French Bulldog with heavy bleeding

[CarolNoelle]

Hi.
I have a 8-9 yr old female French Bulldog who was supposed to be spayed when I "rescued" her from a woman who owned her for about 6 mos (she was also under the impression this dog was spayed)
Anyway, this girl has c-section scars, is the sweetest dog i have ever owned.
She has had several heat cycles since we've had her about 3 yrs now(all new to us, we've never had a female dog before), but this one is lasting longer and this morning, after about 4 weeks now, the bleeding is darker and heavier!! The vet told me over the phone that based on her age and history and symptoms (none except for bleeding--she is active, eating, drinking, clingy as always,) that this is normal--he says "heavier longer periods is normal for older dogs like her" I am scheduling her to be spayed asap after she stops bleeding.
I trust what the vet says I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this also? I was worried sick! still worried...
I LOVE this dog but hate to bring her out in this horrible heat if I don't have to and the vet says I don't need to...
PLEASE share your knowledge! thanks

[Jess]

Are you saying she's been bleeding for the full four weeks now?

[sundancer maiden]

Originally Posted by CarolNoelle

Hi.
The vet told me over the phone

Please tell me that the vet has actually seen this dog! A spayed dog should not be having cycles in the first place. I'm really confused, you've had this dog for a period of time, the vet has seen her, hasn't he/she? I do not understand how any vet would be so casual about a dog having these symptoms.

[Sassy]

Ohhh wow... no spayed she would not be having a cycle at all and that long of a bleeding that heavy I think U need to consult and get her to another Vet asap...!!

[Sirita_88]

Could be a pyometra. I would get her in the vet ASAP

[singing tree]

I think they thought she was spayed, but obviously she is not. Longer heat cycles in an older dog is not terribly unusual, so I would not panic. As long is it is blood and not infection, you are okay.

My question is why have you waited so long to spay, if you knew when she went into heat the first time that she was not spayed before? That is alot of mess to go through if you are not planning to breed.

Whatever the case, she will likely be fine and then you can get her spayed.

[recklesshoundog]

I think your vet is correct that it does happen as they get older....much as it does in women. One thing I think is you re going to have to wait abit after the heat cycle for everything to get back to normal size before spaying if I recall correctly.

Love frenchies!!!

[jazzymonster]

Originally Posted by recklesshoundog

I think your vet is correct that it does happen as they get older....much as it does in women. One thing I think is you re going to have to wait abit after the heat cycle for everything to get back to normal size before spaying if I recall correctly.

Love frenchies!!!

the vet at the clinic I work at actually recommends waiting two months after the dog starts bleeding before spaying. she said it's a lot safer at that point and will cut down the amount of bleeding during surgery. you can of course do it before then, but certain risks are higher. I know they actually charge more for the surgery if your dog is still in heat

frenchies are adorable, my friend has 2 and I just love them

[farmergal]

Originally Posted by CarolNoelle

Hi.
I have a 8-9 yr old female French Bulldog who was supposed to be spayed when I "rescued" her from a woman who owned her for about 6 mos (she was also under the impression this dog was spayed)
Anyway, this girl has c-section scars, is the sweetest dog i have ever owned.
She has had several heat cycles since we've had her about 3 yrs now(all new to us, we've never had a female dog before), but this one is lasting longer and this morning, after about 4 weeks now, the bleeding is darker and heavier!! The vet told me over the phone that based on her age and history and symptoms (none except for bleeding--she is active, eating, drinking, clingy as always,) that this is normal--he says "heavier longer periods is normal for older dogs like her" I am scheduling her to be spayed asap after she stops bleeding.
I trust what the vet says I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this also? I was worried sick! still worried...
I LOVE this dog but hate to bring her out in this horrible heat if I don't have to and the vet says I don't need to...
PLEASE share your knowledge! thanks

Are you sure it's not a hernia scar? My BIL lost his dog when she went into heat and she was an older dog. I was told she hadn't had a strong heat cycle (attracted males) in years so they didn't bother to get her spayed. She got pyometra ( http://petsmd.com/Health/Dogs/Pyometra ) sadly they lost her on the operating table. So if you notice any changes don't hesitate, get her to the vet.

