Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I spend a lot of time and energy hiking and backpacking in the summer.  I mean a lot.  This summer I managed to squeeze in over 500 km of hikes in just 14 weeks.  That's an average of over 35 km per week, which isn't too shabby considering I work 40 hours a week and am on-call every third weekend.  But it wasn't just me that was covering these great distances.  My longsuffering Morley mutt, Fender, was right by my side for every gruelling mile, despite the fact that he had both ACLs surgically corrected in 2010 and now has degenerative joint disease in his left elbow. 
As much as he and I love summer, we normally despise autumn.  Why?  Because in Kananaskis, October through December usually bring too much snow to hike but not quite enough to snowshoe.  And so for those three months of the year, we have to sit around and whimper and whine about the injustice of it all.
But not this year!  Mount Norquay ski hill opened today, and Nakiska is set to open on Saturday.  With ski hills experiencing their earliest openings in history, Fender and I are jumping up and down with excitement waiting to hit the snowshoe trails tomorrow!  Here are some tips on how to keep your four-legged companion safe, comfortable, and ethical during your winter outdoor adventures this season.

1. Keep your dog on a leash!  Always be mindful of whether you are traveling in an on-leash area.  Ignorance is no excuse in the sight of the law.  Even if there isn't a leash sign at your trailhead, it is up to you to know whether you are within a national or provincial park boundary. Parks staff heavily enforce the on-leash rule when you are within parks boundaries, and so they should!  Even if you have the world's best-behaved dog (and I do!), wildlife cannot tell the difference between good dogs and bad.  And wildlife take exception to even friendly dogs approaching them to say hello.  Parks staff have had to destroy numerous wild animals (not only bears and cougars but moose as well) that have become irritated with dogs off leash and have become aggressive towards hikers with dogs.  Keeping your dog on a leash helps protect wildlife from destruction by Parks staff.   And take it from me, conservation officers aren't shy about handing out $115 tickets to those of us who neglected to follow the leash rule.  Oops.
2. Bundle up your dog!  If the temperature outdoors is falling much below -10, your dog would feel much more comfortable in a winter coat.  Not only are canine coats great fashion accessories, they can dramatically improve your dog's ability to keep warm without shivering.  Shivering burns a lot of calories.  If your dog is having to keep himself warm through shivering, his stamina will be greatly decreased and he might not be able to keep up on long distances. 
   
3. Pay attention to the condition of the snow and have Fido wear boots.  Okay, I know I'm coming across as being a bit of a flake here.  I'm not normally one to dress up my dog, but snow with icy, crusty, or granular surfaces can actually do quite a lot of damage to our pets's paws.  I have seen countless abrasions between the pads of dogs' toes after the dog has gone hiking on sharp snow.  Having your dog wear boots in the ice and snow will also prevent snow from balling up between his toes and turning into painful ice balls.
4. Keep your pooch off the groomed trails!  Please keep your dogs away from groomed cross-country ski trails.  It's just good manners.  Dozens of doggy footprints in the snow might look cute to the owner of the pup who made them, but they wreak havoc on groomed ski tracks.  If you let your dog run all over the tracks, don't be surprised if you get scolded by the next cross-country ski enthusiast you see on the trail.  If you have your pup on a leash, it should be easy to keep him off the ski tracks!
5. Consider an avalanche beacon!  If you are recreating in avalanche country with your dog, consider outfitting him with an avalanche safety beacon.  Av beacons for dogs are made by the Pieps company, and are available for purchase from Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca).  Of course, there is no point in having your dog wear an av beacon if you do not also have a receiver and the training to locate him in the event that he is swept away by an avalanche.  Affordable avalanche safety training is available through the University of Calgary.
6. Pick up after your dog!  This is common sense.  I realize its a lot harder to pick up in the snow, and oftentimes as soon as it is deposited it melts itself into disappearance, but think of what the trails would look like come spring melt if nobody cleaned up after their pet?  It is quite acceptable to bag the specimen and leave it off-trail but visible so that you can pick it up on your way back to the car and not have to pack it for your entire journey.  Just don't forget where you left it!

