BONESS E-NEWSLETTER MARCH Call us anytime on including emergencies. News, Web, Stories, Photos, Friends It s all here every month

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1 BONESS E-NEWSLETTER MARCH 2011 Call us anytime on including emergencies News, Web, Stories, Photos, Friends It s all here every month OK, nothing is perfect is it? Why not tell us what you would like to see in your newsletters from Boness. Just drop me an and we will try to add your ideas to our unique monthly Newsletter for Pets and their Families. Send to: newsletters@vetlinks.co.uk Contents 1. All The Latest News 2. We don't Want To Be Anal, but Lumps - what they might be and what we can do 4. Competition 5. Refer A Friend 1. News, News A) Flitwick Clinic is now operating, no, I mean really operating, on patients. Since last month the builders have done a superb job in creating a lovely clean, fresh prep room and operating theatre that most practices would die for. Now that we have full use of that area we are undertaking several procedures each day. B) Julia has been elected! No, not for local Council, but as the Regional Representative (Eastern Region) for the British Veterinary Association. The BVA represents the veterinary profession at national level and can be found here: C) Julia leaves for University of Tennessee Veterinary School to undertake an externship in Physiotherapy. Don't worry its only for a week! This is preparation for what she hopes will be her final finals. D) Yogi's Doggy Youth Club launches this on the 24th of this month and is intended to bridge the gap between Puppy Parties and becoming a mature dog. If your dog is between is in this group why not give us a call and bring your dog along. Its FREE, of course, E) For your information, all our Clinics will be closed for normal business on April 29th. However, those of your pets who have forgotten its the Royal Wedding and suddenly feel the need to visit, in an emergency, will still be able to call on the usual number and will be seen by Vets Now staff who will be wide awake and ready to handle all emergencies. Have a good month, Jerry 2. We don't want to be Anal, but... Mrs Pumfrey called it Flop Bot! What are anal glands (also called anal sacs or scent glands)? Anal glands are two small pouches located on each side of anal opening, at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions. They lie beneath the skin and their ducts open near the anus. They produce a foul smelling secretion.

2 Anal Glands Wild dogs and cats use the secretion primarily for territorial marking and as a form of communication. Every time a stool is passed some of the secretion is deposited on the surface of the stool. Each animal's anal glands produce a unique scent. Other dogs and cats are then able to tell who has been in the neighbourhood. Additionally, dogs and cats recognise each other by smelling each others bottom. Humans do not have any equivalent structures, fortunately! Diseases of the anal glands Anal glands can become impacted, infected and abscessed. Tumours are not common but can occur. What are the signs of anal gland problems? - Your pet may drag his bottom on the floor (scooting). There is a common misconception that a dog will drag his bottom along the floor when he has worms. In reality, it is most likely to be because of full anal glands. - He may try to scratch or bite at his backside. - Sometimes you may notice a strong fishy smell. - Your dog may stop wagging his tail, he may seem depressed and may object to the tail being moved or lifted. - If an abscess is present you may see a painful swelling to one side of the anus and sometimes you may see a discharging sinus leaking pus. Dragging Why anal glands do not always empty? Due to domestication the glands have become redundant. The glands do not empty naturally or do not empty enough each time the pet toilets and this leads to the glands filling up and becoming uncomfortable, leaking at inconvenient times or even becoming impacted and infected if left untreated. Very occasionally the diet may be to blame. A large firm stool will usually help to release anal gland secretion. A small or soft stool may not activate the anal glands and if this continues the gland will continue to fill up. What do we do about anal gland problems? 1) Manual emptying: This is often all that is required to relieve the pet that simply has blocked glands and a build up of secretions. In very small or young dogs and in cats the anus is gently squeezed from the outside to cause the glands to squirt out their contents. In most dogs, however, emptying is best accomplished by introducing a finger into the back passage (rectum) and squeezing the gland down onto this finger. 2) Manual emptying plus antibiotics: Where an infection is suspected, we prescribe antibiotics to bring the anal glands back to normal. In addition painkillers may be given. 3) Flushing and ointments: Where manual emptying and antibiotics have failed, the next stage is to empty the glands and flush them out with antiseptic and then to pack them with an antibiotic