[CarolNoelle]

Sirita and Farmergal were right!! It was a pyometra!!
We almost lost our Butters!
She was acting normal the day I started this thread except for the bleeding..one vet told me not too worry too much that it was her age..then later that day she started vomiting and shaking and breathing very shallow--she was so sick all of a sudden I could not get her to another vet fast enough!!
Minutes seemed liked hours waiting for the vet to see her, but thankfully he saw her right away and gave us grim news-- he suspected pyometra but didn't think he could treat her bc X-rays showed fluid in her lungs (shock lung)
We had to make a decision fast- risk emergent spaying surgery or put her down--my heart was breaking!! But if she had surgery we would have to take her home bc they were not a 24hr hospital !! We would have to take her home after surgery IF she survived surgery, then pray she survived the night w her Fluid in her lungs and shallow breathing until they reopened in the am to see her again
What a nightmare!!

Well I am ECSTATIC to report that my girl not only survived surgery but she is doing very well!!!!! I have not left her side, she is starting to eat normally and drink (had cheerios soaked in milk tonight and walking around and
actually ran in the yard today before she remembered it hurts!
She doesn't like her pain meds so I am not giving her anymore, besides she doesnt really seem to need them
She is on Baytril daily x 14 days and her breathing is almost normal!! Staples come out soon, incision looks good

I know how lucky I am and I am so grateful I cannot even describe how happy we all are that our sweet Butters made it thru this!!
Thank God I was home when I noticed her vomiting-it happened so fast but the vet said this was in the works for a while and that her uterus could e ruptured if we waited much longer
I will keep everyone posted


She really is doing well!
Keep her in your prayers that she continues to do well and reaches a full
recovery
I could not imagine my life without her!
Thanks for your concern everyone

[horselady]

Glad that she is well, and just saw this and was going to say pyometria.
as for others reading this thread, DO NOT WAIT
take your dogs asap to a vet, a dog should not have dark, oozz coming out of her for days,

[jules1962]

I had a tiny old poodle years ago that developed pyometry in what seemed like a minute. She was fine one day and the next she was near death. Luckily she too made it throught the surgery and lived five more years. Pyometry is a scary thing.

[NorthernHorseGirl]

That's scary! I'm glad she's okay. So was the idea that she'd been spayed from the fact that she had a scar on her belly from a ceasarian and it was assumed it was from a spaying?

[Applejack]

I'm so glad she's doing well, that must have been scary!

[CarolNoelle]

Originally Posted by NorthernHorseGirl

That's scary! I'm glad she's okay. So was the idea that she'd been spayed from the fact that she had a scar on her belly from a ceasarian and it was assumed it was from a spaying?

thanks! Butters continues to do well in fact she is acting very much like herself! Following me around (she always had separation anxiety), hogging all my attention/affection, trying to climb the stairs after me, stealing my Boston Terrier's toys away from him, lol, even doing her little bunny hop happy dance when she sees me getting her leash (for my other dog---I am not taking Butters on walks yet)

I bought Butters (named so bc she is a "butterscotch" color) from a really nice woman who only had her 6 mos. and then had to sell her when she had to move--I also bought this woman's cat, a beautiful young Snowshoe Ragdoll named Sophie--Butters and Sophie are buddies) This woman told me she rescued Butters from a farm and that she thought they would've bred her to death if she hadn't come along..she also thought Butters was spayed. Butters had scars from the litters she had and I guess we all assumed she was spayed. Someone told me responsible breeders never sell or give away their breeder dogs w/o spaying them first, but these people did not sound like they cared about Butters..
So, I found out months after I brought Butters home that she was not spayed. I already had a male Boston Terrier who I had neutered right before Butters came home. My vet said she was pretty healthy except for some dental tarter and would have to be spayed which would require anesthesia...I mistakenly thought it would be too risky to put her thru surgery again not knowing how many times she had already delivered puppies, so I thought it was safer not to spay her, esp since my Boston was fixed. Almost 3 years later this happened- a dog owner's worst nightmare.. The symptoms seemed to come about so fast, but apparently her body had been slowly fighting the infection inside her for a while--her blood test showed low WBC's which confirmed this
I could not believe I did not see this coming but I knew in my heart something was wrong that morning--too much blood altho she acted normal that morning. I think the fluid in her lungs is resolving bc she seems to be breathing normally now. She is snoring right next to me right now--music to my ears!!Staples come out Tuesday. I have been walking on air since she's been doing so well, I really thought we would lose her that night and I could not bear that--she sleeps next to me and has to have her head on my body somewhere, lol she's very sweet, very comical and happy, very well behaved and I have spolied her rotten since I brought her home. I am sure she has delivered beautiful puppies and was a great mother to them, but it is her time to live a life of leisure--she has earned it and I thank God I have a second chance to give it to her