There are five hours and 45 minutes left in my work week.  As I sit in my office and look out the window at the snowflakes gently falling, I can't help hoping that the snowflakes are falling bigger and faster in Kananaskis.  I just can't wait to get out there and snowshoe with the world's best trail buddy!  I hope my readers can find time in their busy schedules to get out to the mountains with their dogs this weekend too.  Your dog will thank you for it!

Fender and I posing halfway up our ascent of Powderface Ridge last weekend. Fender in his winter coat and me all prepared with my bear spray, compass, whistle, flares, bear bangers, and my satellite messenger!

Banff's Big Mountain Challenge

Do you ever sit and reflect on certain pivotal moments in your past that, unbeknownst to you at the time, would ultimately prove integrally important in shaping your future?  I do, and I’d like to share one of my favourites with you.  I can vividly recall a cold and rainy day in my childhood, more than three decades ago.  I was a first-grader in a small school in northern British Columbia, and our guest speaker for the day was a gentleman who worked in wildlife conservation.  He had brought a very large and ominous looking hawk to our classroom to share with us the importance of being kind to wild animals and to the environment.  With the impressively powerful looking raptor regarding us wisely from his leather-gloved hand, the man instilled in me more than just an appreciation for all things wild.  It was at that moment that I decided I wanted to be an animal doctor.  What a profound impact that wildlife biologist’s visit had on at least one small child that cold day in the winter of 1981! 

As a small town veterinarian, I am now actively involved in countless volunteer activities and “causes”.  One of my personal favourites is the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation, an organization that is proud to provide similar outstanding education programs to school groups, corporations, and community clubs.  Educating the community, including children, about living in harmony with wild creatures not only minimizes harmful encounters between humans and wildlife, it can shape our future generations into citizens that respect wildlife, treat creatures with kindness, and aspire to become educated individuals that research, protect, and heal these valuable natural resources.

But public education is only one of the countless services performed by the AIWC.  Since 1993, the Institute has been providing outstanding medical care to Alberta’s orphaned or injured wild animals in a tiny little old church on borrowed land.  The heart of any non-profit organization, AIWC’s more than one hundred caring volunteers contribute over 20,000 unpaid hours of service per year.  These amazing volunteers serve as hard-working rescue drivers, clinic assistants, cage cleaners, and even board members.  With over 2,000 injured or orphaned wild animals requiring medical care annually, and nearly 50,000 incoming phone calls per year regarding animals in distress, these tireless wildlife ambassadors and their three volunteer veterinarians are kept busy at all hours.

AIWC proudly boasts the distinction of being accredited by the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association.  This certification assures that AIWC provides the highest standards of veterinary care for its patients.  AIWC is fortunate to have prompt emergency access to three volunteer veterinarians when needed.  We vets are on-call for the Institute 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and are called into action when an injured hummingbird requires a comprehensive physical exam; when a snowy owl requires an x-ray to confirm a fractured wing; and when a porcupine requires surgery to repair a complicated wound.  From the least to the greatest, these wild creatures are treated with respectful, skilled, and gentle hands.

But now AIWC requires our help.  In order to ensure that they can continue providing care to a myriad of wild creatures in that old church on borrowed land,  AIWC has set their sights high on urgently fund-raising a total of $250,000.00 in order to construct a new, permanent, wildlife hospital and rehabilitation centre.  Like most non-profit organizations, AIWC receives little to no government funding, and depends almost exclusively on generous donations from corporate and private individuals like you and me. 

So with this knowledge I set my mind to thinking.  How can I help AIWC reach their goal and ensure that this important rehabilitation centre is able to continue providing outstanding care for our injured and orphaned wildlife?  How can I give back to a cause that so deeply influenced my career choice?  And then I saw it:  an article in a Calgary newspaper calling for an “avid hiker with a big heart.”  Quivering with excitement because I realized they had just described the two things that define me, I continued reading.  The “Big Mountain Challenge”, hosted by Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, is looking for a volunteer to scramble to the top of three epic summits in Banff National park, within one week, all for charity.

