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Pus Dripping From The Female Opening
If there is a fairly persistent
dripping of pus from the female
opening, the likelihood exists that the condition is pyometra, a
disease of female dogs in which pus accumulates in the womb—or, as it
is called anatomically, the uterus. A fairly common ailment of dogs of
all ages, but occurring most often in older animals, it is a condition
that demands reasonably prompt professional attention, for excessive
delay will render the most effective method of treatment too dangerous
to apply.
Pyometra is caused by an infection of pus-forming organisms. The
cardinal symptom of the disease is a discharge from the female opening.
The character of the discharge may be anywhere from a thin mixture of
blood and pus to a thick, creamy accumulation of pus. The offensiveness
of the odor of this discharge will increase as the concentration of pus
becomes greater. Sometimes the pus is not readily observable because
the animal licks it. Any constant licking should attract the owner's
attention and its cause should be determined. As the disease
progresses, the uterine tubes become filled with more and more pus
thereby giving the animal an abnormally fat appearance. The animal may
harbor the disease for several months and remain in apparent good
health, but as the condition progresses the animal gradually shows lack
of appetite, depression, and occasional vomition due to toxic
reactions from the absorption of pus. If the disease is allowed to run
its course, considerable quantities of pus will become absorbed into
the blood and the animal will die of this complication,
which is called pyemia.
In mild cases, pyometra is treated by the administration of drugs which
will cause the uterus to contract, thereby expelling the pus. To
obtain this reaction, stilbestrol or pituitrin are most commonly used.
These are combined with other agents, such as penicillin or the sulfa
drugs, which will assist in destroying the pus-forming organisms. But
the most permanent and most effective method of treatment is the
surgical removal of the uterus. This operation is usually quite safe,
but the outcome will be less certain if the animal is too old or too
debilitated or if the disease has been allowed to progress too far.
It is obvious that pyometra can be prevented by spaying the animal when
it is young, since, in spaying, the uterus is removed. This, however,
is an alternative that is entirely at the discretion of the owner.
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