Hello Everyone,

I would like to start off by saying I have made an appointment with another (highly reputable) vet for a second opinion tomorrow morning for my 5 month old female GSD.

About a fortnight ago, Janka started to chew on her anal region. She also started scratching a little more than usual, so my initial thought was allergies since I recently switched her to another brand of kibble.

I immediately stopped feeding the kibble, and just put her on complete raw. Before this, she was getting a kibble meal on alternate days to keep her used to it if & when we need to travel. It didn't ease the symptoms. I figure she might have developed an allergy towards chicken, so I put her on beef chubs since yesterday. She has always done well on beef.

I took her to my vet, whom I have a good rapport with, on Friday to do an ELISA test on her. But he told me to hold off for now because there are no hot spots, flaky skin or bare patches. He looked at Janka's anus and said it looked OK, and prescribed an antihistamin for her.

Perhaps I am being a fool, but I did not dose her with the antihistamin. I wanted to know for sure what exactly was causing her to scratch, and muting the symptoms would not lead me to the cause.

At the moment, it might still be too soon for me to tell if chicken is the suspect. She has not touched kibble for over a week, and I don't know how long it takes for the allergens to work out of her system.

I still feel uneasy, and want a second opinion.

I am so hoping it is not perianal fistula. The websites aren't very indepth. I have no idea of the progression of P.F. and whether sufferers have normal body functions apart from the anal obsession. I keep checking her anus, and I clean it with tepid water and rub aloe leaves on the region to sooth it for her. I don't know what more I can do, and I feel so helpless.

I took a photo of Janka's anus for sake of record-keeping in case it is P.F. and hope it is OK to post it here. If it isn't, please advice, and I will change it to a clickable link.

Stools are fine. Eating and activity levels are normal. Bowel movement appears normal.

Sorry for the long post. I tried to summarize it while making it as clear as possible. Also if it's a little oddly phrased, forgive me. My mind has been whirring since yesterday, and I am just beyond anxious.

All I know is, I cannot wait for tomorrow so I can get some answers.

Regards,
Rei

I had to look up perianal fistula:

http://www.shilohgtf.com/Perianal%20Fistula.htm

It really sounds unpleasant Your dog's behind appears normal in the photo. Butt chewing could be a number of things: allergies, fleas, full anal sacs...or a fistula. Given that she's scratching more than usual I'd probably lean toward the first two.

Connie is the allergy expert but here's what I remember of what she's written in the past.

Environmental/inhalent allergies are a lot more common than food allergies.

The best way to diagnose food allergies is to do a strict elimination diet for 2 months using a single source protein and, ideally, a protein the dog has never had before. That last can be hard since so many diets (raw and kibble) include multiple proteins.

The gold standard for environmental allergies is the intradermal(sp?) skin test, administered by a derm vet. Blood tests, which most vets urge clients to do, are worthless.

Antihistimine trials can be very helpful in both alleviating your dog's itching and giving you an idea as to the cause. What I was told is that, generally, antihistimines will ease environmental allergy symptoms, but not food allergy symptoms.

I think it's always good to get a second opinion but I would urge you to reconsider using a blood test as a diagnostic tool. Many wise people here, and a few DVMs I know personally, don't have much faith in them.

I hope your appointment tomorrow goes well and helps ease your worry.

Hello Sarah,

Thank you kindly for your valuable input, esp regarding the antihistamin.

Also I will definitely look further into the intradermal test.

There was some dissention about the different allergy tests (skin vs blood) on another forum. I was unsure which side of the fence to lean towards, being so new to this arena to be able to form my own opinion which would be best for my GSD.

Call it info overload, if you will. )

Poor baby, that doesnt sound like fun at all!

Is she butt scooting too?
That is a common sign of anal sac problems but can also indicate worms.

My vet also told me that coccidia can cause the poo to be stickier and very irritating. A yeast overgrowth in the gut can also irritate the bottom.

