Anal Furunculosis
Anal furunculosis is common and mostly affects German Shepherd Dogs(GSD) and GSD crosses. Anal furunculosis causes deep skin infection which results in skin ulceration and possibly open tracts running through the perianal (around the anus) skin. The breed predisposition is a result of physical factors including the low tail carriage, the humidity of the perianal area and the high number of apocrine glands around the anus, and possibly genetic factors causing an immune dysfunction. However we still cannot fully explain all the damage caused to the soft tissue of the perianal region.
Most dogs show extreme anal pain and have difficulty in passing feces. Initial investigation includes mapping the wounds around the anus +/- colonoscopy to determine if they have concurrent colitis (50% of cases do).
Treatment is difficult and frustrating, because relapses are frequent. There are medical and surgical options and often both need to be explored. Treating anal furunculosis with medicine would include either the use of steroid at a high dose with the view to tapering it down, or the use of cyclosporin which is currently the favoured option for treatment however is a very expensive medicine. The dose of cyclosporin can be reduced by concurrently treating with another medicine called ketoconazole. Most recently there have been a few successful trials describing the use of a topical cream that acts in a similar way to cyclosporin although is considerably stronger and therefore is only used topically rather than as an oral pill or capsule form. This cream has been used as a follow up to cyclosporin once the lesions have started to shrink. If you and your vet decide to treat with any of these medicines, their side effects should be discussed and considered.
Surgical options include: sharp excision of the tracts, cryosurgery which involves freezing the tissue, and anal gland removal. These procedures may be of benefit in conjunction with the medical treatments listed above. There are possible complications to these surgeries and they should be discussed with your vet.
Please feel free to post any questions or personal experiences you may have had in treating your dog with this condition. We hope you find this article of use.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am
hi, we have been very unlucky to have had 2 GSD’s suffering from this condition. our first, Brandie, was treated with the condition by cryo-surgery. at the time there was no medication known to treat the condition (we lost her in 1997, from unrelated condition) Brandie was about 6 when we noticed she had something wrong. our vet treated her with cryo-surgery, but the treatment needed to be repeated. she was in discomfort, but the surgery definately helped. our second GSD, Tiegan, only showed signs of the condition this march, she was nearly 10. our vet treated her with atopica and we were amazed at the results. the only problem i had was getting the tablets into her!! we fed brandie on tripe and biscuits but she had an enzime dificiency from an early age which needed treatment of medication every day, we also fed tiegan on tripe and biscuit, until about a year ago when she would not eat it, and we changed to a butchers tripe and chicken tin food. after reading more recent infomation about the condition, we think that the tripe was a good food for them, as it seemed to stop any gut problems, brandie was just unfortunate to have a different gut problem from an early age. we have recently lost Teigan also to an unrelated problem. this condition has not put us off now looking to get another GSD, especially as the atopica is so much less intrusive.
October 27th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
HI, WE ALSO HAVE A GSD WITH THIS PROBLEM AND OUR VET HAS TREATED IT WITH STERIODS AND ANTIBIOTICS, TO SOME SUCCESS . BUT NOW IT HAS RETURNED WITH A VENGENCE. THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE I HAVE FOUND WITH ANY INFO ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND YOUR COMMENTS HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP. MANY THANKS
November 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Hi my GSD Shadow has been diagnosed and treated with Atopica for the last few months which seemed to clear it up. Unfortunately it came back very quickly and he is back on Atopica again and the sores are reducing. A hint to anyone trying to hold a Shepherds tail up to check progress while he wiggles and screeches - use a digital camera a quick flash and you can check it out on the laptop. Gives you a diary and really helps the vet get a good look at whats going on.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Hi my 6 year old shepherd had this, he was treated with atopica and a liquid, which ravished him physically, turning him white and grey.He lost a lot of weight. After it cleared, 4 months later it came back…this time he stayed just on Atopica, he pulled through and for 4 years no issues, he has a weekly dose of 5omg of Atopica. Now it has returned and I will allow treatment only with Atopica…no liquid..it can be controlled obviously but never cured…but he’ worth every penny…
January 10th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hello,
Our 7yr old Rott/GShephard mix was just diagnosed with perianal fistula, which as it was described to me, sounds the same as anal furunculosis. The Dr. has said to try Tacrolimus Topical ointment once a day first and if that doesn’t work, move to the Atopica.
ANu ideas? Do you change foods too?