Hi, I’ve just joined hoping someone could give me some advice. I’m reaching out because of my mothers Patterjack terrier…please see pics uploaded. They have taken him to the vet 5 months ago and they say they can’t do anything but only potentially put him to sleep if it starts bothering him. It’s not hurting him when he goes to the toilet, it has burst today and clear liquid came out for the first time and he allowed me to gently squeeze some liquid out, however it does bother him if you press a little too hard. It’s been like this for about 1 year now and has got slightly bigger over that time. Has anyone seen this before? Thank you and I'm hoping you’ve got some ideas as he, like all our pets is so precious to them. Kindest regards James
Hi, I wasn’t with them when they took him to the vets I’m afraid. From looking on line it sounds like a perianal gland problem but I’m no vet. They never mentioned cancer or anything like that but they did say that if it gets bigger and starts irritating him then that would be it! I’m calling them in the morning. have you seen anything like this before? And thanks for replying
There are several conditions in that area which can look similar in a photograph. The simplest being an infected anal sac - which will eventually burst if untreated. As your boy has been given a poor prognosis at a previous vet visit, it is unlikely to be that. Many years ago I had a male Golden Retriever who developed an anal adenoma - this showed as a lump to one side of his anus, and I recall that the anal secretion on that side was changed too. It became greasy and flaky. We were offered no treatment for it, (but I am going back to the 1980's), and it didn't have time to get worse as the poor boy had heart failure too. Please note, I am not offering a diagnosis, just saying what I have had in my own dogs. I would ask the vet to give you a clear explanation of what is happening to your Mother's dog.
Thank you for your feedback. im going to speak to my Vet and take him there. It’s not greasy and not flaky, it has burst as you can see from the pic and has gone down in size as I managed to extract some of the the clear liquid yesterday. I’m visiting them again today and will see how it is, apart from this which he has had for nearly a year now he seems happy. Note. I’m having problems trying to post a different picture but will keep trying. thanks again.
My first thought was anal gland problem, but that is operable. Second thought tumour but I'd have thought they'd do a needle aspiration to check out whether cancerous or not. However, whether cancerous or benign, if it's in a bad position it could still be inoperable. It could also be an abscess. So many 'it could be' I'm afraid
I definitely think that calling their vet and getting the diagnosis directly from the vet is the best first step. With that, you can then call your vet and simply ask if the first vet's prognosis sounds right (eg, nothing can be done). Then you can move forward. You didn't mention the dog's age. If he is elderly, that may be why the vet isn't offering more treatment options.
Thanks for all you feedback. He’ll be coming up to 11 and is fit and healthy. I’ve just spoke. To the vet and Zak is booked in for 10.30. I’ll keep you updated thank you
Update so I met with the vet who was very good, she saw Zak before and remembers the problem, she thinks it’s perianal adenoma which is what I thought, it’s castration for the little man as if it is an active tumor it won’t shrink and if it isn’t active it will so the way to go is castration. She didn’t think a biopsy was necessary as whatever the outcome of that it would lead to the above. I do t think she was vague with her prognosis at the start I think it’s more of a case of my elderly parents bless them. Anyway he’s getting sorted now and fingers crossed it will cure the little man. thanks again for your feedback it was really appreciated James
Yes, as these tumours are nurtured by male hormone, that is the usual recommendation. I hope this will give Zak several more comfortable years.
Thank you for the up-date and best wishes to the little man who I hope has many more happy years ahead of him
I'm glad to hear that it IS treatable. I think when we go in for medical appointments, whether for ourselves or our loved ones (including pets), we can focus on one comment and miss a lot of the important conversation. So, it is possible your parents heard "it won't go down" and missed all the rest. P.S. good on the vet to forego the aspirate/biopsy as unnecessary in this case. Too often, a vet will do them even if the treatment will be the same regardless.
