Kristal-ready-for-sxWritten by Jennifer Evans, DVM

Here in San Luis Obispo, the majority of dogs are spayed and neutered, but pets that aren’t have their own particular problems.  Female dogs that have not been spayed can develop an infection in their uterus called pyometra. Essentially the uterus becomes a large bag of pus in their abdomen and if it has no way to drain out, they can die from it.  Treatment usually involves emergency surgery to carefully remove the abscessed uterus and it can be dangerous and expensive.

The good news is that pyometra is completely preventable!  Spaying eliminates the possibility of developing this dangerous and costly disease.  Spaying pets has many medical benefits and this is a huge one.  At Animal Care Clinic we strongly recommend spaying all female dogs that are not going to be bred at around 4-6 months of age, before they ever come into heat.  Any dog that hasn’t been spayed as a pup should be spayed as soon as they are done having pups or whenever the owner decides they aren’t going to breed them.  Some owners worry about the anesthesia involved in a spay but it is much safer to anesthetize a healthy dog than one who is in the middle of a pyometra and has to be spayed regardless of the risks.  Please feel free to call us if you have any questions about spaying your dog or want to schedule the procedure.