Guest taylorsmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Hello everyone-- A few weeks ago I posted a picture of Rita's "private parts"--she has this brown stain on the underside of her tail. The vet examined her today and said that she has an inflamed vulva, and that it is very "recessed". Apparently there is an extra flap of skin over her vulva, which causes all kinds of yucky stuff to build up in there and cause inflammation. This could be why she tends to pee in the house at times--it gets irritated and she feels she has to go and can't hold it, according to the vet. She recommended a "vulvectomy", which is a removal of the extra flap of skin. Has anyone had any experience with this? My other greyhound has the same exact vagina but it is fine--I think she does a better job of cleaning herself than Rita does, so there is absolutely no yucky stuff there or inflammation on Taylor. The thing I am worried about regarding the vulvectomy is that it has to be done under general anesthesia, which of course I am not crazy about. In addition, the vet says it is quite painful afterwards for a little while (I can't even imagine---such a sensitive area, poor girl!! ) The vet says that it will keep getting irritated and infected if it is not done. It is hard to clean the area myself, but I would do it if it would help her not have to get the surgery. But I am wondering if this is just normal greyhound anatomy?? I will post another picture later, photobucket is undergoing maintenance right now! Any insight or info would be very welcome!!!! Edited February 5, 2008 by taylorsmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaina Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Well, it's not "normal" greyhound anatomy, but it's not uncommon There is someone on this board who's dog had a vulvaplasty. I cannot remember who it was, but I'm sure she'll chime in Quote Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi."Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Well, it's not "normal" greyhound anatomy, but it's not uncommon There is someone on this board who's dog had a vulvaplasty. I cannot remember who it was, but I'm sure she'll chime in Oh, that's what it is--I am sorry!! A vulvaplasty, not a vulvectomy, thanks Meredith! What a dummy. No wonder I was getting really freaky things when I googled it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytdecals Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Our Maggie-Mae had that surgery...please read my thread all about it: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=138353&hl= warning: some graphic photos She has not had 1 urinary tract infection since then and we have not had to rub cream or do anything to that area since her surgery! We also found out at a later date that her litter mate had the same surgery done and she has not had any problems since the surgery either! Quote Suzie Collins Owner/Artist Skinny Hound Designs Greyhound decals, magnets and signs. Fur kids: Isabelle and Petey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 My Brindle had it done 13 yrs ago (she went to the Bridge 6 yrs ago). She had a chronic problem and I opted for the surgery. We never looked back She was just fine when it was all over. She had very little recovery time too. It seemed that once the area was free of infection, she felt a whole lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BootsyCollins Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Slightly off-topic, but my cat had PU surgery, which is basically a penis amputation, because he had many large bladder stones. That was almost 10 years ago - he is prone to UTI's, because his urethra is more exposed, but when he forms stones, they fall right out. Anyway, my point is, if a male anything can survive without his penis, your little girl will be just fine! Quote Christie and Bootsy (Turt McGurt and Gil too) Loving and missing Argos & Likky, forever and ever. ~Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 One of our greyhounds, Candy, had that surgery. She was fine with it and it stopped her infection and smell problem Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greys4Us Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Cassie, our eight year old hound, had a tucked vulva and we had a choice to have surgery or manage it ourselves. We wipe her every time she goes outside and she has had no UTIs or any other problems for over five years. It does take being vigilant and maybe surgery is the way to go for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest twok9lovers Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Hi, I'm new to the board. I don't have a Greyhound yet, but my mixed breed dog has the same problem as Rita. Tipper was urinating in the house and clearly distressed. She had the same symptoms as Rita's and got frequent and severe urinary tract infections. The doctor gave us a cream to use on her once a day (Tritop) and wipes to clean her with. This helped to a point, however, she still continued to get urinary tract infections, so the vet put her on what she called "pulse therapy" where we give her antibiotics every two to three months. This has kept her urinary tract infections under control. We discussed the surgery, however, we had several vets tell us that the surgery would not benefit Tipper since she has lots of thick hair in the immediate area which could impede the effectiveness of the surgery. So, we opted not to have the surgery and deal with the issue through bathing with gentle soaps, cleaning her with the wipes and the antibiotic every two to three months. I'm happy to say that Tipper has not had an infection almost a year and hasn't urinated in the house. I know this is a difficult problem to