During the end of August 2012, the contest winner will be permitted to start fundraising.  Each donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, by Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, up to $5,000.00.  Upon the successful defeat of Mounts Temple (11,624’), Cascade (9,836’), and Sulphur (8,041’), the charity of the winner’s choosing will receive an additional donation from Banff & Lake Louise Tourism of $15,000.00, for a potential total of $25,000.00.  Winners are selected in part based on the number of votes they receive on the contest webpage. 

And so, I have applied to this contest with enthusiasm.  If my readers have any interest in helping to fund the future of veterinary medical care for the endless stream of wild creatures rescued by the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (or if any readers just really, really want to see me annihilate myself conquering these three towering peaks in seven days), they are invited to visit www.bllt.ca/bmc and click “vote now”.  Contest applicants were asked to state, in fewer than ten words, what they are doing to get ready for this challenge.  And so, voters can find my thumbnail photograph with the heading “I was born ready.”  Readers can vote once per day until the contest closes on July 27.

Regardless of which contestant wins this competition for his or her charity, I am so grateful to Banff & Lake Louise Tourism for such a generously thought out idea that will dramatically support a deserving non-profit foundation.  And I am endlessly thankful for organizations like AIWC that work tirelessly to inspire the public, especially our children and youth, to want to be ambassadors for wildlife.

When she isn’t hiking, biking, or volunteering, Dr. Jody McMurray practices companion animal medicine at the Cochrane Animal Clinic at 403-932-5875.  For more information on other ways that you can help fundraise or volunteer for wildlife rehabilitation, visit www.aiwc.ca. 

Dr. Jody passing a stomach tube into a dehydrated, injured golden eagle in order to give fluids.

Cataracts

Dear Dr. Jody:  Our eight year old bulldog, “Porkchop”, has gradually developed a cloudy appearance in both eyes.  She doesn’t seem painful at all, but she has started bumping into walls in dim light.  Are these cataracts, and if so, what can we do about them?

The inner anatomy of the eye is very complicated.  A simplified explanation is that the outer, clear layer of the eye (the part that your contact lenses adhere to) is called the cornea.  The coloured part of the eye is called the iris, and the little black “hole” in the middle of the iris is called the lens.  In front of the lens is a chamber of fluid called the aqueous humor, and behind the lens is another chamber of fluid, called the vitreous humor.

The lens is not really just a little black hole in the iris.  It is actually a little fibre-filled sac that can quickly change shape in response to different conditions.  It is this dynamic little Smartie-shaped structure that allows you to focus on objects at different distances.

As dogs age, more and more fibres are deposited inside the lens.  Because the lens cannot grow and become larger to accommodate these fibres, the fibres become more compacted together and give the lens a cloudy appearance.  This cloudy lens is not necessarily a cataract, and is usually a condition called lenticular sclerosis (which essentially means “fibrous lens”).  Most dogs can still see quite well through these cloudy lenses, and they are not painful.

Cataracts on the other hand, while they can develop as a result of age, more often develop for other reasons including genetics, trauma, or disease such as diabetes.  In diabetic patients, not only is blood sugar elevated beyond the normal range, but eye glucose is also elevated.  Excess glucose in the aqueous chamber of the eye is absorbed by the lens where it is converted into sorbitol.  The sorbitol within the lens then osmotically draws water into the lens.  This concoction results in the formation of a completely opaque cataract, which the dog cannot see through.  It is not unusual for diabetic cataracts to develop quickly – at times within several hours.

While not all cataracts are painful, many are.  Often, the body’s immune system recognizes the abnormal consistency of the lens as foreign, and mounts an immune response against it.  This causes a great deal of inflammation within the eye, and consequently the eye becomes very uncomfortable.  Additionally, the abnormal lens can loosen from the tissue strands that hold it in place within the iris.  This process, known as a lens luxation, causes the cataractous lens to float free within the front chamber of the eye.  This acutely painful condition requires immediate medical attention.  If the lens slips into the front chamber of the eye, it can obstruct the normal drainage of fluid from the eye and cause a sudden increase in pressure within the globe – a highly painful condition known as glaucoma.

