Prengant - Due in Week - WILL NOT EAT

[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

[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