Pyometra.

Pyometra is a relatively uncommon diestral uterine disorder seen primarily in older bitches and queens. The incidence of pyometra appears to be increasing, especially in younger animals, as a result of increasing use of estrogen and progesterone for mismating and for certain medical disorders. The clinical signs of pyometra and abnormalities on physical examination are dependent on the patency of the cervix and how quickly the client recognizes the problem. Ovariohysterectomy is still the treatment of choice; however, prostaglandin F2 alpha as a medical alternative in the management of pyometra is gaining more and more acceptance. The goal of prostaglandin F2 alpha therapy is to salvage the reproductive tract in the young breeding bitch or queen in the hopes of obtaining future litters. The results have been very promising, especially for bitches or queens with open-cervix pyometra. Prostaglandin F2 alpha appears to offer the owner a reasonable alternative in the management of pyometra.