I have one question--does anyone have any tips on how to get her to take her Baytril (antibiotic)? She hates it and I tried putting it in the back of her tongue but she vomited, so I won't force her anymore, esp since her appetite is not 100% yet. I'm thinking of cutting it in half and putting it in liversausage ( I used to do that for my Boston Terrier when he was a puppy-he had pneumonia and also was not expectd to make it! The breeder was unscrupulous and sold him to me sick, then would not help me with the vet bills. 8 yrs later my Boston is doing great)

Any tried and true methods of getting my girl to take her pill each night would be greatly appreciated! It's a huge struggle getting her to take it--today I had to crush it and mix in peanut butter which she really did not want to take.
Thanks for everyone's concern, I will post pics of Butters soon

[Jess]

Yeah, it's never normal for a dog, no matter the age, to bleed that heavily for that long. Definitely scary, glad she's ok now though!

Antibiotics can be really tough on the tummy, usually it's not advised to break, cut or crush them.

Your best bet is to hide them in something tasty. One of my Labs is on Doxy right now for having contracted Lymes. Three (bigger than your typical adult sized tylenol) pills every single a day for a month. The easiest way to get him to take them is to either wrap them in a slice of cheese, or push them down into a quarter sized piece of hotdog. He's a gulper so he swallows the whole deal down willingly with no chewing.

If she doesn't want anything to do with that like it or not you really have to lay the law down and make her. You don't want to have her take them for a few days, then not for the next couple, then take them for another few days etc...she needs them to overcome her infection and illness entirely. If you're not consistent whatever bugs are sill floating around will become resistant to the antibiotics and she could end up sicker. They also won't help her in the future if she ever needs to take them for anything else again if you let her make the decisions day to day.

Just like with people she needs to take the full course, consistently, for them to help her. Whether she likes it or not!!!


If she won't take them in food you have to pill her in the mouth. Don't feed her beforehand or her gag reflex will kick in and it'll come right back up with a big mess.... You can slick the pill with butter to help it slide down if you want, then put it as far back as you can while tilting her head up and back, and encourage her to swallow by massaging her throat. Feed her yummy treats right afterward to help avoid tummy upset and to let her know she did a good job. Really gross but if it comes back up you need to retrieve the pill, wait a few minutes for her to calm down, and repeat.


Good luck and I hope her recovery continues to go well!

[recklesshoundog]

putting the pills in a glob of peanut butter works for my gang! Except for my sticky fingers I've never had them not take their pills!

[farmergal]

How can we get Butters to take her medi , hmm... have you tried raw hamburger? Wrap the pill and then hand it to her like you would a treat. I also feed canned dog or cat food on a plastic spoon. Dogs don't like clanking their teeth on a metal one. I can trick my dogs into taking medicine this way. One spoonful for Olive and one spoonful for Abby. Soon I have a feeding frenzy and my sick pooch doesn't notice I slipped a pill or liquid med in theirs unless it's Rascal. It's hard to outwit that pooch.

Glad she made it through the whole ordeal. Sadly not all dogs do. Butters is one of the lucky ones. How did her vet visit go yesterday?

[CarolNoelle]

Originally Posted by farmergal

How can we get Butters to take her medi , hmm... have you tried raw hamburger? Wrap the pill and then hand it to her like you would a treat. I also feed canned dog or cat food on a plastic spoon. Dogs don't like clanking their teeth on a metal one. I can trick my dogs into taking medicine this way. One spoonful for Olive and one spoonful for Abby. Soon I have a feeding frenzy and my sick pooch doesn't notice I slipped a pill or liquid med in theirs unless it's Rascal. It's hard to outwit that pooch.

Glad she made it through the whole ordeal. Sadly not all dogs do. Butters is one of the lucky ones. How did her vet visit go yesterday?

Butters is doing great! I would say she is 100% back to normal and here is a vid I took 2 days ago of her playing in out yard
She still has the staples, I was mistaken``they come out Monday. the vet is very happy with her recovery and I am so grateful to them! They really saved her life and I will forever be grateful..AND I have found that the best and easiest way to get Butters to take her pill is to cut in halves and hide in liversausage--she LOVES it and takes it w/o any problems!

I hope my post saves other dogs from the dreaded condition called pyometra. What a scary horrible thing it is....

I know how lucky my Butters is
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and here's her playmate Beast (my boy)

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[singing tree]

Those are adorable videos! She surely looks like a dog who feels tons better! Yay!!!