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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have 12 year old dog euthanised due to pyometra

123 replies

Sp3849 · 14/05/2023 18:47

Trying to make the best decision for my dog. She is a 12 year old shih Tzu and the most loyal lovely dog. I noticed Wednesday she had been bleeding a gooey substance from the back end. Vet saw her yesterday and said she had a small pyometra which is open and it was very beginning of it. (Massive infection in her uterus) She isn't unwell and her usual self. She said she would operate straight away as she didn't feel she was poorly or suffering and it could wait until tomorrow. She explained that it is a major operation and due to her other health issues with arthritis and her age I should consider what to do. She will not survive without the operation. She may not survive the operand if we do have the operation and it is successful it would be massive for her at her age. We hadn't had her spade before as we had her later on in life and we didn't want to put her through that at an older age also we had never known this could happen. (Regretting that decision now.) She is booked in for surgery in the morning but after speaking with family and friends they think it is cruel to put her through it. I love my dog and I really want what is best for her. I don't want her to be in pain. I want her later years to be comfortable her arthritis is getting worse and I do wonder if this operation will be too much. I need to decide what to do before tomorrow morning. Has anybody else had a pyometra operation on an older dog? Is it as awful as it seems? Would

OP posts:

PastaPup · 14/05/2023 18:51

I’d go for it personally and give her the chance

Cheeseballer · 14/05/2023 18:52

I'd absolutely go for the surgery.

Namechanged17283 · 14/05/2023 18:53

I don't have experience with this but have had dogs. At aged 12 I wouldn't put them through such an op. Kinder to let go. Sorry op

anon12093 · 14/05/2023 18:56

@Namechanged17283 I agree with you, it would be kinder to pts.

Catsolitude · 14/05/2023 18:57

When I was considering what to do about my elderly but not ridiculously elderly cat, I scoured the internet looking for something to help me make the “right” decision. She wasn’t going to get any better and potentially treatment would have been invasive and unsuccessful. To cut a long story short, I had her PTS. She wasn’t on her absolute last legs but she was very frail, had lost weight and I think starting to be unhappy. I swithered a lot but the phrase that stuck with me was “better a month too early than a day too late”. I gave her the best life I possibly could and had her PTS when I knew she was deteriorating, but before it became an emergency euthanasia.
I understand your dilemma. Whatever you decide to do it’s in your dog’s best interests and a decision made out of love so good luck.

WiddlinDiddlin · 14/05/2023 18:58

At age 12... in a breed that can easily go on to 15 or more, then I would definitely do surgery for an open pyo.

If this were a closed pyo (no leakage) and she were lethargic and miserable, then perhaps not, ditto if she were otherwise unhealthy, poor quality of life etc etc.

I would be feeling pretty bloody guilty for not having her spayed sooner and this would colour my decision but the recovery isn't going to be significantly different to that of a young dog (just more antibiotics) and they do bounce back (yes, even at 12) pretty well from it.

Quveas · 14/05/2023 18:58

Given the age, an average lifespan being 12 - 16 years, I'd consider how seriously the rest of the health impacts on quality of life. I was once in a similar position with a 13 year old border collie who had arthritis. He got a serious infection after an attack on him by another dog and the vet said he wouldn't survive. I decided to give him a chance. He had another 3 good years after that. You can't predict the outcome, so you have to trust your gut instinct.

RUOKHUN · 14/05/2023 19:00

I need to preface this with I don’t know the life expectancy of shih tzu’s. But I would go with the line of thinking of, would I want my 90 - 95 year old Nan going through this and then relate it to the dog. You don’t want to be putting an elderly dog through an awful procedure that they probably won’t heal/ recover well from. If 12 is like, late middle age for them then I’d say go for it.

Patchworksack · 14/05/2023 19:04

Vet here - the chances of her surviving the op if she was otherwise fit and well beforehand is very good. The recovery time is about 2 weeks and she could have years of healthy life ahead of her. Anaesthetising a 12 year old dog is fairly routine because older dogs often need dental treatment or have lumps.
The only reason not to operate is if a) you really can’t afford to pay for surgery or b) you were already contemplating euthanasia because quality of life was poor.
Ovariohysterectomy for pyometra is curative surgery.

Sarvanga38 · 14/05/2023 19:04

I am usually very reserved about putting older dogs through invasive surgery, but I wouldn’t hesitate to have a 12 year old bitch of a long-lived breed like yours spayed for an open pyo if they were otherwise healthy. This is not an op that requires excessive rehabilitation or long recovery, and it is a finite cure for this issue.

in my relatively frequent experience of pyometra (I have a breed that seems very prone to it), you will probably find her like a new dog when she is healed, as it’s normally been pulling them down for a while before symptoms become apparent.

