[SamIam]

Placing myself at the mercy of those who are entirely against purposeful breeding of dogs...

I have a dog who became ill during late estrus. She had symptoms of pyometra (poor appetite, vomiting, pu/pd, depression) but is not typical of the profile (younger and wrong part of cycle). No fever, CBC confirmed infection, palpation revealed a slightly enlarged uterus. She was considered a very good candidate for antibiotic therapy, but was also booked in tentatively for a spay 2 days later. Her symptoms nearly disappeared by the next appt. so the surgery was cancelled, and she was sent home to continue antibiotics and a hormone injection in a month, as long as she continues to do well.

Then I found hot spots - a rather large area compared to her small size. (By location, above and beside the tail, they would have been caused by the male whose aim was poor.) They cleaned up nicely. She is acting healthy, but acting pregnant (she has been bred before and there is a definite difference between behaviour after a not-bred versus pregnant heat). So I am wondering...

Could the skin infection have caused the elevated WBC, and sick dog symptoms? Could she actually be pregnant with a healthy uterus? Or would pyometra due to hormonal affects and enlargement of the uterus mimic pregnancy? Very little information seems available on the normal canine uterus during the first 3 weeks of pregnancy, or on systemic affects of a skin infection.

Reasons I am asking are:
1) I want to be well prepared before the next vet visit, and
2) I have a waiting list for the litter and want to know what to tell them.