deal with, but I would get a couple of opinions from different vets before I would proceed with the surgery. But, Rita maybe a better candidate for the surgery than Tipper. I hope you are able to find a solution. Edited February 5, 2008 by twok9lovers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 My Arlie hasn't had the UTI issues, but has had a chronically, badly irritated vulva. I eventually took her to a dermatologist who gave us some options including routine cleaning and medication. She said the issue was partly conformation (same recessed issue as your girl has). Our routine is this, morning and evening: - clean with witchhazel - dry with a tissue - apply ointment or prescription cream per schedule Our schedule has been: - Tuesday and Friday, apply prescription cream (Fusiderm - it's awesome - easy to apply and you only need a tiny bit) - other days, Unda 270 cream - you can get this at a health food store, comes in a tube, thicker, helps to leave it on your fingers a few seconds and then apply. Interestingly, for independent reasons last fall I swiched Arlie to a grain-free diet. After awhile, I realized that the irritation factor was way down - am continuing to treat her twice a day, but use the prescription stuff less often. Perhaps there was an allergy factor involved somehow, though why it would manifest itself there I don't know. If you are interested, the original thread about Arlie is here: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showto...48&hl=arlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Interestingly, for independent reasons last fall I swiched Arlie to a grain-free diet. After awhile, I realized that the irritation factor was way down - am continuing to treat her twice a day, but use the prescription stuff less often. Perhaps there was an allergy factor involved somehow, though why it would manifest itself there I don't know. If you are interested, the original thread about Arlie is here: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showto...48&hl=arlie Thanks for this information, and also for the thread. Everyone's info and responses have been very helpful. Interesting about the allergy possibility mentioned here by Rickiesmom--Rita is rawfed and doesn't get any grain in her diet, but I also was wondering about allergies. On a side note to this allergy thing, I have noticed that on the white half of her face (the other half is black) she has a brownish rim around her eye that I pointed out to the vet today too--she thought she had some tearing issues with her eye but didn't make too big a deal about it, but I immediately wondered about allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rascalsmom Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 One of my females, Rascal, also has perpetual problems in that area. What we've been doing for it is this: when she seems to be doing a lot of licking, we get the wipes out, cleanse the area, then powder it with medicated powder from the vet. It does seem to help. We really need to be more proactive, and make it a routine thing....but I have a hard enough time making toothbrushing routine! And the cleansing/powdering is definitely something that is easier with two people....the vet showed me how to "pop" (for lack of a better word) the area out so you can cleanse it thoroughly. She isn't crazy about it, but she seems to know that we are trying to help her feel better. Her sister, Ruby, is built much the same, and she does not have problems. Quote Phoebe (Belle's Sweetpea) adopted 9/2/13. Jack (BTR Captain Jack) 9/28/05--11/2/12Always missing Buddy, Ruby, and Rascal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hey there Nancy. Sorry to hear Rita has this "issue". Not an easy decision, I'm sure. Let us all know and know that my thoughts are with you and Rita. It's always something, isn't it!? Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytlady94 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 (edited) My Renie did have the surgery to reconstruct at A & M University small animal clinic. This was several years ago and Renie has had absolutely no problems since the surgery, once it was healed of course. Renie did wear an Elizabethan collar for three weeks, which of course she hated, but after a couple of days she did become somewhat more comfortable with the collar. Renie was on an antibiotic and pain meds following her surgery. In my experience treating the area did absolutely nothing to end the problem. Renie was seen by several specialists and was treated with multiple meds with the area being cleaned and treated several times a day. It would look a bit better for a bit but never got completely "well". I would highly recommend the surgery, as long as it is done by a veterinarian who has experience in successful reconstruction. I wish I had Renie's surgery done right after I adopted her and realized there was a problem instead of spending two years with testing, multiple veterinarians and multiple treatments. