06/06/2026
❗❗CONTINUE READING WITH CAUTION!! VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED ❗❗
While we love posting fun and silly things, we also want to use our social medias to inform people so we can help keep their pets healthy and safe.
Sissy’s owner gave us full permission for everything posted below and encourages other people to use Sissy’s story to inform themselves about the dangers of not spaying and neutering their pets.
Sissy came into our clinic after her belly had been bloated for a week and seemed to be leaking diarrhea out of her hind end with a fever of 103.3F! After Dr.Nehilla was informed about her symptoms and the fact that she wasn’t spayed, his first thought was that she had a Pyometra. Especially after he discovered that the diarrhea leaking from her was actually pus!! After examining her and taking an x-ray, we confirmed this was the case.
A Pyometra is an infection of the uterus, where it can fill up with pus and swell to ATLEAST 10 times its regular size!! The risks of damage to other organs, septic shock, and the uterus literally rupturing are extremely high. This became a life-or-death situation.
Sissy’s owner entrusted our talented surgical team with her care, understanding that without removing her uterus in emergency surgery and flushing her system IV antibiotics, Sissy wouldn’t survive. With her uterus being completely full and the damage the infection had already done to her body, the surgery was dangerous, but it was her only chance of surviving.
Any surgical procedure has some risk, but a routine spay on a healthy pet usually takes about 30-45 minutes. Sissy’s surgery required significant, deliberate care to keep the organ that was filled to the brim from rupturing. It took over an hour to get her surgery completed. Our team worked tirelessly, monitoring her under anesthesia and trying to not keep her under for any longer than what was necessary.
She went home, sleepy from anesthesia and a whole 2.86 pounds lighter after coming into the clinic at 13.3 lbs!! And once it was removed her uterus was 13 inches long! (and she’s not a very big girl!) Her uterus was full of black sludge! After her uterus was removed, we aspirated some of the contents with a syringe (pictured below)
Thankfully, Sissy’s story has a happy ending, and we saw her back two weeks later to remove her staples after surgery. According to her family, she’s hopping around nipping the ankles of any guests that enter her home and taking naps in the sun. We’re so glad that we can help dogs be dogs again, but not every pet gets an ending like Sissy’s.
Sissy could have lost her life from something that every unspayed pet is at risk for. There would be nobody to greet guests at the door, the spots in the home where the sun comes in would be empty, the house would just be quiet... And as a group of people whose passion in life is to help animals, we NEVER want to see that happen!
So please❗ if you’re getting any pet this year, seriously consider getting them spayed/neutered. Sissy isn’t the minority; this kind of thing happens every day and it could happen to your pet
