Pyometra in Dogs: Phoenix’s Lethargy and Loss of Appetite
What if your intact female dog lost appetite and became lethargic shortly after her heat cycle? How does it fit with your dog’s normal? How does it fit in the big picture?

What if your dog was a middle-aged intact female who just recently finished her heat cycle? Would that change your point of view on the same set of symptoms?
What difference does that make?
Phoenix was a middle-aged, intact female. She’s always been healthy and hasn’t visited a veterinarian in years. Her parents brought her in because she was lethargic and not eating.
Phoenix was looking really sick.
Her parents couldn’t afford to take her to an emergency clinic. As a result, they had to wait until a regular clinic opened. The diagnosis was fast and straightforward–Phoenix had pyometra.
Pyometra is a bacterial infection of the uterus. That sounds so much less scary than it is. It is a life-threatening condition that needs prompt, aggressive treatment–surgery.
If your intact female dog is going to get this severe infection, it’s going to happen following her heat. It is the hormonal changes in the reproductive tract that bring it on.
As the body prepares for pregnancy, the uterine lining thickens. It continues to thicken with every heat cycle that doesn’t result in pregnancy. The thickened tissue is the perfect environment for bacterial growth. Eventually, things reach a critical mass.
If the cervix remains open, you will notice pus and abnormal discharge, which, hopefully, will bring you to a vet.
If the cervix closes, all of that remains trapped inside, releasing toxins that make their way into the bloodstream. Closed pyometra is way more dangerous one of the two. Your dog will look and act very ill, just like Phoenix did.
What are some of the symptoms that come with closed pyometra?
- increased urination
- increased drinking
- distended abdomen
- loss of appetite
- lethargy
- listlessness
- lethargy
- vomiting
- diarrhea
Increased drinking alone, in a female dog who recently came out of heat, should be suspect for pyometra.
If your dog just was in heat and there is anything at all strange about them, see a vet. With pyometra, early diagnosis and treatment are vital.
By the time Phoenix made it to a vet, her pyometra was quite advanced.
Her uterus was more than twice its normal size–4 pounds of an angry nest of puss and fluid. It took two hours to remove that from Phoenix’s body.
Even after her surgery, Phoenix wasn’t out of the woods. Two days later, she was still down and refusing to eat.
Phoenix’s story has a happy ending.
But not all pyometra cases do. Sometimes the dog doesn’t get to a clinic until it’s too late. As a result, some dogs die because their parents cannot afford the life-saving treatment.
It is always a tragedy when a dog dies from a preventable and treatable disease.
If you have an intact female dog, be aware of this dreadful condition that can kill her. Know when it’s most likely to strike and what it looks like.
Original story:
Pyometra. The Challenge of Finding a Happy Ending
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