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by Teufel Hunde on 11 February 2011 - 01:02
Just got back from the vet and one of my boys had to have his anal glands infused to the tune of $300 . They have him on Ciprofloxacin for now and I have to keep a good eye on his stitches until he heals.The vet said if things didn't look better soon, they would have to remove his anal glands. They really don't want to do it, but there might not be a choice. Has anyone had to have this done to their dog? If so, how did things turn out.
by Sherman-RanchGSD on 11 February 2011 - 16:02
No have never nor have ever had to have them exspressed on any German Shepherds my whole life. I know some little dog breeds do that . Not sure why if the so called infection clears you would need to do that..Hope you get more feedback to help you make a good choice.
Debi
www.sherman-ranch.us
Debi
www.sherman-ranch.us
by Jenni78 on 11 February 2011 - 16:02
What are you feeding? I know some lines are just prone to that, but I have never ever had to even express any of my dogs' anal glands, and I know that feeding raw has helped many dogs who used to have problems. I really hate the conventional approaches to many problems; this is one of those procedures I find horrible...another one is removing a cat's penis for repeated blockages. There is ALWAYS a reason these things happen and usually a bettter way to fix the problem and not the symptoms.
Can you give us more of a history on when/how this started, what you've tried, etc.?
Can you give us more of a history on when/how this started, what you've tried, etc.?
by missbeeb on 11 February 2011 - 17:02
One of my dogs had his removed (years ago) when he developed AF. I think they thought that the anal sacs were part of the problem back then. Bits of both were left behind and removed later (properly) when I had a soft tissue cut op, which got rid of the AF completely.
To be fair, the original Vet that removed the anal sacs had a hard time "in there" because of the mess of AF and whatever 3 lots of Cryo surgery did.
The left behind stuff DID cause a problem, (infection) so it was good to get it sorted. Dogs don't miss them but it does change the "messages" they leave for other dogs... I guess the "Newspaper" isn't so interesting!
Good luck with your boy!
by Klossbruhe on 11 February 2011 - 19:02
If it is done by a vet who knows what he or she is doing, there should be no problem.
I had a GSD whose anal gland on one side only kept getting infected. We treated it with antibiotics twice. The third time the vet, who had been breeding GSDs for over 40 years (and was a well-known breeder) said, "three times and it's out" He said, it was a condition which could not be allowed to continue and would continue if it manifested three times. Anal gland removal was the only solution.
I was allowed to watch the whole surgery sitting at his side. He said he had a "patented" method for removal. Whether that was true or not, I do know that vets from all over the metro area sent dogs to him for anal gland removal. In my dog's case there absolutely no problem. No recurrence, no side effects, nothing, just a healthy dog. Recovery was easy, very few stitches, in fact, I don't remember any, the way he removed it. And I never heard of any other dog having post op problems.
So, as far as I can tell, this is nothing at all to worry about as long as your vet knows how to do it.
I had a GSD whose anal gland on one side only kept getting infected. We treated it with antibiotics twice. The third time the vet, who had been breeding GSDs for over 40 years (and was a well-known breeder) said, "three times and it's out" He said, it was a condition which could not be allowed to continue and would continue if it manifested three times. Anal gland removal was the only solution.
I was allowed to watch the whole surgery sitting at his side. He said he had a "patented" method for removal. Whether that was true or not, I do know that vets from all over the metro area sent dogs to him for anal gland removal. In my dog's case there absolutely no problem. No recurrence, no side effects, nothing, just a healthy dog. Recovery was easy, very few stitches, in fact, I don't remember any, the way he removed it. And I never heard of any other dog having post op problems.
So, as far as I can tell, this is nothing at all to worry about as long as your vet knows how to do it.
by realmccoy on 11 February 2011 - 20:02
Poor doggy, hope everything works out
by Teufel Hunde on 12 February 2011 - 01:02
This is his second flare up. The vet I use is also very good with shepherds and I trust him because
I 've known him for some time and have worked with him in the past. I sat in on the procedure. He went in and had to soften the matter in the glands, then made incisions and trimmed up the edges to create fresh tissue to heal. I have never seen this done so I'm not sure I'm even describing it right. He said he does this procedure first and hopes this solves the problem because he really does not want to remove the glands.
I feed TOTW and none of my other dogs have ever had this problem.
I 've known him for some time and have worked with him in the past. I sat in on the procedure. He went in and had to soften the matter in the glands, then made incisions and trimmed up the edges to create fresh tissue to heal. I have never seen this done so I'm not sure I'm even describing it right. He said he does this procedure first and hopes this solves the problem because he really does not want to remove the glands.
I feed TOTW and none of my other dogs have ever had this problem.
by Klossbruhe on 12 February 2011 - 06:02
Not saying anything against your vet and his knowlege etc. However, I think that that was a needless procedure. But having gone to the Univeristy of Illinois Small Animal Clinic to discuss this problem with the Professors of veterinary medicine there before allowing my dog to be operated on I learned the following
The infection in anal glands can (and should) virtually always be successfully treated without surgery on the infected anal glands. If infection recurs, it is either due to the fact that it was not entirely surpressed by antibiotics etc or more typically there is something wrong with the functioning of the gland. The problem with continued anal gland infection is the liklihood of the onset of anal fistulas, a far, far more serious condition.
This is why if the gland is infected say three times, it usually a sign that more trouble lies ahead and the best path, given the probability of anal fistulas is to remove the gland.
I hope the procedure your dog works because it would be a shame to have to have him submit to surgery a second time. As good as the vets in my area are, I almost always check at a university hospital to make suresurgery is the best and most desirable course of treatement...
Good luck to you and your dog. Hopefully all will be fine.
The infection in anal glands can (and should) virtually always be successfully treated without surgery on the infected anal glands. If infection recurs, it is either due to the fact that it was not entirely surpressed by antibiotics etc or more typically there is something wrong with the functioning of the gland. The problem with continued anal gland infection is the liklihood of the onset of anal fistulas, a far, far more serious condition.
This is why if the gland is infected say three times, it usually a sign that more trouble lies ahead and the best path, given the probability of anal fistulas is to remove the gland.
I hope the procedure your dog works because it would be a shame to have to have him submit to surgery a second time. As good as the vets in my area are, I almost always check at a university hospital to make suresurgery is the best and most desirable course of treatement...
Good luck to you and your dog. Hopefully all will be fine.
by Teufel Hunde on 12 February 2011 - 19:02
I would definately get a second opinion if it came down to it. I want to stress again that my vet DOES NOT want to do the surgery and is confident the problem will be fixed by what he did and the course of antibiotics.He said it is a rough procedure because of all the nerves involved and the chance of the dog getting to the wound and doing more damage to the site. He did say he see's this more in American dogs and although the sire was German, the dam was American .
The area looks much better this morning and Schlafrig seems to be leaving it alone and letting it heal. I did take pics ( only I would take pics of a dogs
butthole))of the site this morning so I can better monitor the healing . Worse case scenario would be removal and I'm crossing my fingers he will never need it.
The area looks much better this morning and Schlafrig seems to be leaving it alone and letting it heal. I did take pics ( only I would take pics of a dogs
butthole))of the site this morning so I can better monitor the healing . Worse case scenario would be removal and I'm crossing my fingers he will never need it.by charlie z on 12 February 2011 - 20:02
Try exhausting all avenues of diet first and foremost I have never had a shep with this issue in 20 plus yrs, these problems do occur but i personally feel diet plays a big factor in most cases.
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