“Maddy” is a bouncy, outgoing 5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her very worried family called us in late October because she had lost her spunk. In addition, she refused to eat breakfast, which never happens with Maddy! They had seen blood in her stool that morning as well.
When “Maddy” presented for her examination, she really felt bad-not even a tail wag.
The reason quickly became apparent, as seen below:
“Maddy” had developed an anal gland (sac) abscess, which ruptured externally. Anal glands are glands located on either side and slightly below the anus. Their sole function is to deposit a pungent, fishy discharge, usually after bowel movements, as a way to mark her territory. The glands can become infected with bacteria, which causes the duct leading from the gland to the outside of the body to become blocked. The gland continues to make new secretions, but they can’t leave the gland due to the blocked duct. The gland becomes bigger and bigger until it pops…much like an over-filled balloon.
This is what “Maddy’s” gland looked like after the area was cleaned up:
Although “Maddy” did not display typical signs of anal gland discomfort, dogs with anal gland disease will usually lick at the anal area and may scoot. In addition, they may becomed depressed, stop eating and act like are painful in the hind end, with reluctance to raise their tail or wag. Treatment centers around pain control-as you can imagine, this is a very painful condition! Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications are also prescribed.
“Maddy”, 14 days later:
Moving forward, it will be important to make sure “Maddy” doesn’t have another abscess. Frequent anal gland emptying, every 1-3 months, will help keep her enthusiastic and bouncy!
Written by: Wendy Hauser, DVM
