Pyometra is common in female dogs and cats

Knosey, one of our female miniature schnauzers, had emergency surgery last night for a pyometra, and the vet said if we waited until the morning, she may have been dead.

The symptoms of vomiting, fever, lethargy and bleeding occurred around 8 pm and we had her in the ER by 9 pm after doing some quick research online and calling the vet. We thought Knosey was pregnant, and we would have had puppies within about 2 wks or so. In fact, we thought she was miscarrying, but it was actually a disease of an infected uterus.

Pyometra is common in female dogs and cats, but not really any other species of animal, nor humans, get pyometra. It happens when, instead of a pregnancy, the uterus fills with a fluid and becomes inflamed and infected. If it goes too long, the dog will die of toxicity.