suspect pyometra :(

[Gumby and Elmo]

So far so good, the vet checked her and said the vaginitis has cleared, but when I asked him whether I can be sure that it hasn't travelled anywhere where it's not meant to, aka uterus, he said there's no way to be sure unless I opt to spay her. The meds are finished, her eating is back to 70%normal, I am just doing 1 round of EFL+lifeline now, just for the probiotics.
She was so wiggly at the vet, the vet said she must be feeling a lot better, she lost 18g during this time, the vet said its not abnormal, just need to keep an eye on her, if she loses more, bring her back in.

Another thing the vet suggested that I should consider was to spay her, he pointed out that chins who's had vaginitis might develop pyometra later, not saying they will, he said they might have a bigger chance, I keep thinking to myself that maybe Toffee got something into herself and got the infection, if so, then it shouldn't come back again nor develop into pyo.
He said it was something that he wanted me to consider as Toffee is at a suitable age for the op.

I personally don't want spay her, too risky IMO, I did ask the vet if later she does have pyo, open or closed, how much time would I have on my hands before she would die, since these things usually happen at night when everyone's asleep, if I could wait till morning to rush her in, then I'd rather wait till then, do it when I have to.
Any opinions on this?
I am supplementing Toffee with Tanya's supplement, I hope that can boost her immune system.

 

[Newt]

hmmm this is a really tough one. Until she goes on heat again, and her vagina opens, you're not going to know if there's any infection up there. When the vagina is open, it's easy to see infection on account of all the discharge.

I honestly don't know what to say; I guess it is completely up to you, and what you feel comfortable with.
Spays are hard on the chins, so I understand your reluctance. If you opt not to do it, you will have to watch Toffee very closely for any changes in behaviour and eating etc. Chins do tend to go downhill very quickly in closed pyometra cases, so you will have to be very alert. Keep weighing her every day, as weight loss is a good indicator of medical issues.

If it was me, I probably would have taken the surgical route as soon as the discharge appeared, but that is just me. You have to decide for yourself what you want for Toffee.

Here's hoping everything turns out fine for your little one *big hugs* for you and Toffee.

 

[Gumby and Elmo]

It is a very hard decision for me to make, i nearly lost my boy 8 yrs ago to a neuter op, the op itself came out fine, but he decided to stop eating completely, it was sooooo long before i finally got him back on track, and spaying is a much more complicated procedure.
so it is true that vagintis is related to pyometra? chins whos had vagintis are more prone to getting pyo in the future?
shes never been in breeding and i never will breed her, would that make any difference at all?
IF(knock on wood) she gets an infection again of any kind, either vagintis or the ugly one, the vet recommended i spay, i would probably spay her then.
so i think for now, i will watch her closely.
Newt, so if i watch her until next month when she goes in heat again, and shes normal, no discharge, does it mean shes ok for now, in terms of the bacteria travelling to her uterus during this time? if she stays dry and stuff, does it mean an all clear for now? i will weigh her every few days and monitor her activity, to me atm, she seems a happy chin again.


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[Newt]

From what I understand (I'm not a vet, so I've never made a study of it), pyometra and vaginitis are the same kind of infection (staph bacteria usually); the only difference is the site of the infection....in vaginitis the bacteria stay in the vaginal cavity, whereas in pyometra the bacteria spread up into the womb.

I dont know for 100% certain if getting vaginitis can make pyo more likely in the future... all I know for sure is that when you have an active vaginal infection there is a higher chance that it can lead into a womb infection later (ie, before the original vaginitis is cleared).

I dont think it is necessarily breeding related: neither of my two girls who had it were ever bred.

I would watch very carefully for discharge... I think I would check her every day to be honest. It is best to hold her and check her area carefully, as the amount of discharge can be small, yet still indicate infection.

If she goes onto heat next time, and you see no discharge between now and then, and no discharge during her heat period, then I would guess that means she is in the clear. However, as I said before, I'm not a vet, so the vet's opinion is much more important than mine.

 

[Gumby and Elmo]

yes thats more or less what the vet told me about the risks or getting pyo in relations to vagintis.
however he did not say anything about the window period, thank you for your help Newt, youve been very helpful, i'll keep a closer eye on her until next month.

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