[Ryan K]

I have been taking my 7 year old dachshund/terrier for laser treatments at my vet’s office lately and I mentioned my dog had been repeatedly slamming his butt down on the carpet all day and night yesterday so a new vet came in and expressed his glands. She came out with him and told me she felt a “mass” in his rectal wall that was not connected to the anal glands themselves but that she suggested getting biopsied in a month if it has gotten bigger when he needs the glands expressed again. Has anyone dealt with anything like this? I am seriously at my wits end with my dog’s lately. I just lost my dog of 15 years a month ago and then 2 weeks ago my remaining dog jumps and slips a disc in his spine and now this. I am so stressed over him already and now this! I figured I would write in to see if anyone had gone through anything quite like this and whether it could be something totally benign and harmless or if the odds are bad? She didn’t tell me much else other then rechecking it and going for a biopsy in a month if it has gotten bigger. Help!

[anonymous]

Did the vet suggest an x-ray or ultrasound? I don’t know how aggressive you want to get regarding treatment, but, the first step would be to get the “mass” correctly diagnosed.
Is the “mass” causing him discomfort?
Do you know if the “mass” has metastasized? Spread to the lungs? Is his lab work within normal limits?
I know an emergency veterinary clinic would give you these answers within an hour…..however it wouldn’t be cheap.

I would want to identify what I was dealing with so that I could evaluate my treatment options, or lack of them.
I myself wouldn’t be comfortable with a wait and see stance. But, then again, we are all different, and it is your pet.

[Ryan K]

I have no information at all about the mass this vet felt other then her telling me it doesn’t appear to be related to the anal glands. She said anal glands can abscess and get cancerous but this seems to be along the rectal wall above or around that general area. She didn’t say anything was an emergency or that I should rush to get an x Ray or treatment ASAP. She just said that when I bring him in for his next anal gland expresssing that she will feel it to see if it has gotten larger. She said to watch for irritation and if he shows signs of struggling to defecate or continues to scoot his butt then I should possibly run him in sooner for the biopsy which would involve putting him under and prolapsing the anus to use a needle and aspirate the mass for a sample. I am wondering if this could be a hernia? His diet has been massively changed since his slipped disc issue as well. He’s had a life of strict grain free- high quality dog food but since he has been on tramadol, Prevacox and gabapentin his appetite is pretty much destroyed. He’s been living off peanut butter (I hide his pills in it), canned chicken and tuna fish and some raw hide chews which he only eats the coating off of and leaves the actual rawhide. So, I don’t know if this is dietary related? I ordered some Glandex to see if that helps his anal glands in the meantime. I doubt he will eat them though. He’s seriously so uninterested in dry kibble or even most scraps. Should I just stop giving him tuna, bones and treats and force him to only eat kibble? This is so frustrating. This whole experience has truly shown me that I don’t think I can handle another dog again. It’s so much emotional and financial stress and trauma. I love my dog though so I’m trying my best for him.

[anonymous]

I would let him eat whatever he wants, unless your vet disagrees. Make sure he’s drinking water, add a splash to his food. I hope the “mass” is something benign….
All you can do is try to keep him comfortable. I would call the vet and ask them to call you back when they have a minute to talk. See if you can get some of your questions answered.

[Ryan K]

Yes, I just actually fed him a nice bowl of boiled chicken and rice which he LOVED. It’s one of the first things he has literally chewed down on since this issue started. Glad he ate that. I hope the glandex supplements make defecating a little more comfortable for him too. I know his glands give him trouble every month so that’s something I should be looking to alleviate naturally for him through fiber or supplements.

My vet is actually going to call me soon about an email to a specialist about his slipped disc that I needed her to write as a request for a second opinion about his x rays. So, I will mention it to her when she calls. He also goes back in on Friday for another laser treatment so I can ask them when I’m there if it’s really bothering me. I think I just need to truly know what it is. The stress of not knowing what it could be is making me a mess. I get very panic attack-ish when I have to deal with the unknown with my pets health. I can’t even imagine having kids.

Thanks for the response! 🙂

[anonymous]

You’re welcome. Maybe the vet is waiting for him to feel better before doing more testing.
Sometimes, there is concern about “overdiagnosis” too.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=overdiagnosis

[Susie]

First is there a way to stay logged in to this forum?
If it were my dog I would get a referral now to an internal medicine vet. I learned through an undiagnosed dog of two years to just try to go to the IM sooner than later. You can tell the IM vet that youmay not be ready for anything invasive or costly and want to start with his opinion uti experience with this issue. I just had a dog with an anal glands issue and it ruptured. Vet wanted to lance it. Instead we did antibiotics and Epsom compresses. He healed within a few days and all is good. I realize yours is internal and not related. My vet did say my dog could possibly have what toes may have going on. Can you log into some holistic dog groups on Facebook just for ideas? Maybe there is a simple way to at least help him if it’s not an actual tumor. Dog butts are strange. Mine had a dry matter coming out of his gland!

[anonymous]

He is not going to get a diagnosis online. He can either trust his vet, wait and see, go along with recommendations.
The other option would be to move forward and have diagnostic testing done to get an exact diagnosis. It will cost about $1000. based on my experience. The results will confirm that the condition is benign, or that the tumor is malignant, depending on whether or not the tumor has spread, treatment options (if any) will be identified.

PS: No, If you try to stay logged in, it will time out.

[anonymous]

It shouldn’t cost that much to get a diagnosis……I was just thinking on the high end. I’m sure your vet will advise you accordingly.

[Author]

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