Vaginal Bleeding

[CalicoPrairie]

I'm just learning how to do head-to-toe checkups on my chins and I've just discovered that one of my girls is bleeding from her vagina. I noticed it a couple of days ago, but the blood was dry so I cleaned her off and figured I'd watch her for a few days. Today, the blood was fresh. She doesn't seem to be an different than usual, but she has been timid since I adopted her (mid-July). She is eating and playing fine and basically just being herself.

I have read that the only reasons they would bleed would be due to mating or giving birth (or miscarrying), or if there is some internal thing wrong. There has been no breeding going on here, and I don't believe there was before she came to live with me.

I'm planning on taking her into the vet this week, but I thought I would see if anyone here as ever dealt with this and what kind of questions I should be asking at the vet. Thanks in advance.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

Looking into pyometra and metritis and neither seem like this is what I'm dealing with. Since this girl didn't just deliver babies and there is no inflammation or redness that I can see, I'm leaning toward perhaps a case of dehydration. I've checked out her tray and I don't see any dark urine from the past couple of days, which isn't promising--but I don't see any blood either. I have changed her tray and added fresh pine so I can keep watching, and in case this is a dehydration issue, I have added a second (different style) of water dispenser to her cage, both marked with dry erase markers so I can track how much water is being taken in.

Is there anything else I can be doing until we can see the vet?

 

[ticklechin]

Does the discharge smell bad? What is the texture of it?

 

[CalicoPrairie]

No smell at all. It was somewhat gooey and brick red in color when more dry. I checked again this morning and there was some of the dried stuff on her (I didn't clean her up fully yesterday, so it could be leftovers). No fresh stuff unless it happened overnight.

Otherwise, she seems fine. She came out to play for a few minutes and is frisky and friendly. I see where she is peeing in the shavings, and it doesn't really look red/rust, but just looks like wet shavings. Hmm.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Os she cages with another chin and if so, are you sure that the other is not a male?

 

[CalicoPrairie]

Nope, no other chin partner in the cage. It seemed to clear itself up and the vet checked her and confirmed things are ok. I think her water was positioned on the cage too low and she wasn't drinking. Once I moved it, it resolved itself, thankfully.

 

[Cuddlebug]

That doesn't make any sense. Dehydration does not cause vaginal bleeding. Even if she was in heat and had some discharge, it should not have been bloody. She could have a pyometra (uterine infection) that is now closed. If this has happened, she may appear fine for now, but she will get very ill really soon; bad enough that she may not be able to saved. I would not blow this off. Blood is a bad sign if it was not caused by an injury or another chin mating with her.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

Thanks! I did a lot of reading into what it could be before I went to the vet. I read that it could be a possibility that it just appeared to be blood, but could rather have been very dark urine due to not drinking. I raised the water and she began drinking again and it resolved itself. I suppose it could be something else, but it it seems like such a coincidence. I did some checking into pyometra and she had no other symptoms of it, though I understand this could happen to unbred females. I'm keeping an eye on her and checking her daily, and if anything looks amiss, back to the vet she goes.