Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anal sac disease in dogs and cats signs and treatment
By Ronald Jan Corbee et al.·Published in Animals·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: A Cross-Sectional Study on Canine and Feline Anal Sac Disease
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 15.7% of dogs experience anal sac disease, which can cause symptoms like discomfort or difficulty defecating. Small breed dogs and male cats, especially British shorthairs, are more likely to be affected, often due to issues like diarrhea or skin problems. Treatment usually involves manually expressing the anal sacs and addressing any underlying issues, while surgery to remove the anal sacs is reserved for cases that don’t respond to other treatments. Many dogs see improvement after medical management before surgery.
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Abstract
Limited data are available on canine and feline non-neoplastic anal sac disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to obtain observational data on the incidence, predisposing factors, diagnosis, treatment, and recurrence rate of canine and feline anal sac disease. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed among veterinarians. The incidence of non-neoplastic anal sac disease was estimated at 15.7% in dogs and 0.4% in cats. Predisposing factors were diarrhea, skin problems, several dog breeds, and particularly small breed dogs, male cats, British shorthairs, and obesity in dogs. Diagnosis was made based on the presence of clinical signs and characteristics of the anal sac content. Manual expression and treating any potential underlying disease were the most important treatments for all three types of non-neoplastic anal sac disease. Anal sacculectomy was performed in refractory cases. The most recurrent anal sac disease condition was impaction. Diagnosis of anal sac disease should be based on clinical signs and rectal examination, as the evaluation of the anal sac content is not reliable. Surgical outcomes of anal sacculectomy can be improved when surgery is performed after medical management. Future studies should investigate these findings in prospective trials.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010095