Vaginal bleeding.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Wendy...thanks for your question about Flash. While I can't say for sure what is happening to her without examining her, I can give you a few ideas that you can talk to your vet about.

First of all, it is possible that she has a urinary tract infection. However, usually with an infection we see a real urgency to urinate and the dog is trying to pee constantly without producing any urine. It is also a little unlikely that she would have this problem for a month.

Next, is the possibility that she has urinary crystals. We often don't know why dogs get this. If there are crystals there they cause the bladder to be inflamed and we can see some bleeding. If there are crystals there it is important to get her on appropriate treatment from your vet as the crystals can eventually form a bladder stone.

She could also have a vaginal infection. We will usually see some type of discharge (pus or mucus) from the vagina if this is the case, but not always.

I do sometimes get worried about a senior dog who has bleeding especially if it is not combined with any straining to urinate. Sometimes we can see tumors of the reproductive tract or bladder that can cause this symptom.

And one final thought...we will occasionally see spayed females who have something called an ovarian remnant. What this means is that a small portion of the ovary was actually left in during the spay (or some animals actually have residual ovarian tissue in their abdomen). This can eventually cause the dog to have heat cycles. If this is the case, the bleeding should not last longer than 3-4 weeks. However, it would be a little bit unusual to see this in an older dog.

I would definitely recommend a vet visit. Your vet will do a urinalysis to determine if there is a urinary tract problem. They will do a good vaginal exam (as much as your girl will allow), and may want to do some additional tests.

I hope she is ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Sounds good! I hope she does well!
Dr. Marie.