Pain in the backside

My six-year-old neutered male German Shepherd has just been diagnosed with anal furunculosis.

He is on Atopica four times a day which will hopefully improve his condition. I have never met anyone with a dog who has this so I was hoping your readers who have experienced it can help with with any tips or advice?

It is daunting to read about as recommendations can vary from bathing using diltuted hibiscrub to putting sudocream on any sores, and some advise diet changes, too. Any help would be most welcome.

Lisa, by email


Richard Allport, vet, advises...

 

Unfortunately anal furunculosis is quite a common condition in German Shepherd Dogs. It is an autoimmune disease (that is, the immune system mistakes normal healthy body tissue as foreign and begins attacking it) leading in this case to fissures and inflammation of the area in and around the anus. Dogs that suffer from anal furunculosis also often have IBD type symptoms and sometimes an eye condition called pannus. Anal furunculosis has many similarities to Crohn’s disease in humans.

Drugs such as Atopica suppress the immune system but often either don’t control symptoms successfully, or can have adverse side effects. Even if they do suppress symptoms, the beneficial effect may eventually decrease with time.

I have had a great deal of success with natural medicines, though not 100%. One of my favourite patients, a GSD called Paddy, is doing exceptionally well and at present all the lesions have healed and he has no symptoms. This has been achieved by the use of supplements of Vitamin E and Zinc, homoeopathic medicines (mainly potentised Nitric acid) and acupuncture. Paddy has a regular train trip out to my centre at Potters Bar once a month and I’m sure he is adored by every train passenger he meets!

Every case is different, and certainly cleaning with hibiscrub can help, though I prefer a more natural cleanser and soothing agent such as Propolis spray or cream, or Colloidal silver.

I do find changing to a natural (raw meaty bone based diet) helps most dogs, as does regular exercise, avoiding weight gain, and all the usual healthy lifestyle changes.

Good luck with this problem – it’s a really unpleasant condition to happen to a dog, but there is a great deal that can be done to help.