This is a placeholder text
Group text
by Keith Grossman on 21 March 2010 - 17:03
Sorry to hear of your dog's diagnosis.
I don't want to discourage you but I've been through this twice and the outcome both times was shortened life spans for the affected dogs. As others have suggested, you will find a lot of help by subscribing to the various perianal fistula lists and you may find it necessary to bring your vet up to date on the most recent treatment protocols.
Ultimately, the most effective treatment for my dogs was a combination of oral cyclosporine and Protopic (tacrolimus ointment) applied topically. When my first dog was diagnosed, there was no veterinary version of cyclosporin so I had to get it from the pharmacy at a cost of about $175.00 weekly. There is now a veterinary version that is still expensive but costs about half of that. A few months worth of treatment was usually sufficient to get the fistulas into remission, after which, I was successful at managing them for several years using the topical tac ointment. Eventually, they came back and the cyclosporin seemed less effective the second time around.
A few notes...
Cyclosporin was originally developed to prevent organ rejection by transplant recipients and is a particularly nasty drug as it essentially shuts down the immune system to accomplish this. While it is effective, for a time at least, at controlling perianal fistulas, it presents an opportunity for other health problems to manifest themselves, notably carcinomas and the like. Be aware of the potential side effects and understand that you may be trading better health now for a shorter life.
If memory serves, Protopic costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $75.00 for a small tube. The was and may still be a pharmacist (in the south, I think...maybe Louisianna?) who will compound a 0.1% tacrolimus ointment at a potentially reduced cost. From what I understand, he also uses a different medium than that used in Protopic that aids in absorbtion to the affected tissue. I never tried it but many people reported good results. Someone on the PF list should be able to provide contact information.
Neither prednisone nor any specially formulated food from the vet had any effect whatsoever.
I don't want to discourage you but I've been through this twice and the outcome both times was shortened life spans for the affected dogs. As others have suggested, you will find a lot of help by subscribing to the various perianal fistula lists and you may find it necessary to bring your vet up to date on the most recent treatment protocols.
Ultimately, the most effective treatment for my dogs was a combination of oral cyclosporine and Protopic (tacrolimus ointment) applied topically. When my first dog was diagnosed, there was no veterinary version of cyclosporin so I had to get it from the pharmacy at a cost of about $175.00 weekly. There is now a veterinary version that is still expensive but costs about half of that. A few months worth of treatment was usually sufficient to get the fistulas into remission, after which, I was successful at managing them for several years using the topical tac ointment. Eventually, they came back and the cyclosporin seemed less effective the second time around.
A few notes...
Cyclosporin was originally developed to prevent organ rejection by transplant recipients and is a particularly nasty drug as it essentially shuts down the immune system to accomplish this. While it is effective, for a time at least, at controlling perianal fistulas, it presents an opportunity for other health problems to manifest themselves, notably carcinomas and the like. Be aware of the potential side effects and understand that you may be trading better health now for a shorter life.
If memory serves, Protopic costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $75.00 for a small tube. The was and may still be a pharmacist (in the south, I think...maybe Louisianna?) who will compound a 0.1% tacrolimus ointment at a potentially reduced cost. From what I understand, he also uses a different medium than that used in Protopic that aids in absorbtion to the affected tissue. I never tried it but many people reported good results. Someone on the PF list should be able to provide contact information.
Neither prednisone nor any specially formulated food from the vet had any effect whatsoever.
by missbeeb on 21 March 2010 - 18:03
Maybe plump for the op' straight away if poss? Jack lived till he was 12 years old and AF never appeared again after the op'. I guess every case is individual and not every temperament would be able to cope with the surgery option.
I wish you all the best and hope you let us know your decision.
Contact information Disclaimer Privacy Statement Copyright Information Terms of Service Cookie policy ↑ Back to top