Anyone have first hand pyo info?

lizch6699 · Jan 4, 2006

I've heard mixed information about pyometria so I'm wondering if anyone has had any first hand experience with it? On here I've heard that pyo is common if a cat is left unspayed and goes through multiple heat cycles. Is this due to not ovulating which causes an infection or an open uterus which causes an infection? When I asked the vet about it he said that cats that are unspayed usually only get pyo 1% of the time and that it's much more common in dogs because they're more open. So any info you guys have would be great!

hissy · Jan 4, 2006

Well I have seen it twice, in the rescues that come here. One cat died from it before I could get her to the vet, and the other survived. Both of these cats were dumped by their owners on me, because they "didn't have the money for a vet!"

mybabies · Jan 4, 2006

Originally Posted by hissy

Well I have seen it twice, in the rescues that come here. One cat died from it before I could get her to the vet, and the other survived. Both of these cats were dumped by their owners on me, because they "didn't have the money for a vet!"

Vets NEED to be more lenient about helping animals of people who have little money. My friend's cat got blocked and Vet did a few things and then stopped and refused to do any more. Cat almost died! Finally IMOM came to the rescue. Hopefully cat will be OK now!

plebayo · Jan 5, 2006

I have to disagree, if you can't afford to take care of the animal, including its vet care, you shouldn't own it. Period. I don't see why someone who has little money should get extra help over me, a person who can afford to give my animals proper care.
----

Back on topic. I have seen one case of Pyometra. This fat pomeranian [9y/o] came in to get spayed [god knows why.. they waited 9 years] they opened her up and her uterus was huge. Had it gone on longer, she would have died.

petnurse2265 · Jan 5, 2006

I've seen several, but only one was a cat. The cat died before we could do anything to help it. Another one was a dog (a yorkie) that the owners had never spayed because because the were concerned about the anesthesia risk, the dog died in their arms as they walked in the clinic door.

muttigreemom · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by Plebayo

I have to disagree, if you can't afford to take care of the animal, including its vet care, you shouldn't own it. Period. I don't see why someone who has little money should get extra help over me, a person who can afford to give my animals proper care.

While ordinarily this is something I'd jump at the chance to agree with, I also think there are mitigating circumstances.

I have the money to care for the animals in my home, but a few months ago... after having my furkids for years... my sister's husband died and I had to help support her until she could receive his pension and such as they froze all her accounts temporarily. I'm not a rich woman, so while ordinarily the thought of shelling out a good chunk of change for a much needed surgery is as good as done, it occured to me that if anything serious happened to any of my furkids during the time I was supporting my sister, I would have been SOL.

Sure, you need to consider the financial responsibility before taking in an animal, but just because someone is strapped for cash at a certain point in their life doesn't mean they shouldn't have a pet in the first place. And honestly, I think this is something that vets need to consider. We all need help once in a while - financially or otherwise - that doesn't make us bad pet mommies and daddies.

If someone *never* has the financial resources to take care of an animal properly, that's a different story.

My apologies for hijacking this thread

semiferal · Jan 5, 2006

It's more common in dogs, that's for sure. But pregnancy is also protective against pyometra. What I haven't seen answered satisfactorily is whether pyo is less common in cats simply because it is so much harder to keep a cat from becoming pregnant sooner or later.

What's definite is that pyo is a surgical emergency and without the surgery they die pretty much 100% of the time. I have seen pyo once in a cat. The cat was a 2 year old silver Persian. The people "could not afford" surgery and were going to take her to their regular vet when they opened two days later. They could afford the $800-$1000 to purchase the fanciest purebred cat they could find but couldn't afford basic medical care to keep her alive.

lizch6699 · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by semiferal

What I haven't seen answered satisfactorily is whether pyo is less common in cats simply because it is so much harder to keep a cat from becoming pregnant sooner or later.

That's a good point. Hopefully my kitty will never get pregnant because that would probably be more dangerous than having her spayed. I know that spaying and animal that has pyo is also more of a risk because the body has an infection. Grr, never easy decisions!

petnurse2265 · Jan 5, 2006

I don't think we see as many pyometra's in cats because there are still way too many people who think a cat is disposable. We have numerous clients who have dogs and keep their dogs current with vaccines and exams, but when we ask about the cute kitten we saw a year ago for it's first shots they say "oh, did it need to come back" or "It ran away". So you get people who have an unspayed female cat that they know has been sick the last couple of days but when they finally decide to do something about it the cat goes outside and never comes back. I think pyometra's are just as common in cats as they are dogs, just the owners are less likely to seek medical attention.