Eyes are wonderfully complex structures that are beautifully designed.  However, sometimes even the smallest of changes can lead to permanent vision loss or intense pain.  If you believe that the appearance of your dog’s eyes has changed in any way, it is important to consult your veterinarian immediately.  While some lens opacities are a normal, non-painful result of the ageing process, many are not.  In some cases, even though the dog does not act painful, there can be significant inflammation within the eye that, if not diagnosed and treated quickly, can progress to permanent loss of vision or even the need to remove the eye surgically.

Pannus

Dear Dr. Jody:  Our three year old German shepherd, “Daisy”, has recently developed little pink patches of tissue on the surface of her eyes.  These patches do not seem to bother her, but they are gradually getting bigger.  What are they, and do we need to be concerned?

What you are describing sounds very much like a condition called pannus.  Pannus is a frustrating ocular condition that primarily affects German shepherds, however, other breeds such as greyhounds, huskies, dachshunds, and poodles can be predisposed.   

Pannus, also called chronic superficial keratitis, is a progressive immune-mediated inflammation of the cornea, which appears as plaques, or deposits, of pigment and granulation tissue on the surface of the eye.  These deposits start at the lateral, or outside edge of the cornea, and slowly spread and grow across the surface of the eye, sometimes involving other membranes including the conjunctiva and the third eyelid.  Fortunately, the disease is not painful, however, because it is chronic and progressive, it often does ultimately result in blindness as the pinkish plaques and dark brown pigment eventually cover the surface of the eye and do not allow light to penetrate the cornea.  Usually, both eyes are affected at the same time.

Pannus is considered to be hereditary to some degree, which explains why certain breeds are predisposed.  However, it is interesting to note that ultraviolet radiation is also believed to be a significant factor in its development.  And because dogs that live at high elevations are exposed to more ultraviolet radiation than dogs at low elevations, dogs in the Calgary and Cochrane area are especially predisposed. 

Because pannus is an immune-mediated disease, the treatment of choice is topical steroids such as prednisone or dexamethasone.  In more aggressive cases that do not respond significantly to the topical steroids, more costly products such as topical cyclosporine must be used.  These drugs are applied as drops to the eyes once or twice daily, unfortunately, forever.  The condition is like a runaway freight train.  It cannot be turned around, but we can slam on its brakes to some degree.  Treating the dog’s eyes daily with steroid eye drops limits the immune reaction that continues to occur, but it does not stop it completely.  

Within years, most affected dogs are severely visually impaired in both eyes, if not blind. 

Because UV radiation is believed to worsen the condition, affected dogs may benefit from wearing specially designed goggles – called “Doggles” – that prevent UV radiation from reaching the eyes.  Doggles act like sunglasses for dogs, and can be very helpful in limiting the progression of the disease when used in conjunction with the topical lifelong medication.   They can be purchased online in a wide array of fashionable colors, and for a very reasonable price.

Frustratingly, pannus is one of those conditions that veterinarians cannot cure.  With the owner’s dedication, however, we can significantly slow down the progress of this chronic but non-painful disease to ensure that the dog retains his vision for as long as possible.  And just think how proud your pooch will feel to be a trendsetter with his hip new eyewear!

Photo showing the pink plaque of tissue spreading across the cornea in a dog affected with pannus.  The green liquid is a fluorescent dye used to help diagnose the condition.  Photo used with permission by Dr. Kelli Ramey, Western Veterinary Specialist Centre.

Wildlife and Airgun Pellets

In addition to my full time career as a companion animal veterinarian, I have volunteered my time at a local wildlife rehabilitation centre for the past three years.  How wonderful it is to be involved with an organization that is run in large part by volunteers who are so passionate about relieving suffering and providing rehabilitation for an endless stream of injured and orphaned wildlife.  From the tiniest hatchling songbird to the cranky great horned owl to the frightened wide-eyed coyote, there is never a dull moment at the wildlife centre.  Volunteering there has forced me to dust off the cobwebs in my brain that shroud the knowledge I gained in vet school over ten years ago on the medicine and surgery of all creatures, great and small.

