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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on December 9, 2011 at 10:30pm

While this isn't a life threatening condition or anything, you need to be aware that this pup is going to cost you A LOT of money in her first 6-12 months of life. An inverted vulva means she is going to be constantly having urinary tract infections and vaginitis resulting in a lot of vet visits, a lot of antibiotics, a lot of urine cultures, and a lot of urinalyses. A heat may or may not fix the problem. If it fixes the problem, great, if not you are going to have to spend quite a bit of money on surgery to fix the problem. Remember they aren't going to go into heat until at least 6 months of age so you will have to deal with the issue until at least then. Also, in order to keep her from developing ulcerated skin, you are going to have to baby wipe her EVERY time she urinates. Just stuff to think about before you commit to the puppy. If nothing else the breeder should not  be charging you full price for the puppy because it will have continuous health problems until the issue is either resolved through surgery or resolved naturally after her first heat. One vet visit with a urine culture and antibiotics will easily cost you $200-$300 depending on where you live.

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Permalink Reply by iulia on December 11, 2011 at 3:57pm

Thank you so much for your feedback. You're absolutely right, those are all major aspects to consider before committing. It does seem like she has a very mild case of it which is encouraging. I've looked into getting some cranberry powder to add to her diet and have even found a good grain-free food that contains cranberry as well. I've done quite a bit of reading on the condition and possible complications and at this point I'm going to remain optimistic yet realistic at the same time. It sounds like this puppy might need a little extra attention with some things but I'm keeping my finger crossed that with some good holistic supplements, local hygiene and close monitoring we will all be OK. 

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on December 11, 2011 at 4:46pm

Glad you are still considering her and that your breeder  let you know what the vet found. I know Jennifer Markley on this site has a dog with this....maybe you can find her and ask her for more info.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on December 11, 2011 at 7:02pm

remember the cranberry is only going to change the pH of the urine and do nothing about the urine pooling, you will still have to wipe her everytime she goes potty until the issue is resolved to prevent infection and ulcerated skin. How far away is the breeder? Will she allow you to bring the puppy to your vet once she is 8 weeks old to get a 2nd opinion from somebody not associated with the breeder? That way you can still take her and have your vet evaluate her and determine if he/she thinks it is going to be a major financial/medical undertaking. One of the clients at my work had a bulldog with this issue, they paid $3000 for the dog then ended up having to spend over $3000 in medical bills to try to manage/fix the problem. In the end they couldn't afford to keep the dog anymore because the issue didn't go away on its own and required surgery and they just couldn't put any more money into her, they ended up giving her to one of our technicians for free bc they just wanted what was best for her and knew the technician could get the surgery done. So after falling in love with her, spending $6000 on her, and doing everything in their power, they ended up having to make the devastating decision to give her up. The issue really does come down to are you financially able/willing to deal with this. I personally would not pay full price for a dog with a known health issue strictly because I am spending an arm and a leg buying from a breeder so I can get a healthy puppy, defeats the purpose of spending all that money if you know the puppy is going to have costly health problems from the get go.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on December 11, 2011 at 5:12pm

Yes.  Seanna has this.  It wasn't noticed by the vet or the breeder until she was much older.  I had her spayed at 5 months I think, but if I had known I think I would have waited also.  According to the research, it is supposed to help.  Seanna got quite a few UTI's her first year of life, but mostly we've had to deal with struvite crystals.  We talked about doing surgery over a month ago, (for repeated vulvitis), but we've decided to wait.  Right now we are keeping her shaved down really well in that area, and that seems to be working great.  I do the cranberry also, it comes in tablet form, but you can get the "real" juice and mix it with food--Seanna will do both.  Not sure if that is helping or not, but it can't hurt.  We also have her on the Royal Canin s/o diet for the crystals, which is working well.  I personally wouldn't let it deter you from getting the dog, if you are financially able to keep up with the costs.  We've easily put over $1500 into all the urinary issues from the beginning, and the vet quoted us $500-$800 for the surgery if we decide to go that route.   Right now we are waiting to see if the trimming cures the issue.  I hate to put her through surgery, as I can't imagine having to pee after having surgery "down there"--OUCH!!  She is doing well with just the shaving, the vet is pleased, so I am pleased.  Seanna however, is not.  She has learned to cross her back legs quite well to keep us from getting to her vulva to inspect/shave it.  Who-duve thunk?  They don't have any legs to cross!!  It's really quite cute.  Her daddy is really proud, as he doesn't like to think of any boys going around his girls' parts....animal or human.  :-)

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Permalink Reply by iulia on December 11, 2011 at 6:12pm

I appreciated the fact that the breeder was honest and mentioned the issue. She said she has been breeding for 30+ years and did not notice it herself until the vet pointed it out and even then, it seemed to be a very mild case that was barely noticeable. One again, I'm trying to remain objective and slightly wonder if putting it that way wasn't in some shape or form an attempt to minimize the problem. 

I ordered the cranberry in powder form - I was hoping that sprinkling it over food might be a sneakier way to do it as opposed to trying to make her take a pill. I've only ever given pills to cats before and they hate it alright. 

I'm certainly not letting it change my mind about adopting her. I just want to make sure I know what I'm in for both financially and care wise.  It does sound like delaying spaying is a promising outlook. 

The shaving would probably not be a bad idea, especially since my girl is a fluff. And that's really funny/cute about Seanna having learned how to cross those little legs to make sure access is restricted! :) 

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on December 11, 2011 at 9:34pm

The good part about Corgi's is that they are so happy to get any food that they usually snarf a pill right down, not even knowing what it is.  In the rare case they do catch on though, I've found the best thing that works is to get the cheese that comes in the spray can, squirt some on the pill and then offer it to the dog on your finger.  Works like a charm.  Sometimes I even trick them into thinking it's a treat before by giving one of the other dogs just the squirt of cheese.  When they see the other dogs getting some cheese, they don't even think twice before they gulp it.  I was amazed that Seanna would eat her food with it soaked in cranberry juice, but go figure.  She's a weird dog anyway.

As far as the financial aspect goes, I take the belief that you never know what you are getting in a dog anyway.  Before you undertake getting a dog, you should have some sense of financial responsibility.  There are no guarantees.  No dog comes with a 15 year bumper-to-bumper warranty.  Health issues will pop up no matter what you do, or what vet says they are healthy.  All of my dogs have had some sort of health issues, even the mutts which were really the healthiest of all.  I've had two with seizures that required life-long medication, one that had repeated tumours and died of cancer, and my corgi mix (love of my life- Dillon) who died from doggy alzheimers and I believe some sort of neuromuscular disorder.  My dog when I was little had urinary issues and took medicine her whole life.  Seanna has her urinary issues, and tore her ACL over a year ago and required surgery.  Jackson has a bad ACL tear and requires medicine.  My shepherd mix we have now has severe psychiatric issues.  She came from a pound and has severe anxiety.  BUT, you know what?  I've loved each and every one of them, and gave them the best life I possibly could.  (Much to my husbands financial dismay).  I truly believe that God led each and every one of these animals to me because He knows I will take good care of them.  So, you can look at it one of two ways.  You can try to get a perfect animal (which doesn't exist), or you can love what God has brought you.  As long as you can provide a good life for the dog and yourself, and no one is going to suffer, then go for it.  If it ends up being an issue that in the future you can't deal with, I'm sure that there are plenty of people on here that would help you out.  I know I would.

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