staffie

Question
i have a 10 month old staffordshire bulll terrier i have had her at the vets for a very swollen bulging out vagina they first thought it was prolapse but wen examined it is due to her producing to much estrogen causing her to swell in side and protrude out they recommended spading her as she may be like this every season i really don't want her spading but also don't like seeing her in pain.we would like in the future to breed her would this be a problem and what are the chances that she will swell every season thankyou

Answer

Hi Catherine,

It is normal for the vulva to swell and the vagina to thicken during the heat cycle. Sometimes, however, the swelling of the vagina may become so great as to be visible and even prolapse through the vulva. This condition is due to abnormal hormone levels or an abnormal response to the female hormones present during the heat.

You didn't say the name of the condition your dog was diagnosed with (vaginal hyperplasia, perhaps?) If it is vaginal hyperplasia, surgery can sometimes correct mild cases. That might not be an option for your dog.

Being a young dog with this condition, you can expect it to continue or get worse with subsequent each heat cycles. Breeding your dog may be dangerous. As a last effort to see if your dog can be bred, you could have your dog examined by a veterinary specialist with more experience treating this condition than your regular vet has. Ask your current vet for a recommendation to a veterinarian specializing in reproductive medicine and surgery. Or you can locate one here:

http://www.avma.org/education/abvs/specialty_orgs/default.asp

Your dog's health, and the fact you know she's in pain need to be your major concern and motivation, not your desire to breed this dog. A responsible dog breeder is only breeding healthy dogs that are excellent examples of the breed, so they'll have healthy puppies. Not every dog should be bred. Breeding for profit is the wrong reason to breed a dog.

Best of luck,
Patti