Undiagnosed bleeding

[Jules n poppy]

hi my dog started bleeding and showed all signs of a season, enlarged vulva, swollen nipples but she was spayed over a year ago. The vet has taken urine samples, bloods and an examination but nothing has been found. It was thought that some ovarian tissue may have been left in but this has come back negative. Just wondering if anyone has heard or experienced anything like this as the vet now doesn’t know what it could be? The bleeding has stopped now and lasted about 3 weeks

 

[Violet Turner]

hi my dog started bleeding and showed all signs of a season, enlarged vulva, swollen nipples but she was spayed over a year ago. The vet has taken urine samples, bloods and an examination but nothing has been found. It was thought that some ovarian tissue may have been left in but this has come back negative. Just wondering if anyone has heard or experienced anything like this as the vet now doesn’t know what it could be? The bleeding has stopped now and lasted about 3 weeks

She could have a urinary tract infection, this may explain the bleeding. If you believe this is what I say it could be take her to the vet tomorrow and they may give her a dose of antibiotics. She also may have ovarian remnant, this is where some tissue is left inside her body and causes her to go into heat due to the hormones in her body. This could result in diapedesis this is where the vagina will continue to bleed. This could also result in a stump pyometra. Were the small pouch in her uterus witch normally is left after a spay becomes submerged in an infection. The symptoms of a dog with stump pyometra: Lethargic, Loss of appetite and usually will disperse blood from the dogs vulva. This is an emergency and could result in hospitalisation, IV with a dose of antibiotics. If you take her to the vet in the morning witch I recommend, they will be able to run some test on if it’s a UTI and pyometra. If this isn’t the case then the vet can run some more tests and to find out if there is ovarian remnant left from spay. If this is the case this could result in surgery. Hope this helps! Just ask if you need any more information on the above

 

[Jules n poppy]

She could have a urinary tract infection, this may explain the bleeding. If you believe this is what I say it could be take her to the vet tomorrow and they may give her a dose of antibiotics. She also may have ovarian remnant, this is where some tissue is left inside her body and causes her to go into heat due to the hormones in her body. This could result in diapedesis this is where the vagina will continue to bleed. This could also result in a stump pyometra. Were the small pouch in her uterus witch normally is left after a spay becomes submerged in an infection. The symptoms of a dog with stump pyometra: Lethargic, Loss of appetite and usually will disperse blood from the dogs vulva. This is an emergency and could result in hospitalisation, IV with a dose of antibiotics. If you take her to the vet in the morning witch I recommend, they will be able to run some test on if it’s a UTI and pyometra. If this isn’t the case then the vet can run some more tests and to find out if there is ovarian remnant left from spay. If this is the case this could result in surgery. Hope this helps! Just ask if you need any more information on the above

Thanks for your reply the vet has already taken urine samples and blood tests have been done to check for ovarian remnant. She was first treated with antibiotics which didn’t help. Urine sample was clear. The blood test for ovarian remnant has also come back negative.

 

[Violet Turner]

Thanks for your reply the vet has already taken urine samples and blood tests have been done to check for ovarian remnant. She was first treated with antibiotics which didn’t help. Urine sample was clear. The blood test for ovarian remnant has also come back negative.

Could she have injured herself internally (fallen over and ruptured an organ/bowel)? was the blood light and watery?

 

[Jules n poppy]

Could she have injured herself internally (fallen over and ruptured an organ/bowel)? was the blood light and watery?

No I don’t don’t think she had hurt herself as she was still her usual self. The vet did an internal examination and couldn’t find anything. The blood was a darkish red and quite thick.

 

[Violet Turner]

No I don’t don’t think she had hurt herself as she was still her usual self. The vet did an internal examination and couldn’t find anything. The blood was a darkish red and quite thick.

This is some more information on this topic.

Some causes of bleeding in dogs are;

Shock to the vagina or uterus,

Cancer around the pelvic area,

Physical defect (e.g. Fistula) involving the area of the uterus or vagina,

The later end of the estrus cycle

There are so many reasons why a sudden discharge can happen, try not to panic and book an appointment with your vet. She can do another urine exam, this will determine what could be wrong.

In my experience dark red blood is not a good sign but it can be signs of anything. How is her stools? (soft/hard?) Does she have a loss of appetite? Did the blood contain clots?



**this doesn’t mean your dog has the above but it’s just some helpful tips on what it could be**

 

[Jules n poppy]

Her stools are normal, the blood stopped after about 3weeks. Her vulva isn’t as swollen now. She is being seen by a vet but he’s puzzled to what it could have been

 

[Violet Turner]

Her stools are normal, the blood stopped after about 3weeks. Her vulva isn’t as swollen now. She is being seen by a vet but he’s puzzled to what it could have been

Have they done an ultrasound? Or X-ray? this could be the best possible way of finding out if its internal... I would suggest getting another appointment ASAP if she starts bleeding again!

 

[Jules n poppy]

Will do. Thanks for your advice x

 

[Violet Turner]

Your welcome any time!

 

[arealhuman]

Sounds nasty. No advice to offer I'm afraid, but please let us know how it goes. I hope she's OK, it sounds promising if she's acting her normal self.

