Figure 1

What is Dr Fisher holding? Believe it or not, this is a female dog's uterus. This dog has what is known as pyometra; an accumulation of pus within the uterus. It is like having an abscess within the uterus and can make the dog very sick. It is not an uncommon syndrome in mature, unspayed female dogs and is one reason we encourage an ovariohysterectomy (or spay) be performed in all female dogs that owners are not intending to breed. Normally the uterus is about the diameter of a Sharpie marker, but this one weighed in at over 6 lbs!!

Figure 2

This is Buffy, our surgery patient, waking up after the uterus was successfully removed. Buffy is seven years old and had her last heat cycle about 5 or 6 weeks ago, a very typical time frame post heat cycle for this syndrome to occur. She was presented because she was not eating and vomiting- a toxic response to all the infection. Luckily for Buffy her Drs. are on the ball and had her case diagnosed and Buffy on the surgery table within 3 hours of her walking in the door. By the following post-operative day she was feeling much better and went home with antibiotics and pain medicine. Everyone was happy, especially mom and dad!!