To Remove or Not To Remove... That is the question!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

WARNING: This is a long post, but please take the time to read and respond, as my heart is being pulled in many directions with this decision and I truly need some good advice!

As many of you might already know we have been battling with anal gland issues for over 2 years.  To give you a little background info, it began when our Goldendoodle Remington was 6 months old.  This is when we first noticed the odor and finally took him to the vet, not having a clue what the problem was.  We soon learned of anal glands!!!  The vet expressed the glands and we thought that would be the end of it.  Never in our wildest dreams did we think it would progress into the problem it is now.  After that first expression, Remington began having to have them done every 6 weeks. When we would take him they would be completely full and leaking out of his bum at times.  The vet suggested many things... switch foods (we did), feed him green beans (we did), feed him pumpkin (we did), give him this medication (we did), feed him two meals instead of three to give him bigger poops (we did)... NOTHING HAS WORKED!  The vet told us that he isn't able to express them on his own because the s sit back a lot farther than in most dogs.  So we even tried being taught by the vet how to express the glands ourselves (we have only be successful with this once) and believe me, it is not an easy thing to do with an 80 lb dog.

 

Fast forward to a 1 1/2 years old... Remington was now getting his glands expressed every 4 weeks.  They were filling up so fast.  He needed them expressed like clockwork each month.  We could always tell because he would often leak anal gland fuild... whether it was on our couch, bed, floor... where ever he was.  Now, if you have ever smelled this, you will know that it is a nightmare of a smell.  A drop the size of a pencil easer can clear you from the room.  Can you imagine getting it on things!  YUCK!  Me being the clean freak I am would "freak out" every time this happened!

 

Fast forward to 2 years.  By this time we were thinking that this was just something we were going to have to deal with for the rest of his life.  He was now getting the glands expressed every 3 weeks.  The vet suggested we try something called an anal gland infusion.  This is when the inject antibotic fuild into the sacs.  You let the fluid sit there and it can prevent the glands from filling up for 6 months to a year in some cases.  However, it may not work at all.  We thought what the heck let's try it.  We had nothing to lose.  We paid the $106 dollars and had it done.  Within a week the antibotic fluid was seeping out.  We had this happen on 3 occasions until we finally took him into the vet not knowing if it was antibotic fluid or anal gland fuild.  They expressed the glands and said it was mostly just antibotic fluid... but that they didn't think the procedure was going to work on Remington.

 

A few months later we took Remington in to get his annual exam.  He is in perfect health except for this problem.  After 2 years of trying everything suggested by the vet, by our friends, and by our DoodleKisses family... we were asked to consider anal gland removal... this is where my heart drops.  I had heard about the surgery by several people, but I have also heard about the many risks, the main one being the dog becoming incontenient after the surgery.  This is our worst nightmare!  If you know my husband and I... we are obsessed with our dog and love him as much as we would our own child.  The vet told us that Remington has a long life to live and the surgery would not only help us from having to constantly shell out money to have them expressed (which adds up every 3 weeks) and the frustration we deal with daily, but it would also take away the stress and pain Remington is experiencing with the glands.  We were also told that he might end up having to have them expressed every 2 weeks or 1 week in the future (judging by how the time frame had been going).  They quoted us at around $1000 for the surgery.  Now, to me the money really doesn't matter if it fixes the problem, but what if we end up with a much bigger problem of incontinence?  Is this a risk we are willing to take.  The vet said that this is something that would RARELY happen... but what if it did?  What would we do with Remington then????  How could he lead a good life with this problem?  How could we?

 

So here is my question?  Should we have the glands removed and hopefully things turn out just fine and we never have to deal with those suckers again???  Or do we not remove them and deal with anal gland issues the rest of Remington's life and more than likely have to have the suckers removed at some point in time anyway?  My heart is so torn.  I just want the best for my dog.  Please give me your opinions, advice, horror stories, success stories... I just need to know what I should do! 

 

Thanks in advance for all the comments :)

 

[Adina P]

It sounds bad enough that a second opinion might not really have any other 'opinion' at all.  But, I would definitely talk to a vet that, like Karen said above, does A TON of these surgeries regularly. 

Do a search for "anal gland surgery forum" in google. You might find some discussions from other dog owners of various breeds who are either considering this surgery or have gotten it done for their dogs. 

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

So true Adina... we have gotten second opinions and they really don't have any other options... we are at the end of our ropes.  If there were others we would take them, because the thought of something bad happening scares the poo out of me.  Our vet has done some of these and had successful outcomes in all!  However, even if we went to someone who did thousands upon thousands it wouldn't make me feel any better about doing it.... sigh!

[Tanya Sheldon]

Poor Remington..I too am a clean freak hence the Labardoodle who doesn't shed. But in my humble opinion I would make the decision as if it was me with the problem. Meaning that if I tried everything less intrusive and still the problem got worse then I would take the chance on the surgery. Also have you tried doggie diapers while Remington is in the house? I wish you well with whatever you decide.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

My sil's dog had the same problem and the surgery was the solution after having gone through just what you are describing.  She had her regular vet do it but I would go to a specialist.  Ask your vet for a reference.  This will give you the very best chance at the very best outcome.  Let us know what you decide.

[Pam & Trixie]

That is such a hard decision.  I think I would do what others are suggesting...Find a Specialist.   And have someone that you feel confident in doing the surgery do it for you.

I can imagine it is very stressful with his glads filling up quicker each time, the smell & knowing he is uncomfortible.

My Springer had glad problems a few times & just those few times it was not fun.

