The anal sacs are located on each side of the anus, just under the skin.
They open to the outside by tiny passageways or ducts. Glands within
the anal sacs produce a dark, foul-smelling substance. The sacs normally
empty as the animal has a bowel movement. Their purpose is unknown
and your pet can do well without them.
.
Diseases of the anal sacs fall into 3 categories:
1. Impaction: The anal sac fluid is abnormally thick and
cannot escape.
2. Infection: Bacteria produce a yellow or bloody pus.
Infection may also exist in other areas, such as the eyes, ears, tonsils
and/or skin.
3. Abscessation: As a result of infection, a hot, tender
swelling near the anus may rupture and discharge pus and blood.
.
Signs of anal sac disease include "scooting" (dragging the anus on
the floor), excessive licking under the tail, tenderness near the tail
or anus, and/or bloody or sticky drainage from the anal area.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet is reluctant to eat.
Your pet is depressed or listless.
There is a sudden swelling or drainage near the anus.
Your pet constantly licks its anus.
Your pet vomits.
.
Constipation
General Information:
Infrequent and/or difficult bowel movements are termed constipation.
Dry, hard stools cause pain and straining. Constipation is a sign
of large bowel problems and is not a disease itself. There are many
causes for constipation, and often various test and examinations are necessary
to find the underlying cause.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet strains or has painful bowel movements.
There is blood in your pet’s stool.
Your pet’s general health worsens.
.
Diarrhea
General Information:
Diarrhea is the frequent passage of very fluid stools. It is not
a disease itself, but rather the most common sign of small and large intestinal
problems. There are many causes of diarrhea, and various diagnostic
tests are used to find the underlying cause. With sever diarrhea,
hospitalization is usually necessary.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet passes blood with the bowel movements.
Your pet’s condition worsens.
Your pet vomits.
Your pet becomes lethargic or depressed.
.
Enteritis
General Information:
Enteritis is inflammation of the small intestine. There are many
causes of enteritis, including micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi),
foreign matter (bones, wood, plant material, etc.), allergies, emotional
disturbances, parasites, neurological problems of the bowel, and enzyme
deficiencies.
.
Determining the cause of your pet’s enteritis may require laboratory
tests and radiographs (x-rays).
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Diarrhea persists.
There is blood in your pet’s stool.
Your pet’s condition worsens or recurs after apparent recovery.
Gastric dilation/volvulus is a life-threatening disease characterized by
a tremendous ballooning (dilation) of the stomach with gas and frothy material.
Dilation may be followed by twisting of the stomach (volvulus) that closes
both the inlet and outlet of the stomach. As swelling continues,
shock develops as the swollen stomach blocks return of blood from the abdomen
to the heart. Widespread tissue damage and kidney failure develop
and death from respiratory and cardiac arrest soon follow.
.
While most cases occur in large, deep-chested dogs, small dogs are
occasionally affected. The disorder appears suddenly in apparently
healthy dogs. The cause is unknown.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your dog seems restless or unable to get comfortable.
Your dog makes repeated unsuccessful attempts to gag, belch, or vomit.
Your dog’s abdomen suddenly becomes enlarged or unusually firm.
.
Gastroenteritis
General Information:
Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small
intestine. The most common signs are vomiting and diarrhea.
Occasionally there is blood in the stool or vomit. The condition
can be caused by infection, food allergy, eating garbage or foreign materials,
intestinal parasites, changes of diet and even emotional upsets.
.
Because the exact cause is often difficult to determine, the condition
is usually treated symptomatically the first time. If there are recurrences,
a more extensive search for the cause is advised. Laboratory tests
and radiographs (x-rays) are usually necessary to diagnose the condition
and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Hospitalization is often
necessary in severe cases or when dehydration is present.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet’s signs recur after an apparent recovery.
Your pet is reluctant to eat and/or loses weight.
There is a change in your pet’s health.
.
Gastrointestinal Foreign
Objects .
General Information:
A gastrointestinal foreign body is any non-food material found within the
digestive tract. Foreign objects ranging from coins to clothing have
been found in the digestive tract of pets. The variety of non-food
material a pet may consume is astounding. While animals of any age
may swallow foreign objects, young puppies and kittens are most likely
to do so.
.
Signs depend upon the amount of blockage, the location of the object,
and whether the object is irritating or non-irritating in nature.
Common signs include vomiting, abdominal discomfort, reduces appetite,
an absence of stools and vague uneasiness. While some foreign objects
can be passed with the aid of lubricants or laxatives, many can only be
removed by endoscopy or surgery. Radiographs (x-rays) are used to
determine the nature and location of the object, and assess the likelihood
of passage without surgery. In most cases, surgical removal is the
only effective means of treatment.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet seems depressed or reluctant to eat.
Your pet vomits or has diarrhea or blood in the stool.
Your pet shows signs of abdominal pain.
Your pet’s signs recur or there is a change in your pet’s general health.
.