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Edited February 6, 2008 by Greytlady94 Quote Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytlady94 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 see link Quote Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 see link Thank you so much for the link--this is very interesting. My struggle with getting the surgery for Rita right now is that she does not lick herself obsessively and in fact doesn't appear to be in a lot of discomfort. It is surprising to me because her vulva is quite reddened and irritated looking, and I am not sure if I can just assume that she is not in discomfort because we all know how stoic our greyhounds can be in the face of real pain. We need to get a urine analysis done, and I think that would help in making this decision. The two most prominent issues for me in getting her evaluated now were that she had this nasty brown stain (cosmetic) and that she does tend to pee in the house at times, but not constantly. If her problems were mostly around cosmetics and the "annoyance" factor of cleaning up pee (which I really can live with--I would much rather just clean up pee as compared to worrying about surgical complications and pain and anesthesia), I would just not do the surgery--but if she were to develop the more serious problems that others are noting (constant UTIs and deteriorated tissue) then I would feel more comfortable about moving directly to the surgical option. I guess I need to get the urine culture done and in the meantime go the more "conservative" route of cleaning her vulva on a daily basis. I have to admit I am a little squeamish about that!!! I don't want her to feel "invaded" by my touching her girl parts--is that ridiculous or what?? I guess I am just being overly sensitive about that--my training as a therapist that has dealt with sexual abuse trauma is getting in the way here, I think. Thanks for listening to my dilemma, everyone!! Not so serious as what others have to deal with, I know, and for that I am grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hey there Nancy. Sorry to hear Rita has this "issue". Not an easy decision, I'm sure. Let us all know and know that my thoughts are with you and Rita. It's always something, isn't it!? Thanks so much for the support, Robin, and yes indeed, it is always something!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytlady94 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Incidentally, Renie never had a UTI, she did however have an increasing amount of discomfort, and a swollen, raw vulva in spite of all the cleaning and medication that was prescribed by multiple vets. Quote Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Based purely on what I've read here (not having dealt with this) it seems to make sense to try the at-home therapies first, and if they're not successful, then consider the surgery. I'm currently faced with the decision about whether or not to amputate my nearly 9 yo female's toe. One of my vet's made the best point imo. He said we need to weigh how much her quality of life will improve against the risks of surgery and no matter what people may say on this board about their dogs undergoing anesthesia without any problems, anesthesia is always a risk. That's true of humans as well. Anyway, before I even got to the point where I had to think in those terms, I would do everything else possible that I could first. Who knows, you may end up considering the surgery more seriously anyway. I think that's most likely the case with my girl as well, but we'll put it off as long as we can. Hope that helps. And I hope whatever you decide your girl feels better. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest luvRgreys Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Just found this thread. My Slippers had a recessed vulva, and nothing we did cleared up the irritation or helped with her licking. Had the sugery and she came through like a champ! We thought it was going to be very difficult keeping her from licking or pulling stitches, but she did neither. Was definately worth doing the surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4greyhounds Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 My Sophie has the same problem, we are considering the surgrey, did you get it for Rita and if so how did it go?????? Trying to gather as much info as possible. Quote Darlene Mom to: Aladdin, Sophie ,Pongo, Jasmine, Relic Forever in our Hearts Champ at the Rainbow Bridge. Let a greyhound race into your heart Adopt Bay Area Greyhound Adoptions INC. Naples/ Fort Myers Chapter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyWrangler Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Lottie had this surgery several years ago and is fine now, before red raw nasty and uncomfortable for her. Quote Nancy and Grace - Andicot 2/1/07 Solo - Flying Han Solo 3/20/11 Missing: Murphy, Shine, Kim, Sprite, Red Dog, Lottie & Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhounder Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Are there any pictures of a before and after healed from surgery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I am still going the route of cleaning and medicating with ointment. Rita's girl parts are a lot less red and irritated looking, and she is licking less. She doesn't have a UTI, so as long as we can keep it controlled through this route we will hold off on the surgery. Thanks so much for everyone's help and comments, especially regarding the benefits of the surgery. Greyhoundr, there are some pictures posted in an earlier post to this thread following surgery, so that may help you. I will keep everyone posted, and will let you know if we go for surgery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 My little Misty has this problem but my vet won't do the surgery unless we can be sure she will not like the incision. So we did a run with the e-collar, she can get that off. I tied it to her collar and she still gets it off. Then we tried the bite-not collar, she can reach the area with it on. So the question I have is what elase can I try? For now I clean the area every time I see her pee with an anti-bacterial soap from the vet and use Desitin Creamy to soothe the area. According to my vet, if she has the surgery and is left unattended and licks the area, it can cause more serious problems. Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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