About being more lenient for people who don't have the money to properly care for their pets it is not the vets responsibility to offer free or reduced care simply because you can't afford it. A veterinary practice is a business and a business has to make money to keep going. An animal is a responsibility you chose to take on, and part of that resposibility is financial. I think every major city has places you can go for low income vet care you just have to look. We do not billing in our clinic, payment is due at the time os services, but if we have a client that is a good client we will do post dated checks or some other payment arrangement if they have hit hard times. The key is to have a good relationship with your vet, we would never let a brand new client do this because we have been burned too many times and not gotten paid.

dr. doolittle · Jan 5, 2006

All of it!

bengalbabe · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by Petnurse2265

I don't think we see as many pyometra's in cats because there are still way too many people who think a cat is disposable. We have numerous clients who have dogs and keep their dogs current with vaccines and exams, but when we ask about the cute kitten we saw a year ago for it's first shots they say "oh, did it need to come back" or "It ran away". So you get people who have an unspayed female cat that they know has been sick the last couple of days but when they finally decide to do something about it the cat goes outside and never comes back. I think pyometra's are just as common in cats as they are dogs, just the owners are less likely to seek medical attention.

About being more lenient for people who don't have the money to properly care for their pets it is not the vets responsibility to offer free or reduced care simply because you can't afford it. A veterinary practice is a business and a business has to make money to keep going. An animal is a responsibility you chose to take on, and part of that resposibility is financial. I think every major city has places you can go for low income vet care you just have to look. We do not billing in our clinic, payment is due at the time os services, but if we have a client that is a good client we will do post dated checks or some other payment arrangement if they have hit hard times. The key is to have a good relationship with your vet, we would never let a brand new client do this because we have been burned too many times and not gotten paid.

Well I think this stinks because it shows that money is more important then the animals life. Vets charge way too much at times. $1500.00 for a c-section!
If a breeder says "well breeding is a business and it we do it to make money" then everyone gets really upset about it, but it's ok for vets to make it all business.
What if someone finds a cat that needs immediate medical care and they don't have the money for it? Im not saying that in all circumstances or even in a klot of circumstances should they give reduced prices or let people work out payment arrangements but there are clearly circumstances where they should.
Anyway, just had to vent and not im going to give this thread back to the issue at hand.

semiferal · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Well I think this stinks because it shows that money is more important then the animals life. Vets charge way too much at times. $1500.00 for a c-section!

I can guarantee that if you needed a c-section yourself, it would cost way, way more than $1500.

Vets are doctors. In the US and Canada they have at least 8 years of education past high school. Many graduate with student loan debt in excess of $100,000. They have to pay the rent or mortgage on their practice, pay their associate vets and support staff, purchase supplies, purchase and maintain equipment, and all the other expenses involved in running a business. Oh, and they need to pay the rent or mortgage on their own homes and take care of their own families as well. Medical care is expensive. I do not understand why no one has a problem collecting a paycheck for their own job, but so many people do not seem to believe a veterinarian has the right to make a decent living.

bengalbabe · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by semiferal

I can guarantee that if you needed a c-section yourself, it would cost way, way more than $1500.

Vets are doctors. In the US and Canada they have at least 8 years of education past high school. Many graduate with student loan debt in excess of $100,000. They have to pay the rent or mortgage on their practice, pay their associate vets and support staff, purchase supplies, purchase and maintain equipment, and all the other expenses involved in running a business. Oh, and they need to pay the rent or mortgage on their own homes and take care of their own families as well. Medical care is expensive. I do not understand why no one has a problem collecting a paycheck for their own job, but so many people do not seem to believe a veterinarian has the right to make a decent living.

Yeah but if a person needs a c-section they can get it done even if they have no money!
And no one is saying vets don't deserve to make a living..but comon, they won't even let desperate people make payments!
if hospitols were run like that we'd all be dead.
Anyway, im done

pat · Jan 5, 2006

Originally Posted by lizch6699

That's a good point. Hopefully my kitty will never get pregnant because that would probably be more dangerous than having her spayed. I know that spaying and animal that has pyo is also more of a risk because the body has an infection. Grr, never easy decisions!

I've seen one cat I owned have pyo - a closed pyo, it didn't show up until she began to drain discharge in the vets office as I dropped her off for a spay. She was several years old.

Her mom and grandmom had both had to have treatments for pyo in order to conceive, so that makes 3 cats I know of developing this.

I wanted to respond, since I don't see where any one else has, on your above comment. The main risk, imo, of not spaying your cat is the great increase in risk of mammary cancer. I have had this in one (maybe two - waiting for a firm diagnosis..oddly enough it is the same kitty who had pyo and who was never pregnant) kitty and I will aways blame myself. Mervat was an exquisite kitty, dear to me and I did not spay her promptly after her last litter (she had 2 ever) thinking I would breed her again (very, very rare breed and extremely rare color for that breed at the time).

