Recessed vulva vs. "normal" vulva?

[Timesthemyth]

Here's the deal:

I haven't noticed any UTI, or redness, but I'm wondering if the puppy might have had some puppy vaginitis that's gone undiagnosed.
In looking this up I started reading information on recessed vulvas causing irritation; and I'm a little paranoid that I got my dog spayed too early when she should have gone through her first cycle so it could 'pop out' ?

I've been doing a ton of google searches, and I've seen photos of each, but I'm still not certain of which is which (What a normal looks like). The only thing I've learned is that people on dog forums tend to be a little immature and vague when it comes to dog vagina problems…lol. There was this one site that had side by side photos.....but honestly, they both looked the same to me.

This is my first female dog I've ever had...ever... and the vet never mentioned anything to me, so I'm just a little peeved at myself for not being more aware, as I had no idea this problem existed, and need some confirmation (photos please) of what a normal, non-inverted vagina should look like vs. recessed...

And hoping maybe I can get an extra set of eyes to let me know if it looks like there could be any problems? Redness or whatever. I'm terrible at noticing details. What would vaginitis manifest itself as? Fairly certain it's not a UTI.

Thanks

[Timesthemyth]

I'll tie this loose thread up so it's not left unanswered. I ended up asking the vet if the above would count as 'recessed' - and yes, it's a slightly recessed vulva. It's not as bad as some, but there is a small flap at the back which is capable of trapping bacteria. Sometimes they'll grow out of it.

Her accidents are still undiagnosed though. No UTI. She's been put on antibiotics.

[DebraDownSouth]

I haven't been on lately so missed your post. Cara was spayed young, Arwen at a year… both have recessed. I have to clean them all the time as gunk builds up in the fold area. I found this picture which is similar to theirs (though much less hair!), so you can see the fold of skin with the vulva slightly recessed. I just use hypoallergenic baby wipes and clean them both at least once a week when I wipe their ears, lol. I will say that as long as Arwen isn't on gaining weight, she does a pretty good job of keeping herself clean but when she gets too fat, it's disgusting if I don't clean it a couple of times a week. In fact, I am ashamed to say sometimes I don't notice the weight til the gunk gets worse so it's my "your dog is getting fat-o-meter".

[Timesthemyth]

lol, good to know about cleaning. Thanks.

Do your dogs get anything besides a UTI from this confirmation issue - vaginitis or yeast infections?

I realize you clean….but would you notice any problems along those lines if you, say, forgot to clean.

Trying to figure out what the puppy might have....doctor was uncertain, but she hasn't had a single accident since on the antibiotics.

[tanza]

Most will keep themselves clean, but for sure it can lead to UTI's…

[DebraDownSouth]

I am not sure how the picture is gone so I am going to message it to you as well as put it here .

Yes, when Arwen was younger before I started cleaning her, she actually developed a pus cyst next to it. Vet expressed it, said it might take a long time to go away. I had to express it for probably a year at least once a month to get the hard gunk out of it before it finally went away. I had never seen a recessed/hooded vulva til then so I hadn't really poked and prodded the area.

With Cara, I was away and she got terrible red and inflamed around it, some minor infection but the vet said to just clean it, she could give meds if it didn't clear up. I actually also put some yeast guard on it and would distract her til it dried because she was licking herself raw and I figured itching. It didn't take more than a few days to pretty much clear it up enough to stop the licking.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r220/Snowco/TammyRV.jpg

Edit: I went to give you the link in messages but you don't have a tab for messages. I thought maybe forum glitch but checked 2 other people, they do. Do you have messages disabled? Well hopefully you'll see the picture.

[Timesthemyth]

Thanks for the information, it's helpful to know these little issues. LOL I knew there was going to be female dog stuff that I'd miss out on initially.

And, I'm sorry, but the link doesn't show any photos from my end.

Also, I'm not sure what is wrong with my profile but visitor messages isn't limited or disabled. Might be a glitch

Appreciate the attempts though. It'd be nice if there was a way you could add the photo to the post? I know that sometimes I'll be looking for something specific on a forum and I'll be all excited when the post is there on that specific issue….but then you click on it and it's a dead post, or unanswered, or a broken link. That's what I really love about the basenji forums....not too many dead posts. Someone else will always be able to benefit in the long run. And of course I would appreciate another look at what a recessed vulva looks like! lol

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The little things that I know about now might save me some future freakout,

I've been trying to figure out what was going on with the puppy. I have no idea if it's linked to recessed vulva...but from what you've mentioned it seems like a possibility.

[Long story short: Vet has no idea - puppy doesn't test positive for UTI , but was having accidents unusual for an 8 month old…....However, the weird thing is she has responded immediately to antibiotics and hasn't had an accident since.]

I've had her since about 3 months, and potty training rigorously, but she was having regular and consistent accidents all over the place. The symptoms:

• Unexplained accidents all over the place.
• Immediately pees when taken outside, rarely sniffs first.
• Released bladder while running to the door to go outside.
• Unable to hold bladder consistently; 2-4 hours was the maximum, but it could be 2 hours one day, 4 hours the next day, one hour the next day.
  No pattern.
• When laying down at night she was capable of holding bladder over 8 hours.
• Sometimes showing UTI like symptoms when rushed outside for potty break, almost like marking. She'd urinate once, finish, then urinate again in large amounts.
• Loose stool, and poop accidents.
• no noticeable vaginal discharge or inflammation.
• Normal colored urine, but sometimes very clear like water.
• Not drinking any more water than normal. Normal water intake.
• Other dogs seemed interested in vaginal area; licking at her obsessively. She has never gone into heat.

It should be noted that I've had her since 3 months old; I had caught her in the act often, and had been using positive reinforcement. She knew to go to the door early on, but was still having issues. My first basenji puppy (Beo) had a UTI when he was younger and he was still was able to hold it much longer at 8 months than Bop-It was.

After months of fighting and getting nowhere I took her into the vet to test her out. No UTI or issues were found…

The vet offered antibiotics with no diagnosis......and I felt something was wrong with her so I took them [despite that being a no-no] to eliminate any possible issues.

Bop-It came home from the vet and had a large accident on the floor - full bladder release (even though she had just been outside 45 minutes prior to go, and did go for the urinalysis)…the urine was super clear on one end [water appearing clear] with tinges of yellow on the other

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Conclusion:

........She was on the antibiotics 24 hours when I noticed immediate improvement. No accidents, she has no desire to go outside multiple times in a short period of time, she doesn't have diarrhea. I don't know if it's just a coincidence, or if there was something there that will return once she's off the antibiotics, or if she's 'cured'....... Are there some things that wouldn't show on a urinalysis test, like a kidney infection or something?

Did the pus cyst cause any similar symptoms?

I guess there's a million things it could be, but I'm wondering why it happened, and why the sudden improvement? I'm ecstatic obviously, but I wish I knew what was going on. The vet had no ideas except that it might be behavioral.

Thanks again for the info you provided

[eeeefarm]

@Timesthemyth:

Also, I'm not sure what is wrong with my profile but visitor messages isn't limited or disabled. Might be a glitch

Check under "settings", "profile privacy" "visitor messages". You need to set it to "registered members" to allow everyone to message you. If it's set to friends or contacts, others will be blocked. BTW, I sent you a "friend" request, just to see if that works.

[Timesthemyth]

Thanks eeeefarm,

I was looking under visitor messaging instead of privacy settings. Appreciate it!