Remember how we thought we were having trouble potty training our standard poodle, only to find out she had chronic UTIs that were causing the accidents? I’ve got some great news about Amber’s condition!
Right before our baby was born, Ryan and I took Amber the Poodle to the HOPE Center (veterinary specialist center) for an Internal Medicine appointment. After some diagnostics, including an abdominal ultrasound, she was diagnosed with a case of “Juvenile Vulva.” Apparently her lady parts (so to speak) didn’t develop fully when she was a puppy, perhaps due to being spayed earlier than she should have been. Long story short, those parts were malformed, allowing bacteria to easily build up and cause chronic infections.
The treatment plan includes a Vulvoplasty, which is essentially plastic surgery to re-form it, as well as possible probiotics to encourage a healthier digestive environment.
After obtaining the diagnosis and suggested course of treatment, we scheduled a surgery consult with Dr. Langenbach, the owner and chief surgeon at the Veterinary Surgical Center. When it comes to complex surgeries for your pets, it’s better to spend more money and see a board-certified veterinary surgeon. Yes, your regular vet may be able to save you money by doing the procedure, but because they don’t do it often you may have lower quality results. It’s not due to any fault of the regular vet; it’s simply that veterinary surgeons do all surgery, all the time, and have completed extra years of schooling and residency to specialize in the art of surgery.
Dr. Langenbach is the one who performed Charlie’s surgeries, and I used to work for her when I first moved to the area. I’m glad I did, because after doing “working interviews” at other surgery and emergency centers in the area, I wouldn’t trust any other group with my pets’ surgeries. (And no, I don’t get a discount and they aren’t paying me to say this!)
Our consult is coming up soon, and we expect Amber will have surgery the same week. Fingers crossed that things go well!
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[…] you’re new here, Amber is our Standard Poodle who has had a UTI every month since we adopted her last fall. We’d treat her for the UTI, and then about 10 days after the […]