Prengant - Due in Week - WILL NOT EAT

[No Quarter Kennel]

Ok, this isn't normal. This is not the denning up procedure.

I've got a 10 year old bitch bred.
She is pregnant.
Stopped eating 3 days ago - problem is, she stopped eating almost 10 days prior to whelp date.

Lost a ton of weight.
Looks bad.

I've got her on Pen and Ceph, she's had nothing for three days except buttermilk and honey.
She will not eat anything I've put in front of her. Sardines, tuna, canned food, etc. - Nothing

Zero milk production as well.
More distended belly today than yesterday.

What can someone take with all of this info and shoot me some ideas?

[wrknapbt]

Ok, this isn't normal. This is not the denning up procedure.

I've got a 10 year old bitch bred.
She is pregnant.
Stopped eating 3 days ago - problem is, she stopped eating almost 10 days prior to whelp date.

Lost a ton of weight.
Looks bad.

I've got her on Pen and Ceph, she's had nothing for three days except buttermilk and honey.
She will not eat anything I've put in front of her. Sardines, tuna, canned food, etc. - Nothing

Zero milk production as well.
More distended belly today than yesterday.

What can someone take with all of this info and shoot me some ideas?


Just a shot in the dark but the last bitch I had that did that ended up having closed pyro (spelling)

[No Quarter Kennel]

DING DING DING.....We have a winner.

The thing throwing me off this entire time, is she was showing pregnant for 3 weeks. I've never had a dog with that type of infection, knowing she's toxic, and do as well and last as long.

Had to put her down.

[SGC]

I'm sorry you lost her. These dogs are stoic and don't always show when they are really ill.

[Officially Retired]

DING DING DING.....We have a winner.
The thing throwing me off this entire time, is she was showing pregnant for 3 weeks. I've never had a dog with that type of infection, knowing she's toxic, and do as well and last as long.
Had to put her down.


Anytime a bulldog doesn't eat for 2 days, it needs a vet.

Surprised you haven't heard of pyometra yet; it's a killer and it's fairly common in elder bitches.

Anytime any bitch comes out of heat (bred or not), you need to be aware of the potential for pyometra.

Lethargy, inappetence, bloat, tremendous thirst, etc. are all telltale signs.

I am sorry for your loss, but I am even sorrier your bitch had to go through all that for so long, without reprieve, because you didn't do anything. It is an agonizing way to go for them.

Jack

[heritage]

Sorry to hear that NQ , that sucks.

[No Quarter Kennel]

Anytime a bulldog doesn't eat for 2 days, it needs a vet.

Surprised you haven't heard of pyometra yet; it's a killer and it's fairly common in elder bitches.

Anytime any bitch comes out of heat (bred or not), you need to be aware of the potential for pyometra.

Lethargy, inappetence, bloat, tremendous thirst, etc. are all telltale signs.

I am sorry for your loss, but I am even sorrier your bitch had to go through all that for so long, without reprieve, because it is an agonizing way to go for them.

Jack

Hey Jack

First, I've had pyometra. Typical stuff, about half way through pregnancy, or a little longer, bitch wouldn't eat, thirsty, all the classic signs. Had discharge and everything. We hit her with a prostaglandin protocal and it worked out and we saved here. Not big deal.

This one, was different. Same kind of time frame, doesn't want to eat. She looke pregnant, so I palpated and didn't get anything convincing me she was. But, just to play it safe, I hit her with ceph and pen for a few days and she started eating the very next day. Appetite was good, eyes and attitude, all good. No discharge of any kind. A week or so goes by, she's acting normal.

Well, about 2 weeks from whelping date, she won't eat again. Again, no discharge of any kind. I do some things to keep her hydrated and fed and play it by ear for a few days. That was the other things, absolutely no drinking at all. I'd never had a closed pyo before, so all the symptoms that are normally there with pyo, was not, in my experience anyways except the not eating.

So, long story short, took her in, it was a closed pyometra and she was put down. Some factors that went into that were:
1. She's 10 and although decent shape, not great shape. Current sick condition may not allow her to get out of a surgery
2. She had two litters in her life, none over 3 pups - likelyhood of getting pups after fixing this, if we did, was zip, imo
3. She's a brood dog - not a pet
4. She had cancer - mild, but it was still there.

So, imo, considering all in front of me, we did the right thing.

It is only the second pyometra I've had, one open and one closed.

As for preventative measures, what can I do to prep a female to ensure this doesn't happen? Any ideas? I'm all ears.

Thanks to all you fellows with kind words

[CRISIS]

I have no clue what the cause was or what happened......but i DID notice one thing you said.....
"i hit her with some ceph for a few days"

If u only gave it for a few days, u didnt administer a full cycle......if u didnt administer a full cycle then chances are you didnt kill the infection and probably made it stronger when it did strike back....

Again i dont know if thats rellevant or not....but it could be........

[No Quarter Kennel]

I know everyone likes to have input, but it was 10 days. I will have to be more specific and literal from now on it seems.
Cephalexin, nor pen, nor a combo, would've done a thing to stop this from happening, knowing what it was now.

