Antibiotikaanvändning vid kirurgisk behandling av pyometra hos hund

Abstract: Pyometra is defined as a bacterial uterine infection with accumulation of pus in the lumen. The disease affects middle-aged to older non-spayed female dogs. Pyometra is a serious disease which can lead to life-threatening complications such as peritonitis and sepsis. In some parts of the world, peri-operative antimicrobial therapy is recommended to all dogs with pyometra. In Sweden, peri-operative antibiotics is only recommended to bitches with peritonitis, sepsis or moderate to severely affected general condition. Antibiotics can save lives because of its ability to kill bacteria but overuse can contribute to increased antimicrobial resistance and cause unwanted side effects in individual animals. Increasing antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat that can lead to therapy failure and a future with incurable bacterial diseases. Expected benefits of using antibiotics should therefore be weighed against potential unwanted effects. A retrospective study was performed using data from 776 bitches diagnosed with pyometra that were treated by ovariohysterectomy (OHE) at the University Animal hospital (UDS), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden during the years 2013 to 2016. The aim was to investigate peri-operative antibiotic therapy and the proportion of bitches that recovered uneventfully without antibiotics. About half of the bitches in the present study were treated with antibiotics peri-operatively. Most of these bitches were given antibiotics after surgery. A little less than half of the bitches recovered without antibiotics. None of the bitches that had not received antibiotic treatment peri-operatively died because of pyometra or complications to the disease. The results of the study showed that the current Swedish recommendations of antibiotic treatment were followed and that perioperative antibiotics can be avoided in nearly half of the bitches with pyometra without negative effects if careful clinical evaluation is performed according to current routines at UDS, SLU.