(I am also not a ‘neuter automatically’ type, in males or bitches, but due to my frequent experience of this, I always have bitches spayed by 7 or 8 now, so they can be done while fit and healthy, although appreciate you had your reasons why this hadn’t been done.)

Azealeasinbloom · 14/05/2023 19:06

You mention health issues, including arthritis. How well are these controlled and how do they impact her quality of life ?
I have a similar aged lab who has well controlled arthritis and seems very happy in his life. If his mobility was not going to be impacted ( long time off his legs, for example), I would operate on him ( obviously not for Pyo, but perhaps for a lump).
If his op was likely to result in a deterioration of other health conditions ( for example long cage rest) , then I would PTS , as it would be unlikely he would fully recover.

I think you need to truly understand the recovery / other effects of surgery , and weigh that up.
Sorry your girl is going thru this.💐

Pennyplant19 · 14/05/2023 19:06

I would have the op. My old girl had a large mammary tumour removed at 14 and she had another year before she passed with something unrelated. Sending hugs x

GoodChat · 14/05/2023 19:07

What's the recovery time like for the surgery? If she's going to have a couple of days or a week in discomfort I'd go for it. If it's a case of months I would PTS.

ThinWomansBrain · 14/05/2023 19:10

It's a hard decision, but her ongoing quality of life has to be the biggest consideration.
It's thirteen years this week since I had to make a similar decision with my 15 year old cat; I still miss her, but took the Vets advice that it was the kindest thing to do.

Original poster

Sp3849 · 14/05/2023 19:12

They said recovery time is probably going to be 4 to 6 weeks. She may not survive the op and risk of sepsis afterwards is high. It is extremely invasive and a painful recovery. That is what is making me doubt if I should put her through it. Her arthritis had been managed well until last few months her back legs have lost alot of strength and she is a bit wobbly now

OP posts:

TheWorldsGoneMadAndSoHaveI · 14/05/2023 19:14

My dog had this at around the same age, she had the op and lived 5 more years.. deffo worth the chance

Sheepsheepeverywhere · 14/05/2023 19:15

Our old collie cross ddog had one around that age op. Lived til she was 20!!
Go for it or you will always wonder...

Original poster

Sp3849 · 14/05/2023 19:16

The vet didn't really suggest which option would be better either she was only focused on how much it's going to cost us. Which was kind of her but I kept saying I don't really care about the cost it's fine, all I want is the best for my dog. She just told me to go home and weigh it all up said it was an extremely difficult decision with no right or wrong answer

OP posts:

GoodChat · 14/05/2023 19:16

Sp3849 · 14/05/2023 19:12

I think with the pain, arthritis and high risk of infection, even if she does make it through the surgery, the kindest thing might be to PTS.

holaholiday · 14/05/2023 19:17

I personally think we are far too keen these days to give pets life extending treatment because we can ,rather than because we should….if her back legs are starting to go it may be the appropriate time now rather than putting her through a big op and seeing her slowly decline over the next couple of years.

PollyPeptide · 14/05/2023 19:20

I adopted a dog and didnt have her spayed because she was elderly. She developed a pyrometra shortly after I got her at 12 and so I had her neutered. She lived til she was 17.
Is the vet advising you against the operation or just advising you of possible outcomes?

Abergale · 14/05/2023 19:20

I think if the vets have suggested it they obviously think it would be kinder not to do it. However much she is trying to appear neutral.

CaffeinateMeNow · 14/05/2023 19:23

My dog had pyo and vet told me survival unlikely but we went for the op and now shes 12!

I’d give her the chance.

That said, if you decide to PTS she won’t know so don’t feel awful for it. You know her best. X

Munchyseeds2 · 14/05/2023 19:24

Given your update that she is getting wobbly on her legs I think I would have her PTS rather than do the op

LoonyLois · 14/05/2023 19:24

Spaying recovering time isn’t that long, even in an older dog the science behind it now is just incredible. When my last dog was spayed you couldn’t even see the wound

I would do it, you said she’s happy otherwise. If she’s eating and enjoying life you can’t put her to sleep. It almost sounds like the vet doesn’t want to do the operation, recovery from open pyo is so good that I wouldn’t be able to not do it.

I’m a dog breeder and exhibitor by the way, to a larger working group dog, but I’ve got friends in smaller breeds who have been through it and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it myself too

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