Why is my unspayed dog feverish with no appetite? Is it pyometra?

I'm sorry Cher isn't feeling well! I would be very concerned that she may have a pyometra, which is a life threatening infection of the uterus. While her temperature is a low fever (a dog's normal temperature is 38.3-39.2C), being sick and holding the bum in the air can be a sign of a pyometra. A pyo is fatal without treatment, so it's best Char is seen by a vet now. Should she have a pyo, spaying her is part of the recommended treatment.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on this bloodwork I can see that she is anemic, has elevated inflammatory cells, has low chloride and sodium and perhaps a slightly elevated creatinine (which can signal kidney issues though I cannot read it well there). These are not indicative of any disease in particular. This can be due to an infection for sure though. Other possibilities include an inflammatory condition, among other possibilities. I highly recommend you contact the veterinarian that has been treating her to discuss this bloodwork and proceed with therapy accordingly as she has not improved completely. They know her case better and would be able to help further. Best of luck!

This sounds like a pretty complex situation, and I'd agree that an infection of some sort seems likely with a high WBC. I'd be worried about something viral, perhaps even meningitis, especially if it seems that she has neck pain, but that's basically a guess on my part. She should be tested for tick-borne diseases (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichia, babesia, Lyme) if that hasn't been done. I'm not sure how far you are from a specialty hospital, but it sounds like she's still not out of the woods, and in the absence of a definitive diagnosis, I too would be worried. I would recommend taking Sky to a specialty hospital, where they might be more capable of diagnosing the problem and getting her the appropriate treatment.

My next step would be to send off blood for a test for plague (Yersinia pestis) and Tularemia, especially if your dog has access to areas where there are rodents, squirrels and rabbits. These would not be included in regular blood work. You may also want tod discuss a disease called malignant hyperthermia with your veterinarian. Other common causes of "fever of unknown origin" would be tumors, however your vet apparently ruled those out with blood tests, ultrasound, and xray and possibly blood parasites such as Ehrlichia spp, Babesia spp and similar. A heartworm test may also be advisable.

Poor girl. I am unsure if she is spayed or not, but if she isn't she could have an infected uterus (pyometra), overheated, a current tick borne disease (i.e. Ehrlichia is a possible cause if she was currently re-infected), etc. Skin infections very rarely will cause a systemic increase in body temperature, so this is likely not the cause. I am sorry there are no vets open right now, but it is good that she i still eating well and relatively alert. I would make a point to get her seen as soon as the vet opens for some bloodwork analysis to start. She may need additional tests to put all the pieces together and figure out what exactly is going on internally. Best wishes with Chichi and I hope she feels better soon. Take care.

I'm sorry Scruffy isn't doing well! I see that she isn't spayed, which makes me concerned that her symptoms could be caused by a pyometra. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. It would make her lethargic, not want to move much, reduce her appetite, and will be painful. It could also be that she injured herself causing these symptoms. Because I can't see her in person and rule out a pyometra, my recommendation would be to monitor her very closely. If you see any discharge coming from her vaginal area, her belly becomes larger, she starts vomiting, and/or won't move at all, these can be signs of a pyometra and she absolutely cannot wait until tomorrow to see a vet. In that case, rush her into an ER vet; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet will be found on a clinic's answering machine or website. I would hold off on food after midnight tonight and do not give her any breakfast in the morning in case the vet wants to take x-rays and needs to sedate her. She can have water, however. Rest her as much as possible. Get her into a vet as soon as possible if the symptoms you describe continue in the morning. If she does have a pyometra, spaying her is part of the recommended treatment. Good luck, I hope this helps!

The problem here is to establish the underlying cause of thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is one of the most common causes. This process usually occurs in the spleen although the liver also plays a role. Thrombocytopenia develops as platelet destruction exceeds compensatory production by the bone marrow. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia can be classified as primary or secondary. Secondary processes can be caused by infective diseases or tumors very commonly. Usually to determine a diagnosis more tests needs to be performed like abdominal ultrasound and chest x rays. Infective diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplasma spp for example should be ideally evaluated as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum (where you can post pics of the blood tests) or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.