I can still vividly recall the panic that swept over me as I worked through the eight hour, 800-question final veterinary licensing exam and saw that there were questions on how to safely anesthetize polar bears.  Polar bears?  They never said anything about polar bears in anesthesiology!  Nor did they mention how to repair a wound on a porcupine’s shoulder.  Or how to do dentistry on a muskrat kit.  And the furthest thing from my overwhelmed mind in veterinary college was how to perform an ophthalmological exam on an American bittern, as it tries to gouge out my own eyes with its 12 inch beak that waves wildly on its long slender neck at everything within a three foot radius. 

Sadly, there is not sufficient time in an intensive four-year, triple-course-load program to teach us everything there is to know about all of these species.  Regardless, veterinarians are the only doctors that are called upon to know all there is to know about every species on earth with the exception of humans.  In order to overcome these challenges at the wildlife centre, I often extrapolate knowledge from similar species (and often not-so-similar ones).  It is not uncommon for me to say something along the lines of, “Well, I’m not exactly sure what drugs to anesthetize a beaver with.  But beavers are rodents and I know that we can use ketamine and xylazine in guinea pigs so let’s start with that.”  Or even, “Hmmm, I’ve never treated an eye infection in a snowy owl before, but if it was a cat, we’d use such-and-such.  Let’s try it.”  What an amazing learning opportunity!

Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking challenges that I see is that of the wild bird that has been shot with an airgun pellet.  Last summer I was presented with a crow that had sustained such an injury.  Although the bird had healed from the original wound, the airgun pellet was still lodged within his chest.  The bird was suffering a slow death from lead poisoning.  When I was called out to the centre to attend to the bird, I approached his cage to say hello.  He tipped his head to the side and regarded me with shiny little black eyes.  Crows, ravens, and jays belong to the family Corvidae.  Corvids are known for their superior intelligence, and I could see in his eyes that this guy was no exception. 

We x-rayed his chest and abdomen to find the location of the airgun pellet we suspected was the cause of his lead poisoning.  Sure enough, there it was, floating in his lower right abdomen.  To surgery we went.  It seemed as if it would be a straight forward enough procedure to open him up, spot the pellet, retrieve it, and move on.  But it wasn’t that simple.

A bird’s chest and abdomen are full of a seemingly random array of air sacs.  Puncture one, and the bird will have challenges breathing for a period of time until he can heal.  Puncture more than one, and the likelihood of his survival post-operatively is called into question.  The pellet could be in one of these air sacs, or it could be floating around behind his myriad organs.  It was nowhere to be found, and I had already punctured two air sacs.  It was time to close him up and scrub out.  We re-xrayed him post-operatively and found that the pellet had migrated up behind his heart.  The horrible thing was free-floating, and because birds do not have a diaphragm to separate their abdomen from their chest, it had moved north to a terrible location.

Shockingly, the bird survived the unsuccessful operation.  But he wasn’t going to survive for long until we found that pellet.  A second surgery was scheduled.  This time I explored his chest cavity with the tip of my pinky finger, feeling for the hard edge of the pellet.  His tiny little heart was rapidly beating against my finger as I sweat and cursed under my breath.  Why didn’t they teach us how to retrieve airgun pellets from behind crows’ hearts?  Because, I answered to myself, you’d still be in school if they taught you everything, and 23 years was long enough.  Some things you just have to learn on the job.  And then…I felt it!  With utmost care and precision, I was able to grasp it firmly with a hemostat and pull it slowly from the crow’s chest.  I instantly heard a deafening cheer and a round of applause.  I had been so focused on the task that I hadn’t realized that a crowd of caring volunteers and visitors had gathered around to watch.  There was a lump in my throat as I held up the pellet for everybody to see.  We closed up the patient and moved him to recovery.  And it was with a great feeling of pride that I drove the crow out into the country a few weeks later and released him.  Watching him fly away was bittersweet.  I still have the pellet, in a small container labeled, “That darned pellet, May 2011.”

Four weeks ago, a six-year old bald eagle arrived at the centre with lead poisoning.  The bird was found on the side of the highway, too weak to fly, to find food, or to even life her own head to look at us.  And then came another bald eagle.  And then a snow goose.  And then a Canada goose.  The horrible senselessness of these illnesses broke our hearts.  X-rays revealed that the birds had been shot with airgun pellets.  Sadly, they did not survive. 

