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Permalink Reply by Christina & Vicki on January 8, 2008 at 12:10am

I'm happy she made it to the vet in time! Poor thing! We're getting little Mia fixed as soon as she's old enough. Thanks for posting this... it's a good thing to be aware of.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 8, 2008 at 10:34am

Having the dog spayed earlier would of course have saved the poor girl the pain of a uterine infection. (No "plumbing" = no infection.) The bigger picture is that the owner was irresponsible to assume that weight loss and loss of appetite was due to a "change in family dynamics". Sure dogs can skip a few meals due to anxiety or depression, but they will rarely starve themselves to death. Weight loss and not eating are caused by a physical medical problem 90% of the time. The owner copped out by insinuating that the problem was mental without taking the dog to the vet for a check up to make sure.

Sounds like a case of serious neglect. I'm happy the woman surrended the dog, who can now find a good home.

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Permalink Reply by Avyon on January 8, 2008 at 12:27pm

Thank you for sharing this information :)

I have a rather TMI question that is actually serious considering the thought.

But would a dog show similar symptoms as a human when they get a UTI? I know they itchhhhhh like crazy!
so would a dog show similar discomfort or do they get different affects from it? (well.. besides the discharge apparetly)

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 8, 2008 at 12:49pm

A little quick internet search:

"In cases of open-cervix pyometra a thick, bloody and pus-like vaginal discharge is noted. The dog will often be lethargic, weak, anorexic, drink and urinate more frequently and may vomit or have diarrhea. If the cervix is closed, no discharge will be seen; symptoms will include abdominal enlargement, shock and coma. (Pyometra)"

"It (discharge) is often noted on the skin or hair under the tail or on bedding and furniture where the dog has laid. Fever, lethargy, anorexia, and depression may or may not be present."

"Dogs that are seen early in the disease may have a slight vaginal discharge and show no other signs of illness."


I think Sam is being overly generous to say the owner had no clue the dog was ill...

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Permalink Reply by Sam on January 8, 2008 at 7:43pm

With rescue dogs we expect the worst and try to think the best. You would be amazed the stories we receive. This dog showed only two symptoms. One was weightloss, she was very thin. The second was a discharge but only seen the fourth day after she was in our program. There was no sign at all. There was no vomiting, no diarrhea, nada. It is frequent that even a fever is not present. There was also no pus nor a fowl smell. The abdomen was not remotely enlarged nor was she lethargic. She has been active, affectionate and alert since she arrived. I am sure we are going to see a much more energetic dog in a few days
Regarding UTI what one will normally see is a dog that is urinating frequently and licking themselves. Easy enough to bring a urine sample in to the vet for testing.
Glad you found this information useful. I do hope to share information on a wide variety of topics along the way to make corgi ownership easier for everyone.

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