A rare case of pyometra in
a very young Silkie Terrier
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Date:
03 July, 2011
CASE 1. PYOMETRA IN A 10-MONTH-OLD SILKIE
I advise 2-3 months after the end of heat as the best and
safest time to spay the female dog. There will be less
bleeding as the blood vessels are not enlarged as shown in the
two cases below. The Silkie Terrier has an infection of the
womb, medically known as pyometra. Pyometra is rare in female
dogs at 10 months of age and is usually present when the
female dog is over 5 years old.
CASE 2. OWNER'S INSPECTION BEFORE HER CHOW CHOW IS SPAYED BY
THE VET
In the Chow Chow, I have taken pictures of the inside of the
Toa Payoh Vets' operation room in 2010 as some of the younger
owners, such as the Chow Chow owner, are interested as to
where their dog is spayed. The young lady came one late
evening in July 2010 when I was still around and asked to see
the Operation Room and the Hospitalisation Area. I showed her
and she brought her Chow Chow in for the spay later.
The room is essentially the same in 2011 except that I have
replaced with brand new sets - the isoflurane gas machine, the
oxygen regulators and a new veterinary operation table.
The Operation Room has a glass partition to bring in natural
light. So, there is an incorrect impression that hospitalised
cats and dogs are inside the Operation Room! I got the glass
partition from a pet shop owner who was wanted to dispose of
it as he was renovating his shopping mall pet shop at the time
I was re-modelling my Operation Room.
I wanted the glass
partition for my front door but it was not fitting. Then I
thought of having it as part of the Operation Room instead of
a gypsum wall partition which would make the room
claustrophobic. This glass partition made veterinary surgery
much more pleasant as I could see the natural daylight from
the back door which is open during the daytime.
As regards closure of the skin wound, each veterinary surgeon
has his own favourite method. Mine is just one or two
horizontal mattress using 2/0 or 3/0 absorbable sutures so
that the dog owner does NOT need to come back 14 days later
for stitch removal. I find that one packet os suture has
sufficient length to spay a female dog of a large breed such
as the Golden Retriever. The suture is used to ligate the two
ovaries and the uterine body. Then 3 or 4 interrupted sutures
to close the linea alba. After that 1 or 2 horizontal mattress
sutures to close the skin. I don't use subcuticular sutures.
With this method used over the last 20 years of practice, I
find that there are no post-operation itchiness and licking in
90% of my spay cases.
However, every
veterinary surgeon has his or her own preferences and
may use two packets for spay.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
