# Secretions..



## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

I have noticed lately that Bella has secretions coming from her vaginal area. It is like an off white-yellow color. Its not liquid like pee. Kinda looks like the consistency of hair gel.

Any ideas as to what it is? Should I take her to the vet?


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

How old is she? Is she spayed? If she is not spayed she could be going into heat, does her vulva look larger than usual?


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

She is 6.5 months old.

It doesnt look that much larger to me but I never really took notice to it before. The only reason I noticed the secretions was because I saw her licking herself alot. I looked to see why and the gel looking stuff was there.

Its been going on for about a week now. I didnt think it was a big deal because she is acting fine. Eating and drinking normally. But I dont want to just ignore it completely in case there was an underlying issue. So, I figured I would get some of the community's opinion.


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## cass0407 (May 22, 2009)

I would take her to the vet cause it could be numerous things. I had a female pup that had a reoccuring issue of this and the vet would prescribe antibiotics but eventually came to the conclusion that it was from her maturing, but it could have been an infection. Better safe than sorry is what I say.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Is she spayed?


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

FloorCandy said:


> Is she spayed?


No, not yet.


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

I would say first stage of her heat cycle....


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

Hirihat said:


> I would say first stage of her heat cycle....


From what I have read, the discharge is a bloody color to a pinkish color when they are going in heat.

Im not disagreeing with you, just trying to learn.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

In the beginning of the cycle, they secrete a clear to milky discharge. This will change to pinkish right before its bloody. You will also notice her vulva start to get huge. Its a shame you have not had her altered, the heat is the worst! You should go buy her a doggy diaper, one of the ones that velcros on. I buy regular human maxi pads to put in the diaper instead of their pricey pads, they are the same thing. I just get the cheapest one, usually store brand. Do not take her out while she is in heat because you never know when some idiot will be out with an intact male, not paying attention, and bam he will be on your girl. When my pug was unaltered I only took her out to potty when she was in heat.


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

Ok. Thank you for the advice.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

It is normal is some bitches to secrete liquid it could be greenish in color. Just like males leak smegma (male discharge that is yellow or green) females can also discharge just like some humans. Now you should go to the vet and rule out vaginitis since that could be a sign of something more serious.
At 6 months I would not say it is her heat cycle, you normally will see bright red blood on a bitches first heat cycle and some tend to bleed heavily the first time.
I have mostly females in our kennel so that makes 13 females at this time so I can tell you from experience it is probably nothing.
Again you should check to see if it is vaginitis, see the last sentence of this article.

Vaginitis refers to an inflammation or infection of the vagina. It can be brought on or caused by problems occurring within the vagina, or be secondary to conditions elsewhere in the body. It is a fairly common disorder in dogs of all ages. It may be the result of trauma, however, this is rarely the cause. 
Most cases seen in dogs are caused by the caustic and irritating effects of urine on the vaginal mucosa or lining. Since urine normally passes through the vagina with every urination and vaginitis is only seen in a very small percentage of female dogs, cases of this disorder typically mean the urine is abnormal or its flow is in some way altered.

In cases of bladder infections (cystitis), the urine contains large numbers of bacteria. Expelled with the urine, these can easily colonize the vagina, leading to an infection and inflammation of this structure. In mature female dogs, especially in those that have been spayed, urinary incontinence can be a common problem. This is basically a chronic leaking of small quantities of urine from the bladder. When this occurs, urine may lie against the vaginal lining much of the time and lead to a 'urine scald' or irritation.

Infections from bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are known to occur within the vagina. The bacteria isolated from this structure are those commonly found or passed in the dog's stool. It is thought that when the animal cleans itself after urination and defecation, the licking may transfer bacteria from the anus to the vagina. As in other species, yeast infections of the vagina sometimes occur in animals that are on prolonged antibiotic therapy. It appears that these medications suppress the normal bacteria living in this structure, which in some way may prevent the growth of yeast organisms.

The herpes virus known to infect dogs commonly infects the vaginal area. As in other animals, this is a chronic infection with occasional flare-ups of clinical signs.

Non-infectious inflammations of the vagina also occur due to the effects of shampoos, detergents, cleaning agents, and other solutions. The severity of these is dependent on the properties of the causative agent.

In animals with vulvar fold abnormalities, the vaginitis may be secondary to irritations resulting from this condition.

Young female dogs less than one year of age may develop 'juvenile vaginitis.' The cause of this condition is unknown, but generally resolves with age.


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

Performanceknls: Would she need to have the discharge on her while at the vet? Or can they tell through a test?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

no they can do a culture or you can tell them what is going on. They may put you on meds they may wait to see if it clears up on it's own. Don't worry too much I have females get it all the time and as long as it is not a heavy discharge but just a little I leave it alone and it normally goes away. I did have to treat one dog for it and I can not remember what we did for her but I think it was antibiotics. My 10 week old pup as it now but again it is just a very small amount, just enough to make the end of her vulva a little yellow. It will go away on it's own in a few weeks. You might want to call your vet, phone calls are always free, tell her it looks like a little vaginitis and does she want you to come in.


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

OK. Thanks for the info.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Lady had Vaginitis when we got her, and it smelled terrible! It was like tuna x 100. The vet said she has a very small vulva and that probably caused it, she also had a UTI. SHe was filthy and stank, so I think the "breeder" was just housing in poor conditions and the 2 infections caused each other, she has not had any recurrance since. I hadn't thought of vaginitis because you hadn't mentioned smell, but maybe it doesn't smell until it gets bad?


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

edit...........


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

She does have an odor to her but it isnt that bad. I thought it was coming from her mouth because she has two teeth that look like they are rotting.

When we first got her, she had a tooth in the very back that was rotting but the vet said it was her baby tooth. It did fall out and the smell was gone. But now she has two more teeth that look like they are rotting. I heard if a dog chips their tooth, it will rot. I dont know what she could be chipping her teeth on.

We are going to take her to the vet soon for her teeth and the discharge.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Is she a rescue, If not the breeder might not have taken care of them the best. Poor nutrition can cause brittle teeth, or she may have a bigger underlining problem. A trip to the vet in this case is a good idea. I have never had the discharge smell on any of my dogs. Now I am sure it has a smell but nothing I can detect if the dog is just sitting by me. Let us know what the vet says!


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## Pitlover0718 (Mar 23, 2009)

I consider her a rescue. I was browsing through kijiji.com for a puppy and I came across her ad. I contacted the person and went to meet Bolt (that was her name at the time). The lady lived like a slob. She had two adult dogs and two puppies. She kept the puppies outside with one adult dog and the other in the house. She let Bella out to meet me and the first thing she did was run to the bowl of food and ate it like she hadnt eaten in days. She was very skinny. I felt for her and I had to take her.

I know the lady was a byb. She told me that Bella was RE/Gotti line and she had papers that should be coming in within the week. I still havent seen those papers. I knew I wouldnt. But it isnt a big deal. She is just a family pet. No plans for working or breeding her.

The woman gave us some Purina puppy chow. I only fed it to her while mixing her food with Innova. She has been on Innova since I got her which was three months ago.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Well thank god you saved her! Innova is a great food but the lack of proper care could still cause teeth issues now. You may need to supplement with calcium but see the vet first. good luck


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