hemorrhoids?definately constipated...

[jelo]

I just had my 15.5yr old cocker to the vet on Thursday. I thought she might have a bladder infection, but it turned out to be vaginitis, so she's on antibiotics now. She has Cushings and is on Anypril, responding well and showing no Cushings symptoms.
She seemed to be having trouble moving her bowels, and I noticed the area from anus upwards to the tail is all swollen and sore looking. Can dogs get hemorrhoids? I used warm compresses for 10 minutes and she seemed to like that, but it still looks sore.
Is there anything else I can do? I'm not having much luck surfing the net for this problem...thanks! Lori

[Carina]

A little mineral oil will help with constipation; so will giving her a couple of bulky meals. Try boiling some white rice & adding a little cooked ground meat or canned mackerel (so she'll eat the rice.) You can mix in the oil too.

That will help with constipation at any rate; I don't know about her swollen anus & tail though.

Good luck with her.

[Luba]

Cushings oh dear, any hair loss and bloating?

And how was the cushings actually diagnosed? Many things can 'look' like cushings but are something else.

The medication can cause problems for sure. I would suggest some 'healthy bacteria' back into puppy (all dogs are pups to me lol) You can get this with yogurt or acidophillous capsuls/liquid drink. We 'as people' use it and a holistic vet I know uses it for animals as well.

What was pups symptoms for the cushings and what did the blood work come back saying?

Drinking a lot of water?
Accidents in the house?
Unusual panting?
Rough coat/coat loss?
Bald patches?
Big tummy?


Luba

[jelo]

She wasn't happy at all, so I decided I'd better get it checked out. It turned out to be an absess above the anus. The vet drained it, and the antibiotics she's on for the vaginitis should help this too.
As far as the Cushing's goes. She was having "accidents"around the house and seemed a little confused. So her Vet recommended a "geriatric blood work up" and the results came back indictating Cushings. She was put on the Anipryl, and the accidents stopped and she's more alert now too! We caught it fairly early, so other than drinking alot and being prone to infections there weren't any other indications.
Thanks for your replys...I'm going to try her with the rice tonite, and I'm sure she'll love it!!

Lori

[Carina]

Excellent!
I don't know much about Cushings...but when my (late) dog was in her last months she was getting confused. Someone mentioned using Anipryl for her doggie Alzheimers. Interesting.

The rice/boiled meat/fish is a tried & true way to soothe a dog's stomach and get liquids in them at the same time. Cooked winter squash or canned pumpkin (not pie filling) is another excellent stool regulator. Just FYI.

[Luba]

I'd be careful with the rice cause it can cause constipation though and more bulky movements

If there is an absess then you want the stool firm but not 'overly' to cause irritation. This absess inside the anus?

[jelo]

The abcess is just above the anus, but below the tail. It was large so it actually looked as though it was in the anus. It's shrunk quite a bit now, and I think she's feeling better.
Her regular vet called when he received the report from the ER, he was suprised he didn't see it when she was in...so was I!

Just hoping she's going to live forever and doing everything possible!

Lori

[drdouggie]

Hi Jelo,

Regarding the doggy's abcess, I was thinking that it sounds as if she's had a blocked anal sac which she hasn't been able to empty. When anal sacs don't empty they become very full and compacted and then become infected. This would cause the anus to look very swollen and sore. When the infection can't drain it bursts through the skin as an abcess. This abcess appears very suddenly...one day doggy has a swollen bum and the next it looks as if a big hole has appeared from nowhere. Antibiotics and washing with sterile saline water every night will help it heal real quick. Bathing the area with warm compresses as you did probably helped to bring the abcess to a head and I'm sure it helped ease the discomfort. Just keep an eye out for doggy "carpet-surfing" (scooting along the floor on her bum) later on, as this is a sign that her anal glands are full and need emptied. If one of them has abcessed, when it heals it will probably be a lot smaller in capacity due to the formation of scar tissue, this will cause the sac to fill up much quicker. Generally dogs can empty their sacs easily themselves by carpet-surfing but sometimes they can't and need a little help in order to avoid infection leading to abcess.

Glad to hear she's on the mend though

[Luba]

drdouggie

wouldn't there be a foul odour though if this was from an anal sack.

I know owners who have had to 'manually' drain them (ick) but needed to be done.

So potent odour? oui/non
I was told oui!

Luba

[drdouggie]

Yep Luba,

Anal sac stuff absolutely stinks!! But you can't really smell it untill it actually comes out of the dog. Sometimes, if the dog's just after emptying the sacs you can smell it, it's a kind of fishy odour..that doesn't really describe it well though, it's not a nasty enough description! Yeah, and if you can stomach it, it's quite easy to drain them yourself (saves on the vet bills )

[jelo]

I periodically drain them, they are located at 4 and 8 o'clock. The abcess was at 12, about the size of a tangerine, now a golf ball!

The anal saks do fill up, and I've had to help her out. Not a pleasant recreation for either of us, I assure you. The discharge tends to spurt out and if you don't duck quick,,,it's yukky! The smell is more like when you're sick with the flu and you have really rancid smelling di..... you know? It's not nice, and it's tends to linger abit. I shower afterwards, and she usually feels better!

Lori