A risk for unspeyed female dogs (and cats).

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Pyometra in a dog – a very close call for Ashleigh

To spey or not to spey that is the question. The standard spey or Ovariohysterectomy (removal of the ovaries and uterus) is performed in animals to prevent them coming into season, prevents mammary (breast cancer), ovarian cancer and uterine disease such as endometriosis, endometritis and uterine cancer.

In Ashleigh’s case she came into season 1 month previously. She appeared fine till she spiked a temperature started vomiting and was grossly unwell.

At Vet HQ we performed emergency bloods that indicated mild anaemia and high inflammatory cell count. We then performed an ultrasound that showed a large fluid filled structure in the abdomen that we concluded to be a uterus filled with fluid. Finally we did an emergency surgery where we found a uterus that normally would be 1 cm in diameter was about 15 cm in diameter and contained 2.5 liters of pus. Another 24 hours and it was likely the uterus would rupture and Ashleigh would have likely died of peritonitis.