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Treatment

Your dog will need to be hospitalized for fluid therapy, and to correct and stabilize any electrolyte imbalances. If the infection has reached sepsis, your dog will also be treated for shock. Your dog will also need to be placed on broad-spectrum antibiotics until the bacterial culture and sensitivity results return from the lab; then, depending on the results of the tests, your veterinarian will switch your dog to the antibiotic best suited for eliminating the bacteria that are causing the infection.

If the metritis is not in an advanced stage, your dog will most likely respond to medical treatment. However, medical treatment does not always prevent the infection from progressing to a generalized abdominal infection and ruptured uterus. If future breeding is not planned, having your dog spayed is the treatment of choice. This solution is especially appropriate when retained fetuses or placentas are present within the uterus, when the uterus has ruptured, or when the uterus is severely infected. Patients suffering from a long-term infection that is not responding to medical treatment may improve after a surgical cleansing of the uterus.

Living and Management

If your dog is nursing and has been diagnosed with a bacterial blood infection, it will be better to hand-raise her puppies to prevent transmission of the infection through her milk, and to prevent exposure to the possibly harmful effects of antibiotics on the puppies undeveloped systems. Keep in mind that animals that have been treated for infection have a chance of becoming less fertile or infertile, making future breeding difficult, or even impossible.