Anal Furuncllosis.

[maxandskye]

Originally Posted by LUTGARD

Oh Hon
I know exacyly how you feel
My Cimba had this too and was awful watching her suffer she didnt die from this but from Leukaemia at 11years old
She had AF from about 7 or 8
The only treatment for her at the time was prednisolone and surgery
Max was a Handsome Boy who like my Cimba is Running free over the Rainbow Bridge together with all the very precious woofers that we have all lostwhere we know they are pain free and watching down on us
I feel your pain Hon

Linda xxx

Linda, I was filling up reading such kind words in this post of yours.

Originally Posted by maxandskye

Linda, I was filling up reading such kind words in this post of yours.

We are all here for you Hunnie
To support each other in times when it is so hard to do
This is all we can do and by talking about them and saying their names it keeps their memory alive

Im hoping right now that they are looking down on us and enveloping us with warmth and comfort
Sending Love and Healing Hugs
Linda x

[sami]

I have been having a traumatic time with my angel Sami with this horrible disease and have had to make some difficult decisions over the last few months. I am so sorry about both Cimba and Max and I know how horrible it is to see and otherwise healthy dog suffering so terribly.

Thankfully Sami is doing very well at the moment her fistula has almost healed and we have been able to reduce the medication to a level she can cope with. It will hopefully stave it off for a few months when I know I will have to decide again the best course of action for HER not ME.

[alan]

my white girl had it about a year ago.l hade do her bum twice a day with protopic ointment.luckerly it cleared up other wise the vet said it would have ment a op.very expencive cream about £80 a tube.l have to keep aeye on her as it can always come back.it is not catching the vets dont know how it a starts

Originally Posted by sami

I have been having a traumatic time with my angel Sami with this horrible disease and have had to make some difficult decisions over the last few months. I am so sorry about both Cimba and Max and I know how horrible it is to see and otherwise healthy dog suffering so terribly.

Thankfully Sami is doing very well at the moment her fistula has almost healed and we have been able to reduce the medication to a level she can cope with. It will hopefully stave it off for a few months when I know I will have to decide again the best course of action for HER not ME.

So pleased Sami is doing well at the momentBig Hugs
Huge improvements have been made im sure in the treatment of this Horrible desease
Hope some day they find a permanant cure for AF

Linda x

[sami]

I cant believe the difference a good vet and the right drugs make!! I was going to my last vet for 6 months or more and getting nowhere, she suffered for months and the new vet was a last ditch attempt or I was considering pts.

Just for everyones info:

she is on 50mg Cyclosporin/Atopica twice a day
60mg Ketoconazole/nizoral twice a day

on this the fistula had closed up within a week but she was throwing up constantly we had 2 -3 weeks of messing about with the dose and she was really struggling as I said in my depressive thread the other week. She is now on 15mg nizoral twice a day and same Atopica she was on before and is pretty much back to herself apart from a bit of the "2 bobs" . She has to stay on this for another month and then reviewed.

I asked the vet about the theory of the drugs. The Atopica is an immunosuppressant so I can see why that is used but the Nizoral is an antifungal so I was curious why that was used. He said that no one has any idea how it works but the 2 have to be prescribed together to work and that if anyone finds out he would be interested to know but at present they dont know why it works. I can confirm that the Atopica doesnt work on its own because Sami has had it in the past and it had no effect.

Personally, and my vet agreed, I dont think the Prednisolone which they usually prescribe has any effect. In the past, before the condition had such a good hold on Sami, I have not treated the fistulas and they cleared up within 2 weeks with no medication the same as with the Prednisolone.

My vet stated that he does not recommed surgury unless there is no other option as the condition can still return even after surgery and the risk of incontinence it can cause.



I would be interested in knowing the cream Alan mentioned he used just for completeness.


I know this is a long post but I thought it was worth detailing it all for anyone searching for a cure as I was when I first found this forum.

I wish this treatment had been available for Cimba
She suffered terribly with prednisolone and surgery but at 7-8 years old I wanted to do the best for her and I suppose at the time I was weak and couldnt say goodbye
But you do everything you can for them til enough is enough

Linda x

[sami]

Ahhh dont feel bad you did everything you could. It is always difficult to let them go but you have to give them a chance if you think its right. I could easily have let Sami go unnecessarily if I hadnt spoken to this vet. It is a horrible disease and I am sure that you made the best decision for the two of you at the time.

Big hugs to you and Cimba from Sami and me.

id never heard of this,thankyou everyone for the info xxx

Hi everyone,

my apologies for not having gotten to reply sooner. Anal Furunculosis as is called in Europe it is referred to in the US as Perianal Fistulas. I have a dog that was diagnosed with it about 2 years ago and hers are caused by an autoimmune reaction. They can also appear as a result of diseased anal glands in which case taking the glands out will cure the problem in 80% of the cases tough sometimes they will come back.
The golden standard to treat them is Cyclosporine but it must be given according to weight, usually for our dogs it would mean 200 mg/day. When you give Keto with it you lower the dosage of Cyclo because the Keto enhances the effectiveness of Cyclo. If you want more information on this please feel free to ask me any questions, I will be happy to share everything I know. Diet plays a part on this disease as well, most of dogs with AF or PF have allergies and should be on a food with 1 protein + 1 carbohydrate, something they never have eaten before, could be rabbit + potato, fish + potato, venison +potato or rice.