 

[Molly (Cocker Spaniel)]

hi my dog started bleeding and showed all signs of a season, enlarged vulva, swollen nipples but she was spayed over a year ago. The vet has taken urine samples, bloods and an examination but nothing has been found. It was thought that some ovarian tissue may have been left in but this has come back negative. Just wondering if anyone has heard or experienced anything like this as the vet now doesn’t know what it could be? The bleeding has stopped now and lasted about 3 weeks

Hi there,
I’ve just joined the forum. I have a cocker spaniel who displayed identical symptoms and was spade. She had the ovarian testing and results were inconclusive, ultrasounds showed nothing so she ended up at the animal hospital and went in for CT scan and cytology which confirmed a Transitional Cell carcinoma of the urethra which is rare and I havent found many people who have been through this. I have posted today on here and we are treating Molly with chemo and pain meds. Good luck but keep pursuing this until you get an answer.

 

[Molly (Cocker Spaniel)]

Hi there,
I’ve just joined the forum. I have a cocker spaniel who displayed identical symptoms and was spade. She had the ovarian testing and results were inconclusive, ultrasounds showed nothing so she ended up at the animal hospital and went in for CT scan and cytology which confirmed a Transitional Cell carcinoma of the urethra which is rare and I havent found many people who have been through this. I have posted today on here and we are treating Molly with chemo and pain meds. Good luck but keep pursuing this until you get an answer.

Molly’s main symptoms were lethargy, constant squatting to pee, very small dark red spots of blood which were infrequent, reluctance to jump, feeling nauseous, licking her vulva. The blood stopped when she was given metacam. She was treated for UTI at first but of course things didn’t clear up and she became more lethargic as the weeks went by. She has always eaten and drinks very well. No abnormal stools as such.

Any bleeding is abnormal and needs to be investigated.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

How old is Poppy, & what breed/s is she, please?

Cockers, Springers, Shelties, Westies, Scotties, & Beagles are all more-prone than other breeds to TCC of the bladder. Additionally, being female increases the risk.
I'd ask my vet if an internally-taken biopsy of her bladder neck would be indicated, just in case (U don't want to take samples thru the abdomen, as if it *is* TCC, tumors could be seeded).

Dogs diagnosed with bladder-TCC are usually 8-YO & up, & double-digits are common, but it's possible in younger dogs.
Please see the thread
My experience with TCC of the Urethra diagnosed in my cocker spaniel

I posted a number of medical links there, & Molly's owner has outlined her own dog's current treatment, which is giving her better quality of life, & extending her lifespan.
This could be an outlier for a diagnosis, but it's a possibility.

- terry

.

 

[Jules n poppy]

Hi there,
I’ve just joined the forum. I have a cocker spaniel who displayed identical symptoms and was spade. She had the ovarian testing and results were inconclusive, ultrasounds showed nothing so she ended up at the animal hospital and went in for CT scan and cytology which confirmed a Transitional Cell carcinoma of the urethra which is rare and I havent found many people who have been through this. I have posted today on here and we are treating Molly with chemo and pain meds. Good luck but keep pursuing this

 

[Jules n poppy]

Thank you both for your replies. Poppy is a 2yr old cocker.
I went back to see the vet and he said as the test on her hormones isn’t very reliable so he still thinks it may be ovarian remnant. He said we can send her to a specialist for an ultra sound or wait to see if she comes into season again in the next 6-12months. Poppy is her usual self no bleeding, swelling gone, eating, drinking and playing as usual so I thought I’d wait but after reading molly’s owners advice I think I may push to see a specialist.
Will keep you posted x

 

[Violet Turner]

Thank you both for your replies. Poppy is a 2yr old cocker.
I went back to see the vet and he said as the test on her hormones isn’t very reliable so he still thinks it may be ovarian remnant. He said we can send her to a specialist for an ultra sound or wait to see if she comes into season again in the next 6-12months. Poppy is her usual self no bleeding, swelling gone, eating, drinking and playing as usual so I thought I’d wait but after reading molly’s owners advice I think I may push to see a specialist.
Will keep you posted x

Well that's great news for now. Do push for a specialist...

 

[Molly (Cocker Spaniel)]

Thank you both for your replies. Poppy is a 2yr old cocker.
I went back to see the vet and he said as the test on her hormones isn’t very reliable so he still thinks it may be ovarian remnant. He said we can send her to a specialist for an ultra sound or wait to see if she comes into season again in the next 6-12months. Poppy is her usual self no bleeding, swelling gone, eating, drinking and playing as usual so I thought I’d wait but after reading molly’s owners advice I think I may push to see a specialist.
Will keep you posted x

I am pleased you have decided to do this. After having such negative results with Molly, we too were considering leaving it as the spots of blood seemed to disappear for a short while but they did return. I f your dog has had any metacam, this reduces the inflammation and can mask the problem. I pushed for the referral as we had insurance to cover that and I’m pleased we finally found out the diagnosis so we could start treating her. She is doing really well at the moment about 90% back to her usual self (as opposed to 60% on just the pain meds) It’s not a long term cure but we shall continue to give her the oral chemo until her quality of life changes again.

 

[Molly (Cocker Spaniel)]

I am pleased you have decided to do this. After having such negative results with Molly, we too were considering leaving it as the spots of blood seemed to disappear for a short while but they did return. I f your dog has had any metacam, this reduces the inflammation and can mask the problem. I pushed for the referral as we had insurance to cover that and I’m pleased we finally found out the diagnosis so we could start treating her. She is doing really well at the moment about 90% back to her usual self (as opposed to 60% on just the pain meds) It’s not a long term cure but we shall continue to give her the oral chemo until her quality of life changes again.

If your dog has an ultrasound, sometimes they can detect foreign bodies/masses with this but again it was missed with Molly. A CT and possible Cytology will check everything. Wishing you luck through this stressful time. Keep us posted.