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My dog has pyometra, and I'm scared of spay surgery. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pyrenean Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 9 years and 10 months old | 58 lbs

I believe my dog has pyometra and I understand that being spayed is the correct way to deal with this, although I am 100% sure my dog will not survive the operation, what can I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 7th, 2018

First off, I'm sorry Maggie has a pyometra! Yes, you are correct that spaying her is the correct way to deal with it, and I do recommend having it done right away. The longer she has the pyometra, the sicker she will become, which will make the surgery more risky. Leaving it untreated is fatal, and in my opinion, it's better to have the surgery done and try to save her life even though you do take the chance she may not survive the surgery. I have seen numerous dogs and cats survive the surgery. One option you have is to euthanize her instead of doing the surgery. This will put her out of her suffering from the pyrometra, but it does mean you lose Maggie for sure. In same cases, such as with an open pyometra, medical treatment with antibiotics can be attempted, but that that often isn't successful and cannot be done with a closed pyometra. Only your vet can determine if medical treatment is an option for her. I would get her into a vet immediately, as the longer you delay treatment, the worse the prognosis is for her. You can discuss the options with the vet, and make the best choice for her and you. Best of luck!

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