[GoldenSail]

....did it go away with one round of antibiotics? Multiple? Never? After the heat?

Scout was diagnosed last week and she has had a full week's worth of antibiotics and she's still licking and itching. Licking less, but probably itching more. To top it off, I didn't care for the vet I took her to so if I need to go again I am not sure if I should finish up with him or find someone else :yuck: She's got three more days to go, so maybe I should just be patient, I just know (and I know I'm human and she's a dog) when I am on antibiotics I feel better within days and the last pills are just taken to prevent any bacteria from mutating.

 

[BeauShel]

Here is a thread that talks about puppy vaginitis.
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=52018&highlight=vaginitis

 

[Pointgold]

Was a culture done to determine what antibiotic to use? It does sometimes take more than one course, depending on the med prescribed. Usually, one there is a heat, the issue is eliminated, but you do need to treat it in the meantime.

 

[Florabora22]

I think it took Flora almost a month before her vaginitis went away, but that's because we had to try a different antibiotic after the first one didn't work. We were going to wait until after her first heat to spay her, but fortunately after she cleared up the first time, it never came back, so we had Flora spayed around 7.5 months. She's never had a problem with it since.

 

[hotel4dogs]

I know nothing at all about this and am in a paranoid mood, but with her having just been in heat I'd be concerned about an infection deeper in, not just vaginitis.
Sorry to plant that thought in your head, but I had to say it.

 

[Pointgold]

I know nothing at all about this and am in a paranoid mood, but with her having just been in heat I'd be concerned about an infection deeper in, not just vaginitis.
Sorry to plant that thought in your head, but I had to say it.

I'd also want to eliminate yeast - if it is a yeast based infection, antibiotics are contraindicated.

 

[kvar]

Layla had it when she was a pretty young puppy. She was given the antibiotics and after the first round she was better. However, 2-3 weeks later it came back so we gave her the antibiotics again and she cleared up by the end of her prescription. That was probably 3 months ago and she has not had it again. Our vet said that since she had it once she was very susceptible to get it again and it could be an ongoing issue until she is spayed.

In addition to that, they are now requiring us to wait until after her first heat to get her spayed and during her heat she has to be on that same antibiotic because she will be more susceptible to it.

The fun of being a dog owner!

 

[GoldenSail]

Was a culture done to determine what antibiotic to use? It does sometimes take more than one course, depending on the med prescribed. Usually, one there is a heat, the issue is eliminated, but you do need to treat it in the meantime.

No, the vet didn't do much of anything IMO which is why I am reluctant to go back to him, but not sure since he saw her first if I should resolve the issue with him or not.

 

[GoldenSail]

I know nothing at all about this and am in a paranoid mood, but with her having just been in heat I'd be concerned about an infection deeper in, not just vaginitis.
Sorry to plant that thought in your head, but I had to say it.

Yes, I've been told of the possibility of pyo (albeit more unlikley at her age), which is again why I was disappointed that all the vet did was stick a swab up her hoo-ha, saw there was no blood and not temperature so diagnosed vaginitis. I mentioned how she was acting a little itchy (and I might say she is a little more itchy than before) and he dismissed it as anal glands and whisked her away to the back to have his helpers express Scout. Well, I was skeptical of anals as she is young and I would hope she doesn't need help...and sure enough she was empty :/

I am not certain if she really had a heat or not. I really thought so, especially the first time around because of her behavior in conjunction with it all...but I could've been wrong. I thought she was doing split heat at first with the vaginitis because she was licking and it was red, but apparently the saliva can stain the fur red. At any rate, the vet was a bit dismissive about the possibility because he thought she was too young and the time of year was wrong (and I thought his reasoning was weird, lol).

 

[Pointgold]

No, the vet didn't do much of anything IMO which is why I am reluctant to go back to him, but not sure since he saw her first if I should resolve the issue with him or not.

If you do, be assertive. Let him know your concerns. Ask him to do a culture, and tell him that since you intend to show and perhaps breed this dog it is imperative that it is treated properly and completely. Let him know that you want assurance that this is not a herpes or brucellosis or anything else that could possibly affect her long term. (Overkill, maybe, but it is usually enough to get them to pay closer attention.)

 

[GoldenSail]

If you do, be assertive. Let him know your concerns. Ask him to do a culture, and tell him that since you intend to show and perhaps breed this dog it is imperative that it is treated properly and completely. Let him know that you want assurance that this is not a herpes or brucellosis or anything else that could possibly affect her long term. (Overkill, maybe, but it is usually enough to get them to pay closer attention.)

Yes, I need to be more assertive next time. I was just under the impression (and I know better) that vet knows best....

She takes her last pill tomorrow morning so I am just going to watch her. My sis passed on some great articles on the subject (written by vets) so I'll share them in case anyone else is curious or is having the same problem.

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=600759&pageID=1&sk=&date=

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=557956&pageID=1&sk=&date=

To sum it up, one of the articles mentioned that quite frankly, vaginitis is not well understood making it difficult to treat.

 

[coppers-mom]

All my dogs have been males so I am not familiar with vaginitis.
My old guy does have to take different antibiotics and appreciably more than initially thought in order to clear up his various problems, so it could be that antibiotics you are on are not enough for Scout or maybe she needs a different kind.
I have vet problems too. (sigh) If you are not completely satisfied with her treatment, I believe it would be best to go somewhere else.

 

[BC&MM]

I am late replying. Dakota has this and it started out as an UTI when she was about 4 months old. We have been on and off medication for the last 3 months. We have done test after test and they gave us medication for the infection. If we stop the medication within 3 days it is a problem again. She will now be on medication until her first heat, which I hope is sooner than later. Then we will try to remove the medication and still where she is at. The plan is to get her fixed at that point.