I will begin by discussing canine heartworm disease and return to a discussion of information specific to the cat at the end of the article.  Cat owners are advised not skip to the end of the article because most of what I say about heartworm disease in dogs also pertains to cats. When a dog gets bitten by a mosquito carrying heartworms, it usually takes a minimum of 5 months before there is evidence of the heartworm larvae in the dog’s blood, however, outward signs of the disease may take far longer to become obvious and, in fact, may never be outwardly detectable in those dogs with mild infestations.  Dogs with just a few worms in their heart may live a normal life, however, dogs with a more abundant worm load  may eventually develop a cough and then fatal respiratory distress.  The point to be made here is that prevention and/or early detection is the answer to protecting your dog and your neighbor’s dog from heartworm disease.  If you wait until your dog is showing signs of illness before you see your veterinarian you may have waited too long.

When a mosquito bites a heartworm infested dog it sucks blood which contains the microscopic heartworm larva.  When the mosquito then bites another animal, these larva are regurgitated into the unsuspecting victim.  These larva start growing in the new host animal and over the next 5-7 months may reach 14 inches in length and may number as high as 50 or 60 worms.  Heartworms in dogs are most often found in the heart proper and in the large vessels entering and exiting the heart where they reduce blood flow through the lungs and liver.  Because Heartworm disease is so easily transmitted, every dog , whether kept inside or out, should be blood tested yearly for the disease.  Dogs which are confined to their backyard, with no dogs for blocks around, can still easily contract heartworm disease.  Even dogs kept inside 95% of the time are at risk because mosquitoes readily enter houses.  Dogs with thick hair coats, such as Samoyed and Malamutes, are in no way adequately protected from the bite of infected mosquitoes.    Heartworm testing helps veterinarians to identify Heartworm infected dogs in the early stages of the disease before obvious symptoms appear  and before the disease spreads to other neighborhood dogs.  If the disease is detected early, the chance for successful treatment is greatly enhanced.  With the exception of young pups, any dog that is to be put on Heartworm preventive should be blood tested yearly and found free of heartworms before preventive medicine can be dispensed by a veterinarian.  Owners that elect not to give their pet heartworm preventive should have their unprotected dog heartworm tested semi-annually.  By checking these pets every 6 months an infected animal will be detected at the earliest possible time.  

Although the incidence of heartworm disease in cats is much less than dogs, if a cat contracts heartworm disease there is no safe medical treatment like there is for dogs, and the disease is much more likely to prove fatal.  Furthermore, a single heartworm can produce a fatal vascular obstruction in a  cat, where as  25 or 30 worms would have to be present in a dog.   Consequently, a cat that contracts heartworms is much more likely to die from this disease than is a dog.  For these 2 reasons Heartworm prevention becomes even more important for cats than dogs.   

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Pets that lick under their tail repeatedly or drag their rear ends along the ground are doing so in an attempt to relieve “anal irritation” which they experience as an itch or pain. Anal irritation can result from a number of causes one of the most common being “anal sac disease” .

An animals anal sacs are located on either side of the pet’s anus and empty their contents into the anal area by way of a small connecting duct. Each sac fills up with a thick, foul smelling, brownish fluid which normally is expelled when the animal has a bowel movement. The odor produced by these sac helps the pet “mark his territory” and may be responsible for much of what is described as the characteristic “doggy odor”. Problems arise when the anal sacs can not easily empty their contents and become infected or overly full causing the animal discomfort and even pain. When this happens dogs and cats often develop an offensive odor and try to relieve their discomfort through biting, licking and scooting along the ground.

Anal sac disease can be caused either by an infection or simply a physical obstruction. Bacteria which are abundant around the anal area may invade the anal sac where they produce an inflammation and swelling of the inside lining of the sac and its emptying duct. The swelling causes a narrowing of the diameter of the duct and as a result the fluid can not flow out into the anus as easily and, consequently, is retained. The longer the fluid remains in the anal sac the more likely it is to become thicker and paste like. Eventually the consistency of the anal sac material may reach a toothpaste like consistency. At this point it is almost impossible for the sac to empty itself naturally and help is required to open up and empty the plugged sac.

In order for your veterinarian to help relieve the animal’s discomfort he will put on a lubricated rubber glove and with one finger inserted into the rectum and another finger on the outside he will attempt to squeeze the contents through the plugged or narrowed duct. If the anal sac material is very thick or the duct very narrow manual squeezing may not be successful and additional treatment may be necessary.

In cases where manual pressure does not completely empty your pet’s anal sac your veterinarian will most likely recommend that the anal sac be catheterized and flushed out with a solution that softens the pasty material and wash it away. After a thorough flushing he may infuse an ointment containing both antibiotics and cortisone. The ointment will help to treat both infection and inflammation. It is often necessary for this flushing process to be repeated after several weeks.

Besides infection another cause of anal sac disease is a poor quality diet that leads to the production of soft feces. Soft feces cannot exert the necessary pressure required to empty the sacs. Poor muscle tone, especially in obese dogs can predispose an animal to anal sac disease.

If you notice your pet has a very foul smell and is at the same time scooting his or her anus along the carpet or grass then you should have your pet examined by your veterinarian. If this condition is left untreated the condition may develop into an anal sac abscess which results in the drainage of a bloody pussy fluid through a hole in the skin. Although an anal gland abscess usually requires surgery it can easily be avoided with early treatment.

In order to prevent anal gland problems some pets, especially the very small ones, will need their anal sacs emptied every few month by their veterinarian. Pets that have frequent anal sac problems may need to have these sacs surgically removed if medical treatment does not provide a solution.

I am sure that neither you, your pet, or your veterinarian enjoy dealing with smelly anal glands but untreated the problem will not go away so pay attention to your pet’s behavior and nip anal sac disease in the butt.

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Woodside Animal Clinic is a unique, very personal,  one doctor practice where, for over 35 years, Dr. Simon has been healing dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, and reptiles with both conventional and alternative medicine.  Dr.  Simon is the author  of 4 pet care books and he writes a monthly pet care column in the Mirror newspaper.

Woodside Animal Clinic sees pets from all over the greater Detroit area including Royal Oak, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Detroit, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Warren, Centerline, Clawson,  Troy, Sterling Heights, Southfield, Birmingham, Bingham Farms, Franklin, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Novi, Wixom, Brighton, Livonia, Plymouth, Commerce, Ann Arbor, Ortonville, Waterford, Union Lake,  Rochester,  Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Utica,   Romeo and Flint.

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