics can be used, but they don't always cure a pyometra. The best treatment is surgery. If Narly cannot have surgery and she has cancer, it may be best to let her go peacefully. Pyometras make the dog extremely sick, and you do not want her to suffer if she cannot have surgery. There is no guarantee antibiotics will even help. I would speak to her vet about possibly letting her go if she can't have surgery. I am sorry.

In my opinion if she is not improving with medication after a few days I would do the operation. There is not another option if you've already tried antibiotics. She could die if you don't do the surgery. Anesthesia monitoring and giving fluids during the operation will decrease the risk for Kitty. Many senior dogs have surgeries without complications. Once the operation is done Kitty should recover quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kitty.