 

Good Luck deciding.

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm sorry to hear that your family is experiencing this very difficult situation. You have already received lots of good advice. I just have a couple more thoughts.

 

I see that you tried to address this problem through dietary changes but you didn't go into detail about what changes were made. I mention this because in reading through other forums (other web sites) I see that many people who posted were able to get this problem under control with very specific dietary changes.  Just wondering if you feel you have exhausted that option?

 

Also, I too think it is important to have a plan in mind if the surgery is done and incontinence becomes an issue. I have heard of people managing this problem fairly well with high quality food (small, hard poops) and a very strict routine which enabled their dog to poop on a regular schedule-therefore enabling them to insure the dog was outside at the time!  Some use of diapers was necessary if for some reason they couldn't keep the schedule.

 

Also,  have you researched the percentage of success rate (without any resulting incontinence issues) of this type of surgery? All I see when I have researched it is "rarely" or "occasionally" "may result in..." which is extremely vague and unhelpful. I think you mentioned that your doctor has been quite successful but it would be nice to see the numbers.

 

We are sending prayers for a happy and successful resolution to this for all of you! Please keep us posted!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

You are so thoughtful... it is kind of hard to remember every dietary change we have tried, but I will try my best.  We first had Remington on Eagle Pack dog food... the vet thought if we changed foods with higher Fiber this might help.  So we switched to Wellness Fish and Sweet Potatoes.  We also started adding green beans (two spoon fulls to bulk up his stool).  This did not even phase the problem.  We then started putting pumpkin on the food to see if that made a difference.  Nothing.  The vet then gave us some kind of medicine like bendryl (sorry about the spelling)... because they thought maybe it was being causes by allergies or inflammation? Didn't work.  Someone on here suggested giving him fish oil capsules... that that might help... didn't work.  Then they suggested that he should eat more food less often to bulk up the stool.  Didn't work.  We then switched food again to Blue Buffalo because we have heard several friends dogs do well on this.  For each of these things mentioned we did for 3-4 months.  The vet asked us to give it time to see if each option work.  The problem never even seemed phased by anything we tried... in fact they started to fill faster!

 

I have been reading up on anal glands for what seems like forever... trying to find some kind of easy or natural solution... however you are right... there really aren't any stats to say what percentage result in incontinence.  One place I'll read "This is the best thing we could have done!  Wish we would have done it sooner!"  And the next place I read... "Don't do this!  Your dog will turn out incontinent!!!"  It is scary!  I feel like I'm going in blind at times.

 

It is good to hear that there is life even if he would be incontinent!  My husband and I were discussing this last night and could only think of putting Remington down if this happened!  However, realize that this is unthinkable to me at this point and I tear up even typing this. I feel like I just have to do what I think is best for him and pray that everything goes smoothly.  Life without him is just not an option.

 

I will definitely keep you all posted if we do decide to go through with this... I want to document what happens because no matter where I look I can't get a good picture of what to expect from this.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, I think that fecal incontinence is a common problem for dog owners, especially those with older dogs so there are probably many ideas/tools/equipment available for managing it successfully. However, I still think that the odds are in your favor for a successful outcome with the surgery. It is my believe that people who have encountered problems are more likely to post in forums then those who have not so you probably see a disproportionate number of negative posts on line which can be scary!!

 

I suppose the success rate will vary according to the experience level of the surgeon anyhow and I see others have mention that this be a key consideration if you decide to go forward with the procedure.

 

I think you guys are awesome for trying so hard to help Remington!! It just seems that quality of life has really dropped off for all of you and it may be time to take it to the next level. Hopefully you will be the one posting " it was a great idea, wish we had done it sooner!" :) Hugs from Ricki & Tara

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

The more I read and think about the dilemna, the more I think you should do this.  There are always risks with anything.  Life sounds like it is becoming difficult for him and if successful (which it sounds like it is likely to be), he will be much happier (as will you and hubby).

Still agree with others about possibly finding a surgeon who has had many successes.  Are you in an area where you can look for more specialists.

 

@Ricki I think you raise valid points about posting in forums.....

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Kendra, I've been doing a little research. With the right surgeon the outcome is very successful and considered a fairly simple procedure. Find a veterinary surgeon that specializes in soft tissue procedures. Here is a link to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons to find one in your area:
http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/FindaSurgeoninYourArea/
Also, Purdue U has a teaching hospital. All surgeries are performed by vets and not students. I believe they have a soft tissue surgeon that specializes in this area, but your vet would have to refer you.

Here is a link to article discussing different techniques used. At the bottom is the final quote from it.
http://www.vetlearn.com/default.aspx?tabid=106&ArticleID=3620

The overall rate of complications for anal sacculectomy is very low; therefore, the prognosis for nonneoplastic anal sac disease following anal sacculectomy is good to excellent.

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

This is such good info Tina!  I'm definitely going to look into this.  Sometimes it is hard to find what info you need so thanks for doing the leg work for me.  I actually have a friend that took her doodle to Purdue to have a surgery done.  I'm going to call her today!  I also am going to try to get in touch with people that have have this surgery done by my current vet to see what they went through and such.  We are thinking about having the surgery around the end of May if we do it.  We would have 13 days to be with Remington between my husband and I to watch over him.  Thanks again!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Tina that's so great you found more information for Kendra!

 

Kendra, I agree about looking into Purdue U.  I would take my dood to UTKnoxville in a heartbeat for a surgery/treatment (one of the best vetrinary schools in our area).