Anal Abcess?

Raksha

My boss has a lovely 4 year old Dalmatian. Yesterday,almost as they watched, she developed an abscess to the left hand side below her tail. IT has been drained, but she's still feeling very sorry for herself (although she has at least taken her anti biotics when Aunty Fran hand fed her them in some tinned Tuna warmed in the microwave). The wound is about 2cm long, and the tissue around it is very bruised. The vets aren't 100% sure it's caused by her anal glands - at first they thought it was a bite, but couldn't find an entry point She has suffered with her glands in the past, but it's not something any of my dogs have had.

If anyone has some healing thoughts spare, she could do with some, as she's a very poorly doggy at the moment

olias

OUr terrier used to suffer with her anal glands becoming impacted/infected and this led to an abcess. We were advised to change to a hypo allergenic dog food and this did the trick. She is obviously sensitive, as she can be fine for weeks and we only have to give her a few titbits or leftovers or a 'normal' dog treat and she starts with itching her anal glands again. I would therefore suggest changing her diet and avoiding all non hyper allergenic foods/treats.

Also if the abcess is really bad, it can lead to a build up of scar tissue in that area which can lead to the anus becoming less 'elastic'. Our terrier does not toilet as freely as she used to now, and does seem to have to strain, although it does not seem to cause her any pain or discomfort.

To be on the safe side, we now routinely empty both our dogs anal glands manually (NOT a nice job!).

Olias