Vaginal bleeding leading to a spay

History

Luna is a 16 month old doe from our tabi line who began spotting a small amount of fresh blood vaginally. Her demeanour was unchanged and she was bright, active, eating and drinking.

Medical treatment

Her owner took her to her vet and she was prescribed a two week course of Baytril. Whilst on the antibiotic there was no further bleeding.

A few days after finishing the course Luna has a slight peachy discharge but no blood loss. 10 days after stopping the Baytril she had a fairly heavy loss of fresh blood (estimated at 2 to 3 ml). She remained lively but looked pale around the ears and toes.

Surgical treatment

Arrangements were made for her to see my own vet with a view to spaying. This was agreed to be the best course of action, and since she was still in good condition following the bleed surgery was carried out the same day.

A rat's uterus is shaped like a Y, with two horns spreading out and a single tube leading down to the vaginal opening. At surgery, Luna's uterus was found to be diseased, with one normal horn and one swollen horn that was engorged with blood and clots. There was no obvious sign of any pus or infection.

Outcome

Her uterus was removed and she recovered well with Metacam and Baytril cover. The Metacam was stopped after three days and the Baytril after six.

Pictures at 24 hours post op. Her scar is longitudinal and approximately 2.5 cm in length. The sutures are dissolvable. She has had daily Metacam for pain relief and seems pain fee (willing to move freely, climb etc.)

Luna had a stitch check at 6 days post op and was healing beautifully. she stopped antibiotics and went home. In the meantime another rat, Star, in the same group had developed the same symtpoms - spotting blood vaginally - and she was treated with a higher dose of Baytril for an extended course (3-4 weeks). She has not bled any further.

I have done a lot of digging for information about what causes this type of inflammation and bleeding in the uterus. We have seen this same picture twice before over the years. On both occassions more than one rat living in the same cage was affected, which suggests infection, but the discharge is not smelly, and the uterus contains no evidence of pus. However, the apparant response to antibiotics also seems to suggest infection. Obviously, this may be co-incidental. If anyone reading this has any ideas I would love to hear from you.