1033. Maltese shivering and not eating

August 9, 2012's interesting case

A young couple phoned one hour before closing at 5 pm. They wanted to consult Dr Jason Teo as they knew his brother. But Dr Teo could not be contacted on handphone. So, they don't mind any vet or Dr Vanessa.

As Dr Vanessa was busy with dental scaling, I did not want to delay the closing of the Surgery at 5 pm as this was a public holiday and I try to let Mr Min off to celebrate. Working over time can be de-motivating for most staff and so I ensured that this does not happen. So, I handled the case with Dr Daniel.

The 7-year-old female, not spayed Maltese had a swollen tense abdomen.  The vulva was swollen 10X.
"When was her last heat?" I asked the lady in her 30s.
"She has once a year and so far, I don't see any bleeding or spotting on the bed."

I checked the milk production but there was none except for a black "inverted" nipple which secreted yellow "milk."

"Has your dog been behaving strangely like carrying a towel around recently, vomiting, scratching the floors or hiding in a corner?"

"She did carry a soft toy yesterday," the lady said. "Scratching of the floors is her common habit. No vomiting except for last month. She did hide in a corner yesterday."

I diagnosed this dog as having her heat 1-2 months ago and was now suffering from a closed pyometra (womb infected with pus). The dog did not have a fever. The owners were not convinced although the wife said that the stomach was swollen. A blood test was taken.

"The blood test may be normal," I said to Dr Daniel. "If the closed pyometra has just commenced."