Have you changed laundry detergents or floor cleaners or anything like that?
With their bottoms being exposed I think they are more prone to being irritated when they sit on an irritant.

I would consider gently cleaning her bottom with Tucks pads, they are witch hazel and aloe vera with some alcohol to prevent bacteria but they dont sting. Witch hazel is anti-inflammatory, astringent and helps speed healing in soft tissue, its also great for itching and irritations it will take the itch right out of mosquito and tick bites!

I know for a fact they can be used on very very sensitive areas and dont sting at all while providing some majorly serious relief and speeding healing. (over 100 stiches post childbirth OUCH!!)

For my pup with an irritated bottom I made sure to gently clean it after he pottied, and then when he was sleepy and very relaxed I would sit next to him and hold one or two of the little pads on his bottom for 5 or 10 minutes.

Geez that is another one of those things you never even consider having to do when you get a dog lol!!!

I have a dog with PF and the first sign was really straining to go to the bathroom and I gather that is very common.

When the fistulas break out it is pretty unmistakable but can be confused for a severe anal gland infection ......... basically a bloody mess with an open "tube" appearing on the skin.

That looks raw and irritated but not like a fistula.

PF is an autoimmune disease. It's somewhat more common in males than females. Onset is usually around 5-6 years. Irish Setters and German Shepherds seem to be hit more frequently than other breeds.

It is now somewhat managable with drugs now. The more common treatmeents suppress the immune system and allow the fistulas to heal. These drugs include cyclosporine or tacralimus (Protopic ointment).

Many folks also work to find diets that don't aggravate the condition.

This is probably the best treatment summary I've found ...
http://www.vetbiomed.murdoch.edu.au/CVE/docs/Dermclub%201_notes.pdf

However, it's not likely you will see it in a five month old puppy.

Hello Jennifer,

No butt scootin'.

She just chews around the anal region, and I can hear her pulling at her hair. The base of her tail, where it meets the balloon knot, is looking a little bare with some irritation.

Aloe leaves helped, but now that poor plant is looking like Janka's bottom. I moved it out of the way 'cos it's my husband's prized baby, and it came with us when we moved from NY to CA.

I will certainly look into Tucks pads. Could I find them at say, Target?

Also our regular vet squeezed her anal glands last Friday, and said they were fine.

Thanks for all the input and the link. It soothed me somewhat.

I email the photo to Janka's breeder, and she said what Nancy & Charlie have written ... that her bottom looks irritated, but it doesn't appear to be P.F.

Some sites reported that although it afflicts older male GSDs, there have cases for females and even dogs as young as 7 months. I was concerned that my puppy was part of that small statistic, but I will know the answer in an hour.

I have never been this obsessed about a twinker hole in my life ...

She is a cutie! and im sure will be feeling better in no time!
If she is really really going at it biting and chewing she might need to wear a cone or something to allow it to heal.

the tucks pads are with the tummy medicine at any grocery or drug store.

Hello,

Just thought I would post an update on Janka's problem.

As it turns out, it was just a staph infection that moved up to the anal region. I am so relieved.

It isn't too bad because I just so happen to clean Janka's undersides every day. I was wondering why the "dirt" never totally scrubbed out, even after giving her belly a good wash! Now I know the answer.

So we were prescribed some antibiotics and a bottle of Rx shampoo. I need to wash her nether region twice a day for 4-5 days, depending on how quickly it goes away. That is going to be fun, considering how opposed my pup is to a bath.

The new vet is a terrific person. Extremely kind, and very thorough with us. It is quite rare these days when a medical practioner takes pains to ask & learn about his patients, and shows genuine concern.

I really like him.

Also, we met a lad from the local schutzhund club while in the waiting room. So Janka & I attended a meeting that evening to have her evaluated.

Watching those dogs work on the field really pumps up my adrenaline. I am permanently addicted.

Nothing more masculine & strong than seeing a dude decked out with a whip, scratch pants and a bite sleeve. So sexy, so bad-a**! The whole experience was incredible, nothing like watching those youtube videos.