Many people are surprised to hear that we go through such lengths to save “just a crow” or “just a hare” or “just a muskrat.”  I firmly believe that all life, right down to the lowliest earthworm, has value.  And so we at the wildlife centre will continue to work hard, often long into the night and on our days off, to save every life we can.  But our hands are full enough as it is. 

Please, Cochrane, please stop shooting birds with airgun pellets. 

Ticks

I spent this past Saturday soaking up the glorious sunshine on an early season assault of Mount Lady MacDonald in Canmore.  Because my blue heeler mix, Fender, was the only soul that wasn’t too busy or too lazy to come with me, the conversations, though mildly entertaining, were not incredibly riveting.  And so my mind wandered to topics for my next article.  Halfway up the unforgiving mountain I paused for a break on a rock.  As I enjoyed my snack, I debated writing an article on feline diabetes.  Oh, but what a chore that would be!  Diabetes is such an overwhelming, although important, topic.  Fine, feline diabetes it is.

As I bent down to sling my pack back onto my shoulders, I noticed a flicker of movement on my sweater.  A tick.  Ugh!  Nasty little creatures.  But in true Jody style, instead of flicking him from my sweater in disgust, I grabbed my camera to snap a mugshot of the little parasite.  I then hastened his trajectory into the trees.  Prepare to get itchy.

Yes, Alberta does have ticks.  And spring is by far the most active season for these beasts, as the adults emerge and seek out a host through a process called “questing”.  The adult tick grasps the tip of a branch or blade of grass with two hind legs and reaches into the air with its front legs.  As it senses an animal brushing by, it quickly grasps the host’s hairs (or sweater) with its legs and silently hitches a ride. 

Ticks undergo several lifestage changes before graduating to adulthood.  With many species, a six-legged nymph emerges from the egg and “quests” to find a host.  After ingesting several blood meals, the nymph drops to the leaf litter on the ground and moults into an eight-legged nymph, which then reattaches to another host and feeds for several days.  It then drops to the ground again, and moults into an eight-legged adult. 

Female adults have an incomplete outer exoskeleton, or “scutum”, which allows for expansion up to 100 times the tick’s original size as she feeds.  Once the adult female has taken a blood meal, she drops, engorged to roughly the size of a human thumbnail, back into the leaf litter to lay thousands of eggs.  Sadly for the tick (or luckily, depending on your point of view), she doesn’t get to experience the joys (or trials) of motherhood, and dies immediately after laying her eggs. 

If you find yourself following in my footsteps and hiking into the mountains this spring, be sure to check yourself and your pets thoroughly throughout the adventure and after you return home.  Ticks that have found their way onto dogs usually embed their mouthparts under the skin around the face, neck, and ears (on humans, they seek out our warmer, darker areas).  They leave their larger, visible abdomen on the surface.  If you find such a creature on your four-legged hiking companion, you can either bring him to your veterinarian for removal, or, if you are not squeamish, grasp his head firmly with tweezers as close to the dog’s skin as possible.  Pull back very slowly.  If you attempt to remove the tick too briskly, you will end up decapitating him and leaving his mouthparts still in your pet’s skin.  (There is no end to the creepiness of these creatures).  This unplanned outcome is not dangerous, but can lead to a mild infection and irritation. 

If you remove a tick from your pet, bring the tick to your veterinarian for identification.  If your veterinarian is unable to definitively identify the species of tick, he or she can send the tick to the Government of Alberta Tick Surveillance Program – a free program that helps owners of pets and livestock ensure that the ticks they find are not a species known to carry disease. 

There are several species of tick in Alberta.  The little fellow in my photograph, by my best identification abilities, is an adult male Dermacentor variabilis, also known as the American dog tick.  This tick is not dangerous, but it is certainly creepy.  It is not known to carry any diseases, but in large numbers, can cause enough blood loss in wild animals to lead to anemia.  Its close cousin, Dermacentor albipictus, also called the winter tick, is known to exist on moose in such large numbers that the host loses its coat, becomes emaciated and anemic, and dies.  In many cases, there can be 50,000-100,000 ticks on a single moose.  In my final year of veterinary college, I did an autopsy on a moose that had succumbed to winter tick exsanguination.  The entire surface of the moose was encrusted in a thick layer of ticks.  There were ticks on top of ticks, like barnacles on a ship.  Ticks were crawling up the hydraulic hoists and into the rafters and raining down upon us.  It was the stuff of nightmares.

