11/07/2024
**There is a graphic photo included in this post**
If you're following our page, you more than likely have had a pet at some point in your life; which means you have been hounded by a veterinarian to spay your female animals as soon as possible!
Some clients dismiss this imploration as a money grab; might even consider spaying and neutering unnecessary, elective procedures that are pushed by vets across the globe in order to make themselves a little more money.
To showcase the importance of spaying your cats (and dogs too) we would like to introduce our newest clinic cat, Birdie! (Pic 1)
If you have seen Birdie in person, you have seen that she…well, she has large breasts! (Pic 2)
This is because when Birdie came to us, she had advanced pyometra and mastitis.
She had to be spayed immediately, and was on antibiotics for almost an entire month afterward. To be blunt: Her mammary tissue was so infected and swollen from her mastitis that it had burst open, creating several abscesses along her abdomen, several of which had to be debrided of their dead tissue, sewn and/or stapled closed in order to heal. (Pic 3) The only remaining evidence of this condition are the excessive amounts of skin that hang down from her breasts; but if this condition had gone untreated, it would have cost her her life. We do not know yet if her skin will ever return to its original state. If she had been spayed on time, at five months old, she would not have gone through what she went through.
As the surgical procedure for pyometra is considered an emergency surgery, it is much more expensive than a normal spay. We want to spare any and all of you the worry and fear that comes with these hormonal infections. Please take a look at the symptoms of both conditions listed below.
Pyometra is a serious and potentially life-threatening infection of the uterus that causes it to fill with bacteria and pus. The longer the infection goes untreated, the more serious the condition becomes. This can and will kill our beloved friends.
Common symptoms of Pyometra include: Vaginal discharge, lethargy, vomiting, excessive urination and thirst, swollen abdomen, loss of appetite, panting, collapse, and diarrhea.
Mastitis is inflammation in the breast, which is usually caused by an infection. It is most common when a mother is breastfeeding, but it can happen at other times as well. A clogged milk duct that doesn't let milk fully drain from the breast, or breaks in the skin of the ni**le can lead to infection.
Common symptoms of Mastitis include: Swollen breasts, redness, cloudy discharge from ni**les, pain when touched, lethargy, fever, appetite loss and vomiting.
All that to say: PLEASE spay and neuter your babies!! It makes their lives so much easier, and saves you the potential cost of emergency surgery!
-🐾🩷
