Vet School 101 Vaginal rejuvenation surgery in veterinary medicine (How’s this for salacious pet blogging?)
A journalist-acquaintance recently accosted me with an unwelcome conversation on the merits of my sideline writing. “And yet,” she lamented, “how unfortunate that your topic of choice isn’t more juicy—marketable, you know?”
“But then again,” she pressed on, “how sweet to tell such wonderful stories (not a one she’s ever read, I’m sure). It must make it easier for you to sleep at night.”
After what? I wondered, as if I spent my days working the chute at the puppy mill or killing kittens indiscriminately via gas chamber. I mean, my work is not so vexing that I need to tell syrupy stories to expunge my conscience of its cruel contents, right?
Instead, I have to conclude she was alluding to the evils of shock journalism and how squeaky clean my brain must be if I can stomach the boredom of pet writing—compared to her brand of highly salable celebrity filth, no doubt.
Anyway, just to prove her wrong I thought I’d write something more Cosmo and less Dolittler, for a change. After all, girl pets have their issues and this is one salacious subject (according to a female vet surgeon I met a few months back—who, by the way, is reportedly the canine “vaginal rejuvenation” queen of the Southeast).
No, we really don’t do cosmetic vulvoplasties in dogs, as is [inexplicably] all the rage in certain communities of women (where, I have to assume, money has no substance and life beyond the $100 pedicure has minimal meaning).
“Vaginal rejuvenation,” they call it. This euphemistic expression applies to the seemingly frivolous human interest in a trim and tucked hoo-hoo (not a medical term, I know, but I throw it out there for your amusement nonetheless).
So you know, the human version of this surgery is generally reserved as a post-partum experience which, I’m told, makes C-sections an absolute godsend for the lucky women whose nether-regions aren’t blighted by the “horrors” of the birthing process.
Interestingly, dogs have the opposite problem to contend with. The more juvenile and inverted their vulvar folds, the likelier they are to suffer peri-vulvar infections, vaginitis and/or recurrent urinary tract infections (the triumvirate sequelae of a so-called “hypoplastic” [small or recessed] vulva).
Early spays were once considered the likely reason for such babyish vulvas in adult dogs but that view has now gone out of favor. It seems some female dogs are simply genetically predisposed to tiny privates. Add in some excess weight (which our dogs are increasingly wont to do) and the folds that surround the vulva can overshadow the orifice in potentially pathological ways.
Allergies can also play a role: any irritated skin is, by definition, laced with bacteria ready for a full-frontal assault on its adjacent structures—namely, the vulva, vagina and urethra.
If post-pee baby wipes and/or frequent assiduous cleansing of the area (with a mild disinfectant solution) don’t prevent nasty, recurrent infections, (assuming allergies have been controlled, when possible) surgery is typically recommended.
Vet surgeons (I recommend a board-certified specialist, as this is one of those surgeries that’s easy to do but hard to do well) will remove and/or reconstruct the surrounding tissues to expose the vulva, lending it a more natural configuration. Pictures, please?!
Before:
Immediately after:
So there you have it: A nip and tuck story in reverse. (Sorry for the yucky pics.)
Though we may giggle at the scandal of it all (and I’ll enjoy my jab at my acquaintance’s underhanded compliments), I’ll bet you an office call this post gets more Web traffic than anything else I’ve written this month.
July 23rd, 2008
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Add Comment16 Comments
Here's a study on vulvoplasty:
http://www.vetcontact.com/dermatology/art.php?a=10...
Dr. Patty Khuly July 23rd, 2008 08:08:00 AM
Phew, I remember the first time an equine-oriented classmate explained to me what it meant to have a mare "Caslick's-ed". "Wait- you do *what* to her *what*?!"
:-/
Surgery is just bizarre sometimes.
Megan July 23rd, 2008 11:53:00 AM
In case anyone has an irresistible urge to see more exciting hoo-hoo shots, here's a written and pictorial description of the above-mentioned Caslick's:
http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/Vulval...
(ain't the Internet great?)
Dr. Patty Khuly July 23rd, 2008 01:46:00 PM
OMG, and she said what about your journalism?? You couldn't have done a greater "take" on this subject!
Why on earth does every dam I've had/have atrophy post-spay to smaller than pre-season/whelp? Can't blame the "early pre-season spay" for this! But the baby-wipe suggestion is a good one. I wish I had expert clipper experience to eliminate the scissor surgery necessary and i'm darn lucky my girls will stay 4 feet up for it, too!
Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire July 23rd, 2008 06:18:00 PM
My Collie had this surgery about ten years ago and it solved her recurring-UTI problem. My ($9 per office visit) vet is not board certified, and did a fine job.
Not sure about the baby wipes idea. Wouldn't it be a bad idea to let the dog lick the chemicals in those?
Marcella July 24th, 2008 05:22:00 PM
Is this similar to my boy just have a butt tuck? He had some little things that looked like blisters and the next thing we know he's in surgery. He had 7 removed and had to have his anus all updated. It looks perky now for an 8 year old husky mix. It was a lot of stitches!
Kelly July 24th, 2008 06:31:00 PM
I currently have a german shepherd puppy needing a vulvoplasty. The wipes the vet gave me gave her a reaction. So for now we are trying the steroid antibiotic cream until she is old enough for the surgery. This was first noticed when she was 2 and 1/2 mo. old. Not better at all. She does not bother it too much. The baby wipes dried her out and made the irritation bad. I don't know if I should wait for her to go thru 1 heat before the surgery tho. Any thoughts?
Christina July 31st, 2008 01:25:00 PM
Christina: Oooh...that's a question for a surgeon or dermatologist. But most of the ones I know would try to have you wait if the infections can be kept at bay.
Dr. Patty Khuly August 1st, 2008 05:25:00 PM
We had a 2 1/2 yr old XL Great Pyrenees. Her croch looks very red & raw. The vet says she needs surgery to expose her vulva more. She licks a lot and seems really unhappy. Does this surgery fix the problem completely? Is there anything else that can be done? She is overweight and we are working on that. We recently had a 7 month old Pyr die from the anesthesia when being put out to have dew claws removed, so we are not really excited about the idea of putting another one through anesthesia. Also, if this will not completely cure the problem, is it worth the cost/stress to the dog? THANK!
Marge January 24th, 2009 10:50:10 PM
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gtrte June 10th, 2009 04:19:23 AM
marge,
u should change vet ASAP.
andi July 15th, 2009 03:58:17 PM
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ert ert ert July 23rd, 2009 03:08:06 AM
My Dolly had this surgery about 5 years ago and it solved her recurring-UTI problem. My ($9 per office visit) vet is not board certified, and did a fine job. Not sure about the baby wipes idea. Wouldn't it be a bad idea to let the dog lick the chemicals in those?
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Mark August 7th, 2009 11:45:15 PM
Does anyone know how much the surgery is to fix the tucked up vulva? And is it worth it? My dog has more of a leakage problem than infection..she has to go in for surgery soon because when she was spay at such a young age she goes into a very mild heat and my vet said if this surgery is not done it could lead to mammory cancer later in life. This is what makes me so mad. We got her at a n kill shelter in Maryland and the pound she came from had spayed her at a very young age I'm thinking 8 weeks or so and the female organs are so small they sometimes leave a small enough piece in there that it causes heat. I do not mind the heat cycle there is not that much discharge, but the surgery is very painful for her and I feel so bad for her. If anyone can give me some feed back I wold greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
Shelli Katsetos
zekedaboy@comcast.net
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