Please reconsider, you do not want to ever deal with mammary cancer, the treatment, or what it is like when it has spread to the lungs (the usual site for one to see a metastisis).

lizch6699 · Jan 6, 2006

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

The main risk, imo, of not spaying your cat is the great increase in risk of mammary cancer. I have had this in one (maybe two - waiting for a firm diagnosis..oddly enough it is the same kitty who had pyo and who was never pregnant) kitty and I will aways blame myself. Mervat was an exquisite kitty, dear to me and I did not spay her promptly after her last litter (she had 2 ever) thinking I would breed her again (very, very rare breed and extremely rare color for that breed at the time).

Please reconsider, you do not want to ever deal with mammary cancer, the treatment, or what it is like when it has spread to the lungs (the usual site for one to see a metastisis).

I've been going back and forth over this for a while now. There are so many problems associated with not being spayed. Plus she seems miserable (not to mention she makes us miserable) when she's in heat. When she's not in heat she's a normal happy cat and those are the times that make me reconsider having her spayed. Plus my other kittys are so attached to her I don't know how they would react to her being gone if she did die during surgury.

I can't decide what would be best for her. Is she so miserable that I should just risk spaying her even though she may die?

pat · Jan 6, 2006

Originally Posted by lizch6699

I've been going back and forth over this for a while now. There are so many problems associated with not being spayed. Plus she seems miserable (not to mention she makes us miserable) when she's in heat. When she's not in heat she's a normal happy cat and those are the times that make me reconsider having her spayed. Plus my other kittys are so attached to her I don't know how they would react to her being gone if she did die during surgury.

I can't decide what would be best for her. Is she so miserable that I should just risk spaying her even though she may die?

If you haven't yet, I'd get a specialist's opinion, see what all anesthesia options there are, and then make a decision. I can appreciate how hard a decision this must be

mom of 10 cats · Jan 6, 2006

We have had 2 cases of pyo, both very different. Buffy was very obviously in distress, licking her genitals and growling, there was a creamy colored discharge. We got her in to the vet immediately, they did surgery and she has been fine ever since.

Fizzgig was a completely different story. She had none of the symptoms Buffy did. In fact, she had NO symptoms at all! One day last spring, I picked her up and was rubbing her chest and felt a lump. We took her in to the vet, and they scheduled her for surgery (mastectomy). She was not even a year old. We told them to spay her at the same time, so she wouldn't have to go under anesthesia again. When they went to do the spay, she had "closed" pyo, that is to say, non draining. They said if we hadn't brought her in when we did, we would have lost her!

rosehawke · Jan 6, 2006

My dog had pyo, I suspected what was going on, she had a discharge and was lethargic (I kept delaying spaying her 'cause I thought I "might" show her, baaaaad mommy!) so she had an emergency spay at 6 years of age (she's 8 now.) The closed pyo is the real danger, not even knowing it's happening. And apparently, even breeding isn't always proof against it. My breeder's site has a page on it and some graphic

photos of a pyometra surgery. Trust me, after seeing that you'd never want to chance an entire female again!

semiferal · Jan 6, 2006

Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Yeah but if a person needs a c-section they can get it done even if they have no money!
And no one is saying vets don't deserve to make a living..but comon, they won't even let desperate people make payments!
if hospitols were run like that we'd all be dead.
Anyway, im done

Lobby your Congressperson for Medicaid for cats and dogs.

There is a safety net for humans who need medical care and can't pay. For a variety of reasons, there is no such safety net for animals. I'm not saying that it's right, it's just the way it is.

Many vets start out letting people do payment plans. After they get screwed for about the 20th time they usually give up. But that doesn't mean most vets won't work with someone who is a steady and good client. If you have a good relationship with your vet, take your pets for regular preventative care, and always pay your bills at the time of service, then you have a pretty good chance of getting a break when you really need it, especially for a problem that could not realistically have been foreseen.

lizch6699 · Jan 6, 2006

Originally Posted by RoseHawke

My dog had pyo, I suspected what was going on, she had a discharge and was lethargic (I kept delaying spaying her 'cause I thought I "might" show her, baaaaad mommy!) so she had an emergency spay at 6 years of age (she's 8 now.) The closed pyo is the real danger, not even knowing it's happening. And apparently, even breeding isn't always proof against it. My breeder's site has a page on it and some graphic

photos of a pyometra surgery. Trust me, after seeing that you'd never want to chance an entire female again!

Wow those pictures are amazing. The uterus is huge! In fact, it's so big that it makes me think that I would notice her getting bigger. She's a very slim petite cat, is it something that you can notice by feeling her belly or is it pretty hard to detect?

Anyone have first hand pyo info?

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