Sorry for the general, type as I speak thing. I'll try to be much more literal from now on as to eliminate confusion.

[Officially Retired]

Jack
First, I've had pyometra. Typical stuff, about half way through pregnancy, or a little longer, bitch wouldn't eat, thirsty, all the classic signs. Had discharge and everything. We hit her with a prostaglandin protocal and it worked out and we saved here. Not big deal.

What you're describing is open pyometra, where the cervix stays "open" and allows the pus in the uterus to flow out. Although nastier-looking, this is nowhere near as severe a malady as closed pyometra, where the cervix stays "closed," and does not allow the pus to discharge, which means the pus actively builds-and-builds inside the bitch's uterus. Although "cleaner" on the outside, closed pyometra quickly becomes an agonizing and fatal condition, because the bitch's entire body turns septic with all of that pus build-up inside.




Jack
This one, was different. Same kind of time frame, doesn't want to eat. She looke pregnant, so I palpated and didn't get anything convincing me she was. But, just to play it safe, I hit her with ceph and pen for a few days and she started eating the very next day. Appetite was good, eyes and attitude, all good. No discharge of any kind. A week or so goes by, she's acting normal.


The bitch hadn't developed a full-blown case early-on, but only later ...




Jack
Well, about 2 weeks from whelping date, she won't eat again. Again, no discharge of any kind. I do some things to keep her hydrated and fed and play it by ear for a few days. That was the other things, absolutely no drinking at all. I'd never had a closed pyo before, so all the symptoms that are normally there with pyo, was not, in my experience anyways except the not eating.
So, long story short, took her in, it was a closed pyometra and she was put down. Some factors that went into that were:



Well, there you have it, closed pyometra. Glad you know the difference now. For future reference (and for others reading this), there is a basic rule of thumb with any pregnant bitch: if they don't eat, there is something seriously wrong with them and they need a vet. Pregnant bitches require double (and even triple) the caloric intake of non-pregnant bitches, so anytime they won't eat at all, they need to be examined immediately. Whatever is wrong with them isn't going to be good (be it extreme worm infestation, pyometra, acute metritis, or whatever). Any pregnant bitch who stops eating needs to see a vet period. "Home care" will almost invariably be their demise and/or the demise of the pups.




Jack
1. She's 10 and although decent shape, not great shape. Current sick condition may not allow her to get out of a surgery
2. She had two litters in her life, none over 3 pups - likelyhood of getting pups after fixing this, if we did, was zip, imo
3. She's a brood dog - not a pet
4. She had cancer - mild, but it was still there.
So, imo, considering all in front of me, we did the right thing.
It is only the second pyometra I've had, one open and one closed.
As for preventative measures, what can I do to prep a female to ensure this doesn't happen? Any ideas? I'm all ears.
Thanks to all you fellows with kind words

I am not second-guessing your decision to put her down. A 10-year-old bitch with closed pyometra is an automatic spay, so she'd be useless as a brood dog, and (unless you were really attached to her) the cost of getting a spay while the uterus is infected is prohibitive. So most breeders would put an old bitch down with the same problem.

What I am saying is, because you kept her home for so long before you took her to the vet, your old bitch died an agonizing death over a span of many days and suffered needlessly. Had she been taken to the vet early, within one day of her not eating, the problem could have been identified early, and she wouldn't have had to suffer for so long, because the condition is horribly painful. I am not saying this to be critical; I am merely saying this because it's the truth--and I want other people to realize this too.

Bottom Line: No bitch who's pregnant and doesn't eat should be left to "home care"; they should be taken to the vet immediately because 99% of the time they are deathly-ill or headed in that direction and need to be evaluated immediately by a professional.

Sorry for your loss,

Jack

[No Quarter Kennel]

No problem and no criticism taken. If I had that weak an attitude, I wouldn't share any of this on this board for others to learn from. No need to keep an learning experience all to myself.

Is there a preventative measure that can be taken to ensure a cleaner environment? What can we do, as breeders, to maximize our potential of a clean uterus and limit the potential of pyometra even occuring in the first place? If there is any.

Thanks

[Officially Retired]

No problem and no criticism taken. If I had that weak an attitude, I wouldn't share any of this on this board for others to learn from. No need to keep an learning experience all to myself.
Is there a preventative measure that can be taken to ensure a cleaner environment? What can we do, as breeders, to maximize our potential of a clean uterus and limit the potential of pyometra even occuring in the first place? If there is any.
Thanks

Unfortunately, no.

My understanding is that pyometra has nothing to do with a "clean environment," but more to do with hormonal fluctuations in the bitch which create the haven for bacteria. Thus it is an anomaly within the bitch.

The number 1 thing you can do to prevent pyometra in a bitch you want to keep is spay. Yet even that doesn't work 100% of the time as "what's left" of the reproductive area can still get infected (albeit, it's much less likely to do so). The next best thing is what you did: breed the bitch. My understanding is breeding the bitch changes the hormone cycle and it is what is recommended be done with pyometra bitches left intact: breed them till not needed, then spay.

Obviously, putting a bitch down is the most expedient way to never have to deal with that problem again.

Jack