# Puppy Vaginitis And Spaying



## Bergy (Oct 14, 2011)

I have a 5 month old Yellow Lab that has a touch of Puppy Vaginits. This comes and goes depending on humidity and other factors. She does not have a recessed vulva either.(Knock on wood) she hasnt had any UTI's either. I am contiplating on waiting to have her spayed her after first heat to see if this helps clear things up. From reading and reserching it also seems like there is other benifits for Labs to wait it out. What would you do? Do you think the first heat will help the Vaginits?


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Well, she is only about a month from her first heat, so you could wait it out and see if that helps. Are you keeping the area clean and dry to help prevent infection and irritation? I dont really know too much about the condition so I cant give too much advice, sorry. I know a lot of people who have waited after first heat to spay their females, without any complications. I think it just depends on the person though, because there could be more complications after a first heat, since the blood vessels are developing. Im sure someone else on this forum knows more info they can share with you


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

The spay itself should help clear it up. Most puppies in this situation have no further problems after they're spayed regardless of if they go into heat first. 

So, I guess you could say it doesn't matter one way or the other.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

My girl had the same issue when she was younger. She was misdiagnosed, we were told it was a uti. So it was a crazy month and half w/ meds she didnt need, pee samples I didnt need, vet bills that were high and me finally changing vets to find what she had was vaginitus and no antibiotic would make it go away. I was told to let her go through her 1st heat to "flush" out so to speak. It however did not help. She went through her 2nd heat and I have not seen any symptoms of it...knocking on wood too here. When she did have it I would clean her area after coming in with a damp papertowel and also had to wipe the drips she just had just because. Choosing to wait to spay has had an advantage because it has put her at almost 19 months and some of the reading I have been doing is that waiting until a large breed is at least 18 months of age is better for their joint development because of the hormonal changes. The bad part of letting your dog go through a heat or two means 24/7 supervision outside so no unplanned pregnancy happens and then the inside part of diapers staying up...lol. My girl bleed for straight 21 days both cycles and that is not fun, but the benefit has been no more vaginitus :smile: Good luck w/ your girl. I know what your going through so I hope it gets better for you.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I will also say that waiting to spay and neuter large/giant breed dogs is best....IMO.


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## Bergy (Oct 14, 2011)

Do you ever worry about mammary cancer waitig to spay? I know it's a catch 22 because if you dont wait it increases the risk of other cancers and issues too.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

Honestly I did not worry about the chance of mammory cancer or other issues mainly because I was trying to get rid of something she actually had. I decided to take my chances and see if I could help her now rather then worrying about something she "could" get. I do know that no matter what decision you make for you dog you have to be comfortable living with. That is the only way you will know you are doing what is best for your dog.:wink:


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## KlaMarie (Dec 30, 2010)

Rayne had puppy vaginitis at around 3-4 months. It would go away, come back, go away, etc. She had yellow discharge and pretty bad itching in that area. I put her on some Vitamin C and cranberry concentrate (pill form), which seemed to help a little. I really just wanted to prevent a UTI and give her a chance to grow out of it. She did, it eventually went away all together at around 5 months. She is now 8 months and hasn't had any problems since. I just kept the area as clean and dry and I could. And she is intact, has not had her first heat yet.


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## Bergy (Oct 14, 2011)

I have been thinking of adding some Crancaps to her diet and maybe some fish oil too. However I do not want to add any Vit. C. From what I have read to much Vit C. is bad for large breeds joint development. Bella has had this off and on since she has been 2-3 months and she is now 5 months old. We use non scented baby wipes when we notice any discharge. The area is not inflamed or iritated at all. 
She originally was eating Earthborn Puppy vantage when we got her from the breeder. She is now 100% on Fromm LBP Gold. Fromm also has pro and pre Biotics added. Since we have made the switch it seems to be better. We do notice it flares up more when it is humid out.


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