Puppy Vaginitis

Gracie recently had a vet check and third round of puppy vaccs (16 weeks). The vets loved her and said that she was in great health. However, they did find one thing, but didn't seem very concerned. She has vaginitis. The vet says it is because she hasn't learned to clean herself well enough yet and suggested that we monitor it until we return in 2 weeks for final shots. If it isn't any better, we'll then try a round of antibiotics.

But, of course, as I usually do, I started doing some internet research on vaginitis. A lot of what I read says that we may need to have her go through her first season to help prevent future episodes. Some of the sources say that if a puppy has ever had vaginitis, you should waith until after her first season. Others, say only if there's a persistent problem. So, I'm not sure what the "norm" is, really.

Does anyone have experience with vaginitis? Does it usually clear up on its own or does it reoccur? Also, is this (the waiting through first season) that a vet should be knowledgeable about or will I need to educate him a bit?

Thanks!

Lindsay,

India had vaginitis once as a puppy, and the vet gave her pills to treat it (I can't remember what the medication was.) She never got it again, and she was spayed at approx. 5-6 months of age.

I have since found out that if you have a groomer clip the hair between female cavalier's anus and vagina, it is easier to keep her clean and she will be less likely to get vaginitis and UTIs as a result.

I don't know if the vet told you this, but when your pup has vaginitis, the male dogs will be very attracted to her, so keep a close eye on her until she is well. :flwr:

You just want to make sure that the bitch DOESN'T have puppy vaginitis when she is spay, or it can become a persistant problem (per Dr Hutch). I have no first hand experience with this. sandy

Sandy, are you speaking of Dr. Hutch in N. Ridgeville OH? That's who we go to also!

Cathy Moon said:

Sandy, are you speaking of Dr. Hutch in N. Ridgeville OH? That's who we go to also!

Click to expand...

Dr. Hutchinson, yes, he is in Ohio. I've been to two of his seminars. I never get tired of hearing him talk-- he really answers questions and is very helpful.

Gracie's Mom, I just had Lily to the Vet last week for 2 things. One being that she was licking herself down there constantly and I was finding she was leaking urine a little. He told me she had an inverted vulva. It is retaining moisture, and causing bacteria to grow. He said I should let her go through one heat cycle to see if it will fix itself. He said 9 times out of 10 it will correct itself if she goes through a cycle. The risk from letting her go through one cycle is minimal. He said spaying before the first cycle reduces her risk of mammary cancer by 99% and waiting for one cycle reduces it by 94%. He also put her on an antibiotic. She is almost finished and she has not licked herself except right after she tee-tee's. I have not seen any leakage either. He also told me to wipe her with a baby wipe after she tee-tee's to always keep the area clean. Also to keep the hair trimmed. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice everyone! :flwr: So, I guess now the question for the vet is whether this is just a "random"/one time case or an inverted vulva. We were planning to have her spayed at 6 months, but don't have a problem waiting through her first season. Will talk to the vet further on this next week...

Hope she feels better soon! :flwr: :flwr:

Lindsay.....Here is a website with good information on this topic.

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ins-outs.html

Good information Shay. Shelby is an "outie" icon_whistling Both of mine get trimmed (feet and all) but especially Shelby. She gets a "sanitary" trim. If she gets pee pee build up down there she tends to lick herself raw. So, I keep her hair free and use a damp washcloth to keep her clean.