Does yellow-white discharge in my puppy’s urine indicate juvenile vaginitis and if so, what should I do?

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your question.

I’m not able to tell you exactly what is happening here. But I can give you some guidance on figuring out what it might be. The first thing you would need to do is collect a urine sample to see if an infection is present. This is a called a culture and sensitivity test which involves growing any bacteria that may be present in the bladder to look for a possible urinary tract infection.

Puppy vaginitis is an inflammation of the vestibule that can lead to discharge you’re describing. I started with a urinary tract infection because they are much more common than episodes of vaginitis. If the urinary test is negative then I would consider swapping the vulva for the bladder and sending that sample for a culture and sensitivity test. There is one very important point to make here and that is we don’t always treat every infection that a puppy gets. There immune system is immature and often a good strategy is to monitor the infection and make sure it doesn’t get worse, while allowing the time for the puppy’s immune system to fight the infection. This strategy is typically employed for another condition called puppy pyoderma, which is a skin infection. Every veterinarian will have a different view on this. I want to stress that I would only do this if the puppy is otherwise very healthy, as in it is energetic, eating well, having normal stools and urination, and does not have any other concerning symptoms.

I would certainly recommend a general physical exam and consultation with your veterinarian. There are uncommon conditions, particularly hormonal ones that could be creating a reaction of the tissues of the sex organs, which could be a little more serious.

I hope this information helps. Good luck!

Dr. Clayton Greenway