Veterinary Medicine - October 2008 - (Page 567)

one study, 18 dogs with vaginitis had complete resolution of clinical signs after vulvoplasty (episioplasty).21 Systemic disease. Concurrent disease may be identi ed after performing a complete blood count and serum chemistry pro le. Dogs with uncomplicated vaginitis generally have normal results.2,22 Treat any underlying systemic disease, such as diabetes mellitus or hyperadrenocorticism, rst, and if the vaginitis does not resolve, treat as for idiopathic vaginitis. potentially, atopy, will better permit practitioners to understand and treat vaginitis. Most therapy for vaginitis is symptomatic because most cases are idiopathic. Vaginitis can be frustrating for owners and veterinarians alike, so it is best to be honest with clients about our limited understanding of its causes and our inability to predict when and if clinical signs will resolve. I nd that most clients adhere to my recommendations if the diagnostic and treatment plans are thoroughly explained. 1. Parker NA. Clinical approach to canine vaginitis: a review, in Proceedings. Society Theriogenol, 1998;112-115. 2. Johnson CA. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic vaginitis in the bitch. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 1991;21(3):523-531. 3. Bjurstrom L. Aerobic bacteria occurring in the vagina of bitches with reproductive disorders. Acta Vet Scand 1993;34(1):29-34. 4. Laznicka A, Huml O, Nesnalova E. Micro ora of genital organs of bitches and its relationship to reproductive disorders. II. Vaginitis. Veterinarstvi 1995;45:210-212. 5. Hirsh DC, Wiger N. The bacterial ora of the normal canine vagina compared with that of vaginal exudates. J Small Anim Pract 1977;18(1):25-30. 6. Jarvinen AK. Urogenital tract infection in the bitch. Vet Res Commun 1981;4(4):253-269. 7. Olson PNS, Mather EC. Canine vaginal and uterine bacterial ora. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1978;172(6):708-711. 8. Doig PA, Ruhnke HL, Bosu WTK. The genital Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma ora of healthy and diseased dogs. Can J Comp Med 1981;45(3):233-238. 9. Davidson AP. Frustrating case presentations in canine theriogenology. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2001;310(2):411-420. 10. Polzin DJ, Jeraj K. Urethritis, cystitis and ureteritis. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 1979;9(4):661-678. 11. Freshman JL, Reif JS, Allen TA, et al. Risk factors associated with urinary tract infection in female dogs. Prev Vet Med 1989;7:59-67. 12. Root MV, Johnston SD, Johnston GR. Vaginal septa in dogs: 15 cases (1983-1992). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1995;206(1):56-58. 13. Kyles AE, Vaden S, Hardie EM, et al. Vestibulovaginal stenosis in dogs: 18 cases (1987-1995). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1996;209(11):1889-1893. 14. Crawford JT, Adams WM. In uence of vestibulovaginal stenosis, pelvic bladder, and recessed vulva on response to treatment for clinical signs of lower urinary tract disease in dogs: 38 cases (1990-1999). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;221(7):995-999. 15. Schneider AL. Plausible causes of vaginitis. Honors Thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn, 2004. 16. Poste G, King N. Isolation of a herpesvirus from the canine genital tract: association with infertility, abortion and stillbirths. Vet Rec 1971;88(9):229-233. 17. Hill H, Mare CJ. Genital disease in dogs caused by canine herpesvirus. Am J Vet Res 1974;35(5):669-672. 18. Hollett RB. Canine brucellosis: outbreaks and compliance. Theriogenology 2006;66(3):575-587. 19. Levstein-Volanski R. Evaluation of tests used in canine theriogenology. RScV Thesis, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 2008. 20. Strom B, Linde-Forsberg C. Effects of ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on the vaginal bacterial ora of bitches. Am J Vet Res 1993;54(6):891-896. 21. Hammel SP, Bjorling DE. Results of vulvoplasty for treatment of recessed vulva in dogs. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2002;38(1):79-83. 22. Okkens AC, Gunnink JW, Vogel F, et al. Vaginitis in the bitch. [German]. Tijdschr Diergeneeskd 1977;102(17):1034-1038. Idiopathic vaginitis. Many dogs have idiopathic vaginitis, so several symptomatic therapies have been described. Estrogenic agents such as diethylstilbestrol may help control subclinical urinary incontinence and may enhance the movement of white blood cells into the vaginal vault and increase vaginal wall elasticity. Do not use diethylstilbestrol in dogs that have not achieved full adult height because it may cause premature closure of the physes of long bones. Phenylpropanolamine may also help control subclinical urinary incontinence. Histologic examination of vaginal wall biopsies suggests that many dogs with clinical vaginitis have lymphoplasmacytic in ltration of the wall as a component of in ammation.9 Thus, glucocorticoid therapy may be bene cial in some bitches. To avoid exacerbating a problem likely already distressing to the owner, I do not use glucocorticoids in dogs with urinary incontinence. As in juvenile dogs, douching has not been reported to be an effective therapy for vaginitis in adult spayed female dogs. Finally, I have had some success with diphenhydramine or hydroxyzine in dogs with clinical signs of vaginitis and a history or clinical ndings suggestive of concurrent atopy (Figure 1). REFERENCES CONCLUSION Better identi cation of conditions known to be primary factors in dogs with vaginitis, such as vaginal anatomical anomalies, concurrent systemic disease, and, VETERINARY MEDICINE October 2008 567 http://stokespharmacy.com http://stokespharmacy.com

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Veterinary Medicine - October 2008 Contents Leading Off Clinical Exposures Idea Exchange Stalking Stones Vaginitis in Dogs CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - October 2008

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