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Anal Fistula

35K views 35 replies 18 participants last post by  JakodaCD OA 
#1 ·
Anyone else had a GSD with this. My vet says that it is something that is genetic in German Shepard's. He tells me that it is not painful and that there is really nothing they can do about it. She is 12 and on pain meds anyway for some arthritis. It does not seem to bother her, but it is gross since if basically a big hole next to her anus.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
#4 ·
for starters put her on a no meat and no grain diet. Wellness fish and Sweet Potato is good. she also needs to be on antibiotics for any infections. Cyclosporin and Ketoconizole are also used for PFs. Search for Dr. Hardie online. He is an expert on this.
 
#5 ·
I highly suggest checking out the site Lisa posted, they also have a listing of PF savvy vets by area.

Your vet sounds pretty ill informed when it comes to fistula's.

At your girls age, I probably wouldn't go for radical treatments but your vet is full of it , if he doesn't think they are painful and nothing can be done about it.

It is not just a "GSD" thing anymore either.

I would also shave up the area, keep it as clean as possible, join the email list they have tons of good info and people who will be able to suggest alternative treatments..

(You also might want to try applying desitin in and around the area)

I have been there done that, with two gsd's, and both had good recoveries from different treatment methods..

and I agree with the food change
 
#6 ·
Sorry to read about your girl. I sent you a PM with an article written by Carolyn Lavengood for our WGSDCA newsletter - it has a lot of good information about PF's in it.

Also, I would consider looking to see if you can find a vet who might be better informed about treating a dog with PF's.
 
#8 ·
The zinc isn't a cure, but does help some. and I really suggest a vet in your area who knows what he's dealing with..

good luck, PF's are no fun for the dog or owner
 
#9 ·
Yeah, they are painful for the dog, sometimes severely so.

The Derm we see said about half her dogs with fistulas get better without cyslosporin. Some require antibiotics, some an anti-fungal, and mos all a diet change to some new single protein, single carb food.

I have to agree with the others and perhaps say it a bit stronger. In this area, your vet is pretty lame, and is doing your dog no favors.

If they out of control, this can be fatal. It can lead to all sorts of problems that interfere with digestion, elimination, and mobility.
 
#14 ·
I just want to say yes it is very painful it is hard for them to poop, the web site that was listed is very good and you should join it the people there are very informative I know because my gsd has the autoimune pfds and I am a member of that group and the pfs are treatable. I changed Dukes food to Natural Balance venison and sweet potato. He was also on cyclo and still is.
 
#16 ·
This is the link I found to the Diamond Premium:
http://www.diamondpet.com/products/diamond/dogs/dry_food/premium_adult_formula_for_dogs/

I would find a food that has no corn, no wheat, and absolutely no chicken (or chicken fat) in it. I would probably stay away from turkey too, just to be safe. Go for Lamb or fish based.

My Derm said that she had one dog's fistula go away with a food change and an anti-fungal. Wish we could all be that lucky. However, your girl's food has two big triggers in it (corn and wheat), and another common trigger (chicken), so maybe a food change will make a big difference
 
#17 ·
oh no my dog had this and yes it is painful for them. GSD are prone to it and it is to do with the immune system. We put my dog on combination of nizoral and cyclosporine which suppresses the immune system and helps with the pain. Also we shaved the underneath of his tail and round his bum. washing with a betadine solution to help with removal of bacteria. We also changed his diet drastically from a hypoallergenic food to RAW. He was 8 when he got it he is now 12 and he has not relapsed (touch wood) Changing to the raw meaty bone diet really helped him i hope your dog gets better soon.:)
 
#19 ·
I also had a dog with fistulas. There is a support group on yahoo groups calld PF-L or something like that - it was a very good group. Mine had surgery but he was 7 or 8 at the time and it did the trick for him....but I wouldnt think of it on an older dog.

He could NOT tolerate RMBs; he would get bloody mucousy stools but did well on a fish based diet and I always gave him metamucil to keep things moving just right.

I agree - my dog was MISERABLE with them.
 
#20 ·
Perianal fistulas

My dog has this i've been dealing with this for about two years. He is on Atopica 100mg now just once a day and I also use a cream Protopic oitment 0.1% on the area once a day. I can see how painful it is for him, the vet and I have been working to keep it under control (since it seems like it will never go away) and my pocket is hurting it is expensive. We haven't heard about diets though and I am new to this website if anyonwe colud please direct me in that path. I also have a female GSD but she doesn't seem to suffer from this (thank God) any help would be great thank you :help:
 
#21 ·
Healing

My German suffered with fistulas for a long time.
No treatment worked at all. I heard about colloidal silver spray and thought
I'd give that a try. It is available at most health food stores. I sprayed it on the fistulas twice daily and now two months later they are completely healed. Please try this if your dog has these fistulas. It truly works miraculously. It is not expensive and all natural. I swear, this works.
 
#23 ·
We are new to PF's as our 9-year-old GSD, Charli, was just diagnosed a few weeks ago. We started the Cyclosporine/antibiotic/antifungal treatment approximately 2 weeks ago. We are also curious about how diet plays into this. Any information on websites, forums, etc...would be helpful!
 
#24 ·
Treatment

My beautiful shepherd has suffered with this for a long time and I came to the decision that I either had to get something that worked or I would have to put him down as he was in so much pain.
Will I found something that works !!!! I have been using an antibiotic called Cephalexin. I started him off on a 1000 mg a day for a week and then 500 mg a day. Also with the antibiotic I apply desitin on him every night. I had to apply it twice a day in the beginning He has gone from a dog that would cry every time he had to poop to almost completing pain free.
This will be a life long treatment plan but it does work and it is not expensive
 
#25 ·
Hi. My gsd has the same fistula issue,on prednisone and has had the same antibiotics u xplained which he did well on. Vet wants me to go onto a hyperallergenic dog food. He was on royal canine gsd adult but he's being getting diareah which is irritating the fistula even more. When he does get a firm stool he tend to yelp/whine which is so dis heartning as I feel so helpless.
Would otocleanse work to help keep the area clean or would it sting.
Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated
 
#26 ·
My 4yr. old male, was on Cyclosprine and threw up every meal. He is now on Azathioprine 2 1/2 50mg tabs (once a day) & Prednisone 1 1/2 20mg tab a day. HUGE improvement in ONE week. First time he has wagged his tail in 7mos! He is eating Nature's Recipe Salmon & Sweet Potatoe dry dog food. He is finally healing. VERY smart vet, he was on Animal Planet f/ a year! ("Who's Who") vet. Vet is God sent! He has saved GSD's quality of life. Try these meds & this food. He is going to recover.
 
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