And so you can imagine the startling flashback this little fellow on my sweater gave me on Mount Lady MacDonald.  And, although my initial reaction was to scream and kick my sweater into the depths of the forest, I resisted so that I could calmly capture his photogenic little face on camera for your education and entertainment.  I hope you have enjoyed learning about him.  (I’m itching and scratching like crazy now.  Are you?)

Pyometra

Dear Dr. Jody:  Friends of ours have urged us to have our six year old Rottweiler, “Harley”, spayed.  Their unspayed golden retriever recently had to have surgery for pyometra.  We would really like to breed “Harley”, and would rather not have her spayed if we can avoid it.  What is pyometra and how risky is it to keep “Harley” intact rather than spaying her?

Pyometra by definition is an infection of the uterus.  In healthy female patients, the cervix provides a tight seal between the sterile environment of the uterus and the bacteria-ridden outside world.  During a heat cycle, changes in the blood flow and structure of the uterine lining and cervix can allow bacteria to ascend the reproductive tract and gain a foothold inside the uterus.  Once inside, the bacteria flourish and rapidly multiply in the warm and moist environment.  If the cervix remains partly open, the dog may have a purulent (full of pus) discharge.  If the cervix closes after the bacteria have entered the uterus, the organ becomes rapidly distended with pus and bacteria and fills up like a tight balloon.

Clearly, such a situation can make the dog incredibly ill.  As bacteria quickly multiply (many species are capable of doubling in number every twenty minutes), they produce toxic waste products that leak into the dog’s bloodstream.  These toxins can significantly depress the dog’s appetite and lead to vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and an insatiable appetite for thirst. Without aggressive and immediate treatment, the condition is essentially 100% fatal.

The most widely accepted and effective treatment for a pyometra is an emergency spay.  In this surgical procedure, the ovaries and the uterus (and all the pus within) are removed and discarded.  Although the end result is the same as if the dog had been spayed as a puppy, there are many complicating factors during a pyometra spay that make the procedure significantly more difficult and dangerous.  Firstly, most pyometra patients are systemically ill.  They are dehydrated, weak, and may have a compromised and ineffective cardiovascular system due to toxic shock.  This makes them higher anesthetic risks.  Secondly, a uterus that is filled with pus can easily be so full of the horrible infection that it weighs tens and sometimes hundreds of times its normal weight.  Its walls are stretched thin and are very fragile from being so infected.  If any of the pus leaks through the walls and into the abdomen, the patient can experience a potentially life-threatening abdominal infection called peritonitis.  Thirdly, most affected patients are mature and have been through several heats over the years.  This makes the blood vessels going to and from the uterus extremely large and typically wrapped in layers of fat.  They are hard to find and if accidentally torn, severe bleeding can occur.  All of these potential complications mean the veterinary team must take extraordinary measures to ensure the best outcome possible for the patient.  Often, a few days of hospitalization are required to stabilize the patient following the procedure.  The average cost of a pyometra spay can easily be at least five times that of an uncomplicated puppy spay, and certainly carries at least that much extra risk.

So how do we prevent pyometra?  The only proven method to 100% guarantee that your pet will never experience this dreadful disease is to spay your puppy before her first heat.  Unlike pyometra spays, healthy puppy spays are generally quick, uncomplicated, and result in speedy recoveries.  Whereas a pyometra spay can take upwards of two hours to perform and weeks to recover from, a puppy spay is often completed in fewer than twenty minutes.  Following such a procedure, the puppy is generally back on her feet and feeling fairly comfortable by the following day.

Spaying your puppy at a young age can significantly extend her expected healthy lifespan.  I urge all of my clients to offer their puppy this faster, safer, less painful, and significantly cheaper alternative to the ugly pyometra spay.