Anal fistulas - Page 1

What has been your most successful treatment?  Did anyone do surgery to removal tumors/fistulas?  Can you see any of the tumors with ultra sound or on x-rays?  Thx in advance.  Nan

i treated my girl with cyclsproine  very expensive  but in about 3 months she was good to go  no surgery.  i know someone whose dog needed surgery.

Thanks Lyn;  but why surgery as supposedly it is auto immune mediated or I should say it is thought to be auto immune related?  Although of course no proven studies and no one seems to know the cause for these monsters or why they occur. 

Glad your girls cleared up and by the sound of it they have not come back.  That is what I am HOPING for.  Thx  again,  Nan

It is what everyone hopes for, that the AF  clears up and does not return.  Unfortunately my experience of a dog with AF (coming from a

family definitely carrying AF genetically)  was that the cyclosporine worked very well the first time;  then there was quite a long interval - over 

a year.  Then it came back ;  the cyclosporine again worked, and again held it off for quite a long time.  But then gradually the episodes got

more & more frequent, and needed bigger doses of that drug, and the addition of others ...  At no time was surgery recommended for this

dog, it was discussed with the vet but not recommended,  but one of his older relatives had had cryosurgery and the overall result wasn't

great, [ he had bowel problems etc for the rest of his life] and so we elected not to go that route for Tango.  We eventually lost him to [ an

unconnected ?]  tumour  - but in some ways that was a merciful release because I am sure the AF was already coming back at that tiime,

and would have recurred.

On a more cheerful note, I have heard of dogs only ever getting one bout of AF and going on to live a long & normal life.

Thank you Hund; that is what I am hoping for.  I too am not opting for any surgeries, and now not even the cryo.  Ugh.  Thx for info,  NAn