My dog is an unspayed female Shih Tzu whose age is
estimated to be around 5-6yr old (no exact age as we
adopted her when she was found abandoned and in bad
condition). Her weight is 3.95kg.
Her last heat ended around 30th November 2011. She is
suffering from bad case of skin problem and is drinking
more water and has slimmed down. Her appetite is good
with no vomiting and diarrhoea. No discharge or blood in
urine observed.
I sent my dog to the vet for her skin problem and the
blood test results showed elevated WBC (26.92+). As she
is observed to be drinking more water coupled with
elevated WBC and her unspayed status, the vet suspected
it might be closed pyometra.
No X-ray or ultrasound was done due to financial
concerns. Skin scrape was negative for demodex.
According to the vet, blood work showed no other
abnormalities. However, her T4 readings is quite low
(1.3) on the normal range (1.1-4.0 UG/DL).
I can email you the blood work results once I get them
scanned should you require them.
Vet prescribed Baytril 50mg tablet(1/2 tablet daily) and
to recheck in 2 weeks time. She is also too skinny and
vet gave Troy Nutripet gel to supplement her diet.
I am very concerned about the dangers of pyometra and
would like to seek your advice. As her body is already
stressed by her skin condition and her malnourished
state, I am very lost.
I do not know if putting her on the antibiotics and
supplementing her health in preparation for the surgery
while observing for sudden changes before the next
consult would be advisable? Or should I just opt for
early surgery since her blood work suggests generally
healthy organ functions.
Do you think it is possible for her to be operated by
you without performing the imaging tests? What is your
estimated total charges for the surgery? Please kindly
advise. Thank you very much.
Best Regards
Name given
E-MAIL REPLY
FROM DR SING DATED FEB 28, 2012
I am Dr Sing. Thank you for your email.
It is risky to diagnose closed pyometra by email
without examination of the patient. I will give
you my opinions based on your email report on the
understanding that it is best to have an
examination by me, if practical.
1. Closed pyometra occurs in a dog that has her
heat period around 2-3 months ago and your dog was
in this situation. She had increased white cell
count and was drinking more. I presume she has
weight loss over the last 2-3 months. Pl email
your vet's reports and blood test results.
2. However, skin disease and poor health can also
cause increased white cell count and thirst due to
skin infections and itchiness. Drugs may also
increase thirst or appetite if your vet had
earlier treated the dog.
3. As your dog has good appetite and no vomiting,
it is possible that, at the time of consultation,
she does not have closed pyometra, assuming she
had not been given any drug to treat her skin
disease or other health problems.
QUESTIONS
3.1. Did your vet palpate the abdomen and let you
know the results of his or her palpation as to
whether he or she felt an enlarged uterus?
Abdominal palpation is an alternative to X-rays
and ultrasound and if the uterus is enlarged, it
can be palpated by the vet. Closed pyometra can be
confirmed just by palpation but imaging is
sometimes necessary to "convince" the owner of the
presence of the enlarged uterus.
3.2 Did your dog have fever at the time of
consultation? What was the rectal temperature?
3.3 When did the weight loss start? Was it after
November 30, 2011 or was the dog losing weight for
many months?
4. In reply to your questions about spaying your
dog without imaging, it is possible. My estimated
charges for the operation would be around
$250-$300 for a normal spay and around $500 - $600
for a pyometra spay as this takes a longer time
and requires IV drip.
5. It is prudent to wait 2 weeks or longer for
your dog to recover from the infection and put on
weight, before any spay surgery is attempted. The
skin disease should be cured first. The cause of
the weight loss may be due to the start of closed
pyometra if weight loss is recent.
Another blood test can be done to check the total
white cell count prior to surgery, if possible.
6. Closed pyometra is sometimes difficult to
diagnose when the uterus is not full of pus.
Usually there is loss of appetite. Yet you said
your dog has "good" appetite but is losing weight.
Why? A typical Shih Tzu with good appetite at
middle age should be weighing more than 3.95 kg,
at around 5-6kg. Therefore, I don't think that
your dog has "good appetite."
I hope the above answers your questions.
Tips for Dog Owners
The best time to spay your dog is 2 months after the end
of heat
TOA
PAYOH VETS
