Female dog's vulva

Hi everyone, My girl has pretty much the same thing but in larger quantities, and she's also in season at the moment. I went to the vet to see if they could squeeze her in between appointments after the vet nurse had a look at her vulva, which felt a bit hard. I explained that she’d also been having difficulty peeing since the day before. I’m the type of person who prefers to treat my pets myself using natural methods, so when I actually go to the vet, it’s because there’s a problem that needs checking which I can’t handle without professional advice, or at least a nurse's input. The vet nurse thought I was worrying over nothing because it’s my girl’s first season, but I’ve grown up with dogs. Anyway, because I insisted, the vet suggested I wash her private parts with an intimate wash or even a mild natural soap. I told her I was already doing that because my young dog doesn't have the instinct to clean herself yet, so I’ve been washing her every day with a flannel and plain water to avoid messing with her pH balance and so on. She told me I could use a chlorhexidine-based wash (like Hibiscrub) to disinfect, and that if the pain when urinating and general discomfort persisted after 3 or 4 days, I should come back and see her. So, I went and got the Hibiscrub, picked up some homeopathic remedies for UTIs suggested by the pharmacist, and headed home. I tried to get it to lather up despite it being heavily diluted, and I managed to pull one out that was just sitting on the fur. I put my glasses on to get a better look. It turns out my dog was covered in tiny splinters, like little needles from some plant or other—maybe a thistle. I take her out into the countryside every day even though I live near a big city, and it’s thistle season. I’ve no idea exactly how she got them, but I grabbed the tweezers and was incredibly careful to get them all out without pulling her fur, making sure I disinfected the tweezers properly and gave her another gentle wash with the Hibiscrub solution and a clean flannel (be careful to read the instructions though!! Use about half a capful to 160ml of lukewarm water for cleaning the vulva). After that, my poor girl slept like a log. And our walk this evening seemed much easier for her. I’ll see how she goes over the next few days and I'll go back to the vet if I need to, but city vets don’t seem to know anything about wild plants; they only ever think about the risks of grass seeds or indoor cacti... So, make sure you tell your vet exactly where you go for walks, and also if your dog has rolled in any carrion or anything like that!