Submitted
by Judy Braginsky
(Editor’s
Note: The following information was collected at a Perianal Fistulas Support
Group booth at last year’s German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s Specialty
Show in Columbus, OH. Both support
group members Kay Goolsby & Carolyn Lavengood have fought a successful
battle against this horrible disease thought to affect mostly German shepherds.
Their phone numbers are at the end of this article.)
Perianal fistulas (PFs) are abnormal
ulcerated openings that develop in the area surrounding the dog’s anus. The
tracts spread out similarly to the root system of a plant. If left untreated,
PFs will eat away the flesh around the entire anal region as well as up the
inside of the dog’s tail, down the back legs, & into the dog’s internal
organs--eventually causing the death of the dog. PFs are becoming more
widespread by the day, & they hit without care to gender or age, striking
many breeds, including German shepherd dogs.
Some
of the clinical signs that a problem exists are constipation, painful
defecation, lethargy, & open wounds or sores, often with a malodorous discharge similar to the odor one notices when having the anal glands expressed.
There are many theories as the cause of
this disease. Included in the various hypothesis are: genetics, perhaps as a
result of heavy line breeding & inbreeding; problems with the immune system;
& basic conformation of the German shepherd dog (for example, the
broad-based tail that hangs down & does not allow much air circulation in
the anal area, keeping it warm, moist, & a breeding ground for bacteria.)
The bottom line: no one knows what causes
PFs.
The German shepherd dog is the breed most
likely to be affected by PFs. Approximately 70% of known cases are German shepherd-herds.
Some of the other breeds affected are setters, retrievers, sheepdogs, spaniels,
bulldogs, poodles, dachshunds, & collies. PFs also are showing up in
increasing numbers in many of the smaller breeds.
The Perianal Fistulas Support Group advises
that treatment of your dog begin with a physical that includes a complete
thyroid screening. This means sending the blood samples to a facility like
Michigan State University or Cornell University as there are few laboratories
that run a complete panel as standard procedure. It is thought by many that the
autoimmune system is involved. In some cases, appropriate treatment has had a
positive affect on PFs.
Supplementing your dogs diet with Vitamins
B-100, C, & E, & fish oil may help. Continuing the vitamin
supplementation post-surgery to help boost the dog’s immunity also may prove
helpful.
Perianal fistulas do not respond
satisfactorily to antibiotics, though these drugs are helpful in fighting secondary
infections. Experimental treatment with Prednisone has had limited success,
reducing the inflammation in some dogs. Experimental treatment with Cyclosporin
has been promising but is very expensive.
Surgical treatment seems to be the most
successful method dealing with PFs, and even then the disease often recurs.
There are several methods of surgery used, some more radical than others &
some more likely to cause serious side effects like fecal incontinence or
stenosis. Tail amputation is another treatment often recommended, though it
appears that “people owned by German shepherd dogs” are the least likely to
agree to this particular surgical procedure.
The knowledge that this disease exists,
plus education about & early (and correct) diagnosis of Perianal fistulas,
is your dog’s only hope of survival. If left untreated or not treated
aggressively at the onset, PFs will cost your dog its life.
(Articles
about both shepherd owners and their fight against Perianal fistulas have run in
the following magazines: the GSD Review, May, 1997; the GS Quarterly,
Winter/Spring,1997; the GSD Review, January, 1995, & the GS
Quarterly, Summer, 1995.)