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EOIqIIL

SONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOIiIS OF
PYOMETRA IN BITCHES

suresh Jhirwal and G'N' Purohitt

s.M. Qureshi, T.K. Gahlot. P. Bishnoi,
Surgery and Radiology
Department of Veterinary
Bikarier (Raj )-334 001
Colleee of Veterinary and Animai Science'

ABSTRACT
1'.r lll',ollletl'21'
Shepherd bitchers i'rlou:;ccl a susl.rici.tl
N.r-rcspondrng gastritis in two German wirkrin thc utcl'illc lultlen:ltltl utct'inc
rvall
examination revealed anechoic fluid
ultrason.eraphical
thc pvomctrii'
thicke-ning. O.'ariohvsterectom-v conl'trmed

Ke1' n'ord : Sonoqt-aiphl' P)'olrlctl-a' c;'tlllne

Preserltl\'. I)Volttctt'lt u'a: tliagt'ttlsect

ltl l\\'o
T)rottlett'a
l-'' is a comnlon l'epl'oductive
Gerntirn iihe ilhll'cl bitchcs ri ith
svlllptollls of
f prohlem in middie iisecIbitches' Dorr were
t 1958 ) ported that the mean age of clinical
r'e gastritis '[lre hritchcs (7-8 years trge)
and
CaseS r,,,as 8.2 years with only
|Zvo of the cases referrecl to tltr: Vctcl lllaf ,v Sltrger)'
have Radiologl' ( linrcs with a history
of gastritis
under 6 years of age' Several workers Iol'
sllggested that the condition is more
common and fever. l\() respollse to tfeLltlnent
presence
in iif f iparous bitches (Dow, 1958'
1959a and gastritis arotlsetl suspicion 1'or the
lf p1,,',*e[ra. By abdominal ballotment' it the
that was
Frost. 1 963 ) while others have suggested ptrs in
rt is more common in bitches with
abnormal possilllc to c >ttlirrl the presence of
(Dow' using tl 5
estrous cycles and pseudo-pregnancy uteru:.. r\bcl, nriital ttltt'asonography
rvzts
1959b and Whitney' 1961)'Fidler
et MHz se(ltot scirnllel' (Shitnadzlt' Japzrn)
perfc,rtttett with the bitches in
to lateral
al.(1 996). however, found no relationship
recunrbenc) Sonograms (Fig' l
is a and Fig'2;
parity or estrus characteristics' Pyometra
rvitIirl the r'ttet'ine
revealerJ ap,:choic ilr-ricl
disease of luteal phase, with most
bitches
showing clinical signs between 5 to
80 days lunten srrl titet'itrc wall thickening'
in both
after the end of estrus (Arthur et al'
I 998) ' In Ovariotrystt rct:tomv \^'as performed
proceclltre
closed pvometra the diagnosis of
pyometra is the bitctte s r sitrg roiitillc \Llrgical
and py()lll(:tr LI \\'as cotlf'tt'itrcd'
l-hcre \\1lts LIll
clil'ficr'tlt otl the btlsis tli clinicarl signs
and

radto-graphy' When large volutnes

of fluid are unevcnll'ltl rc( ove 1'\/ 111 both thc bitches'
Sonrlgrrrllhi' itllpetll'Llllce o1' t'he ltterlts
ca'n
pr.r*, in it-t. uterus. diagnosis can usually
conftrttl t['e I)rcscnce of pLls which
is
be rnade by ultrasot'tography (Feeney
and
necess?t'1' t'rr ci,.ling to opcratc a bitch'
iohnston, 1986 and Renton et ol'1993)' '1e

i Gynaecology'
partmcnt of Vetcrinary Obstctrics and
De
q
Fi-c I: Sonogl'anr shou,'irrg ancrchoic ocho-
-te x[Lrre ol thc utcruts. indicating
pVonle tfil.
Sotltlgl';.rphic clii.tqnu\is rll p.. r.r1're'lllr i:; easy
when large volurne \ ol' l'luiti art. |)l'e SCnt in
the LlterLls (Feeney and John,,ton, 1986).
Flou,ever. it is difficult to drstirrguish other
callses o1' Lltet'ine 1'lLrid lic,-rurnulation
(rnucontetl'a ancl hydrotnctrii) frorn cascs of
pyorretra (Englancl. I 995t.
References
Arthur. G.H.. Noakes. D.8.. Pez,r'\on. II. and
Parkinson, T..1. ( l9(),J) Vclerinary
Reprocluction ancl Ob'st,'trics. W.B.
Saundcrs Co. Philadelohia. USA.
pp -527-9
Dou. C. ( l9-i8). Thc cvsric hypcrl)lasia
p\/otreil'ii colnplcr in thr bitch.
Veterirurlr l{cc,.rrcl 70 il( r.
I)ou,. C. (19,59a). 'Ilre e \/stii.' ir1'ltcrplzrsia-
pvontetra contltlc:x in tite: iritclr.
of Conrltarativc.. Puthology 69',-/39
Do\\,, C (1959b). E,xperinrental regrroduction of
the cvstrc hyperplasia-pyonretra complex
in the bitch. .lournal of' P;rtholocv and
Bacterioloqr. 7x.:67.
Fig.2: Sonogram of lhe uterus o1'a bitch
showing anechoic sacs.
England. G.C.\\'. (1995). Srnall animal
reproductive ultrasoltoeraphl,. In
Goddard (Ed ) Veterinary ulrra-
sonography. CAB International, UK. pp
52-9.
Feeney, D.A. and Johnston. G.J. (1986). The
uterus. In : Thrall. D (I1d.). Textbook of
Veterinary Dia_enostic Radiology,.
Saunders. Plriladelphia. pp. .158-67 .
Fidler. I.J., Brodey. R.S.. Ho',vson. A.E. and
Cohen, D. ( 1966). Relationship of estrus
irregularity'. pseudopregnancv and
pregnancy to canine pyometrzl. Journal
of American Veterinarl'Medical
Association. 119: 104-3
Frost. R.C. (1963t. Strangulatccl ingLrinal
pyornetrocoel in the bitch. Vetcrinitrr
Record. 75:6-5.1
Renton, J.P., Bo,vd. J.S. lrnd Harvcr. i\,1..1..\.
(1993) Jor"rrrtal of Reproduction ancl
J<tr_rrnal
Fertility Supplern ent. 4J: 465.
.
Whitney, J.C. (1961). The pathology of the
canine genital tract rn false pregnancv.
Journal of Small Anirnal Practice.8:241