3 ointment. In most cases this has to be done under general anaesthetic. 4) Abscesses may need to be lanced under a general anaesthetic; sometimes they burst spontaneously or they may need just a little help. Antibiotics and painkillers will be prescribed. Using warm compresses on the area often helps to relieve some of the pain and reduce swelling. Scarring of the gland may be the end result. Anal Gland Abscess 5) Removal of the glands: For pets with repeated or chronic problems, surgical removal of the glands is recommended. This procedure is called an "anal sacculectomy". With this procedure all problems associated with the glands are eliminated for the remainder of the pet's life. In rare cases, the surgery is complicated by faecal incontinence. This is a very rare complication. Surgical removal is the only option if a tumour is present. Anal Gland problems in Cats Cats are fortunately less bothered with anal gland problems and are mainly subject to recurrent blockage when problems occur. The cat tends to lick the anus with their rasp like tongue leading to some severely sore bottoms. Preventative Care Changing the diet to promote a compact and bulky stool can reduce the incidence of problems. A bulky firm stool will put more pressure on the anal glands as it is passed and hopefully the glands will express themselves when the animal toilets. A high fibre diet may help (the vet or nurse may be able to advise on the appropriate diet) or the diet may be supplemented with bran. 3. Lumps Lumps: When should I worry? Lumps are a common cause of concern for pet owners. Chances are sooner or later most of us will find a lump on one of our beloved pets at some stage of their lives. Whilst a large number of these turn out to be harmless lumps when exactly should we start to worry? How do I know which lumps are BAD? Below are some useful tips about lumps to help you decide whether or not they may be of concern. Please note, this is NOT a substitute for seeing your vet but these tips may help you have a rough idea which lumps are the bad guys. Mast Cell Tumour

4 1. Does it hurt? Any lump that is painful is ALWAYS a cause for concern. Pain can result from damage to surrounding tissues and an associated inflammatory (defensive) response by the body or infection of the lump. Benign growths in most cases are not painful 2. Is it growing very quickly? Innocuous/harmless/benign lumps usually grow very slowly, often over several months or years. Anything that doubles in size over a few days or a couple of weeks is worrying. 3. Is it bleeding? Any lump that bleeds needs to be assessed by a vet. This does not automatically mean that it is an aggressive or malignant lump but, even if it is benign, the fact that it is bleeding often means that something needs to be done about it. 4. Is the skin discoloured or "angry-looking"? If you notice that the skin around the lump is very red, darkened, black or any other abnormal colour then it's much less likely to be a simple fatty lump or cyst. Histiocytoma in a young dog (some of these can spontaneously resolve) What can we do once the lump has been found? The first thing to do is to make your concerns known to your vet and have the lump examined. If your vet finds any lumps that look suspicious they will often offer to have the lump checked for you. The simplest way is by doing what's known as a Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) which is like a mini biopsy. In a lot of cases the lump can be identified within a few days this way. Some lumps, however, cannot be identified by this method and will require removal and detailed analysis. A full, definitive, 100% diagnosis of any lump can only be done microscopically in the lab as a lot of dangerous cancers can mimic harmless tumours on gross (naked eye) appearance. In the consulting room we can often tell you what the lump most likely is, but we cannot confirm what it is without samples. Just another scratch or freckle? No, its Squamous Cell Carcinoma How do we treat the lumps? A lot of factors are taken into consideration by the vet when deciding what to do about the lump including: location, aggressiveness, type of tumour and so on. Options available for treatment would include: surgical removal, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or simply leaving the lump alone if it was harmless and the pet was in no danger. Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Cat Baldwin Magadza MRCVS

5 4. Competition We would like you to write your story about pets, successes, behaviour, illnesses, recovery, vets or anything else pet related - what are your likes and dislikes etc. As usual the winner will receive a 30 credit on their account. We will publish the winning story each month in this newsletter, and all stories will be published on our website, unless you specifically ask us not to do so. Don't foget to include a photo if you wish. 5. Refer A Friend - Worth 15 To You As always we would be pleased if you would let your friends, colleagues and family know about us and what we can offer their pets. We have Refer-A-Friend leaflets in the practice for you to take and give away. But, even easier for subscribers to this E-Newsletter, why not just forward this to your friends. All new patients can get a pre-registration healthy pet check completely FREE of charge. AND when they get the pre-registration healthy pet check, if they tell us who you are, we will credit 15 to your account. Many thanks Jerry Contact Us Please contact us by any of the methods below: The Hospital at Barton-Le-Clay available 24x7 The Cat Clinic at Barton-Le-Clay diverts to the Hospital at night The Flitwick Clinic diverts to the Hospital at night reception@vetlinks.co.uk Visit our website at: