Wounds by anus.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Thor is having these problems.

I would love to see pictures. I have some ideas, but photos will really help. You can send the photos to photos@askavetquestion.com. I'll be online for another couple of hours so as soon as I've had a look at the photos I'll reply again and see if I can help you out at all.

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Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, the poor boy. This looks so uncomfortable.

Now, I can't officially give you a diagnosis over the internet, but I am concerned that Thor may have something called perianal fistulas. It's worthwhile to ask your vet about this. It's not common and while it usually happens with German Shepherd dogs, it can happen in any breed.

If this is a perineal fistula, the treatment is difficult. Some dogs will respond to steroid medication (i.e. prednisone). It may be that the first injection that helped was steroid, but we can't keep giving steroid injections.

But, most need strong immunosuppressive drugs. You can ask your vet about whether or not drugs like tacrolimus or cyclosporin are available in your area.

Sometimes surgery to remove some of the affected tissue can help. Neutering Thor may help to improve things as well. And some dogs do really well if they are fed a hypoallergenic food.

Unfortunately, perianal fistulas are usually a very chronic problem. If we find a medication that helps then he will likely need to stay on it for the rest of his life.


I really hope he does ok.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

This condition doesn't usually cause a dog to be skinny. There may be something else going on.

A few thoughts - you could ask your vet for some dewormer for Thor.

If it's possible to do blood testing it would be great to see if there is evidence of another problem going on in his body.

It is also possible that what you are seeing on his anus is actually a cancer. This is not common where I live, but it is possible. Cancer can cause a dog to lose a lot of weight.

In most cases when a dog is skinny, feeding him puppy food will help (but you need to clear this with your vet first.)