Intestinal Obstruction
General Information:
Intestinal obstruction is the partial or complete blockage of the normal
passage of food through the intestine. Obstruction can be due to
ingested foreign materials, tumors, part of the intestine telescoping onto
itself (intussussception), impaction of fecal material, or paralysis of
a portion of the bowel.
.
Signs of intestinal obstruction are vomiting, lack of appetite and
abdominal pain. As the condition progresses, weakness and dehydration
develop. Untreated obstruction is usually fatal.
.
Bowel obstructions are emergencies. In many cases, surgical relief
of the obstruction is necessary. Hospitalization is common.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet vomits or has diarrhea.
Your pet is reluctant to eat or seems depressed.
Your pet is not having bowel movements.
Your pet passes dark or bloody stools.
.
Liver Disease
General Information:
The liver is a large organ located in the most forward part of the abdomen,
resting against the muscular partition between the abdominal and chest
cavities. The liver is essential for life and performs over 100 important
functions, such as detoxifying poisons and drugs, metabolizing fats, storing
carbohydrates, manufacturing bile, plasma proteins and other substances,
and assisting in blood clotting.
.
Liver disease is often difficult to detect until the illness becomes
severe because there is an overabundance of liver tissue and the liver
can partially regenerate itself. The signs of liver disease vary
with the degree and location of the damage. Various blood tests are
necessary to discover the extent and nature of liver damage. In many
cases, surgical removal of a small piece of liver tissue (liver biopsy)
is the only way to diagnose the type of liver disease.
.
Some types of liver disease can only be treated in the hospital, while
others are treated on an outpatient basis. Some liver diseases can
be cured, while in others the goal is to treat the disease.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet has bleeding from the gums, skin or eyes.
Your pet has dark or bloody stools and/or blood in the urine.
Your pet vomits or has diarrhea.
Your pet acts dazed or confused or has seizures.
Your pet seems weak or faints.
.
Malabsorption Syndrome
General Information:
Pets with malabsorption syndrome cannot properly absorb digested nutrients
from the small intestine into the bloodstream. Though the exact cause
of the disorder is unknown, it may be related to allergy to the protein
found in cereal grains. Some cases of malabsorption may result from
chronic intestinal irritation or abnormal lymph drainage of the intestine.
.
Pets with malabsorption have loose bowel movements that may be frothy,
with a foul odor. The appetite is usually poor, and weight loss,
vomiting and weakness are common.
.
Diagnosis of malabsorption is by clinical signs, physical examination,
absorption tests and occasionally intestinal biopsy. The lifetime
outlook for patients with malabsorption is quite variable.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
There is no improvement in your pet’s condition.
Your pet’s signs return after an apparent recovery.
Your pet continues to lose weight.
Your pet seems weak or confused or has seizures.
.
Megaesophagus
General Information:
Megaesophagus is a condition in which the esophagus is enlarged and cannot
properly propel food from the throat down to the stomach. Megaesophagus
occurs less frequently in cats than in dogs.
.
Pneumonia caused by inhaling pieces of food is a common complication
of megaesophagus. While the condition can appear suddenly in mature
animals, it is most common in young animals shortly after weaning.
It is inherited in Wire-haired Fox Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers and possibly
others.
.
Barium x-ray studies are often necessary to diagnose this condition.
Both surgical and medical tharapy may be used in treatment of megaesophagus,
but cures are uncommon.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet continues to regurgitate its food and/or water.
Your pet’s overall health worsens.
Your pet coughs or has difficult or noisy breathing.
.
Portal Shunting
General Information:
Portal shunting is an abnormality of the blood vessels of the liver (portal
system) that causes some or all of the blood from the intestines to be
shunted around (by-pass) the liver and go directly into the general circulation.
A very serious consequence of portal shunting is the increase in blood
ammonia levels after eating. Build-up of blood ammonia seriously
impairs brain function and may cause seizures, coma and death.
.
Portal shunts can be present at birth (congenital) or develop later
in life (acquired). In all cases, however, portal shunting is a serious
disorder.
.
Portal shunting is treated surgically and/or medically. For surgery
to be beneficial, the shunt must be in an operable location. Often
shunts cannot be reached. While some pets have lived for several
years with portal shunts, the condition is usually terminal when surgery
is not possible.
.
Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:
Your pet has seizures (convulsions).
.
Ulcerative Colitis
of Boxers
General Information:
Ulcerative colitis of Boxers is a chronic (long-standing) disease of the
large intestine, most commonly found in Boxers under 2 years of age.
Its cause is unknown.
.
Boxers with this disease have repeated and long episodes of bloody
diarrhea, and strain to pass small amounts of semi-formed stools that contain
and mucus. Though affected dogs remain in fairly good condition,
they usually lose weight. Vomiting occurs in some dogs.
.
Various laboratory tests and x-ray studies are often necessary to diagnose
ulcerative colitis of Boxers. Most of the tests are done to rule
out other conditions with similar signs.
