10/12/2026
🚨 PSA: SPAY YOUR DOG!! 🚨
A recent case. Hard decisions. Tears, fear, teamwork, and a life saved. ❤️
We recently treated a 5-year-old intact female French Bulldog who had been sick for five days. Her owner had a family emergency involving a child and would have brought her in sooner if circumstances had allowed.
She had finished her heat cycle just a few weeks earlier. 🚩 Classic timing for a PYOMETRA.
Pyometra is a life-threatening infection in which the uterus fills with pus. It can progress rapidly, and without treatment, it can be fatal.
Her bloodwork was concerning. Her radiographs were difficult to interpret, but we knew we were dealing with a very sick dog. We started supportive care with plans to perform surgery the following day.
Then we repeated her CBC.
Her platelet count had dropped, putting her at significant risk of life-threatening bleeding during surgery.
We recommended transfer to an emergency hospital where she could receive more extensive testing, intensive monitoring, and surgical care. This was the best medical option, but the estimated cost was $7,000–$10,000. Her owners simply could not afford it.
That left us facing two heartbreaking options: euthanasia or attempting to save her ourselves, knowing the risks.
Her owner trusted us to try.
And our team went all in.
We pulled out blood-typing supplies and blood-donation equipment we had never used in our hospital. We enlisted employee dogs as blood donors and administered blood products while waiting for the owner to arrive.
Then came surgery.
The uterus was ENORMOUS. It had expanded so much that it was pushing against her stomach, far beyond where a normal uterus would sit in the abdomen.
Everyone was on edge. We knew how much was at stake.
Thankfully, the surgery went more smoothly than we feared, with minimal bleeding. We closed her up and moved into recovery.
But she was slow to wake up and ultimately needed oxygen support after surgery.
We sent her home that evening. She was awake and alive, but weak and still not eating. We held our breath.
Two days after surgery, she started eating boiled chicken. Each day, she ate a little more and acted a little brighter.
TODAY — FOUR DAYS POST-OP — SHE CAME BACK TO SEE US.
Minimal to no bruising. Eating. Improving. And looking like she is going to be okay! ❤️😭
Our entire hospital was emotional. We knew we had done everything we could, but knowing that we had actually saved her life was overwhelming.
This is why we do what we do.
This is veterinary medicine built on teamwork, trust, communication, compassion, and a commitment to our patients. It’s the kind of medicine where clients become family and everyone fights together for the same outcome.
But please hear me when I say this:
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS.
Spaying your dog prevents pyometra. It can spare you the fear of watching your baby become critically ill, the heartbreak of facing impossible decisions, the financial burden of emergency surgery, and the agonizing possibility that you might lose her.
Not every story ends like this one. Some dogs are too sick by the time they receive care. Some do not survive, even when everything possible is done.
Please don’t wait for symptoms. Please don’t assume it won’t happen to your dog.
SPAY YOUR DOG. 🐾
One routine procedure can prevent a life-threatening emergency.
And to our team, our employee blood donors, and this family who trusted us with their girl: thank you for being part of a story we will never forget. ❤️
