1440. Anal sac swelling in a 3-year-old Pom

May 30, 2013

The accountant had to rush here at 7.30 pm after work to get her Pom treated.
"Dr Daniel is in Bangkok today Friday," I said as she asked for him. Dr Daniel had expressed the anal sac in February and she had instructed the dog groomer to do so soon after. Now the dog was not happy with his backside.

"Is there tail chasing or biting?" I asked. "You can consult Dr Daniel as he will be back on Sunday."
However she could not wait and asked me to teach her how to express the anal sacs. They were swollen at around 1 cm x 1 cm but quite deep inside and so I asked her to feel the swelling with her fingers. "At 4 and 8 o'clock deeper in. Pinch the area outwards. Don't let the anal sac oil splatter onto your face or dress as this had happened to my assistant Niang and myself."

So, she had to be careful as this lady in her late 20s had a blue office dress and wanted to know how to do it.

My assistant was present to help hold the dog which is muzzled. After confirming she is right-handed, I said: "Lift up the tail with your left hand, place the tissue to cover the anal opening and press with you right hand's thumb and forefinger."

It was easier said than done. She could not do it.
"You use your fingers to feel the swelling and press while I cover the anal opening with the tissue paper," I said. "Hold the tail upright."

She pressed the anal swellings. The male not neutered Pom growled. He had been patient for some minutes and this was painful.

She squeezed the area.
"The tissue paper has 6 x 6 mm of brown oil contrasted on the white surface. You had success but you took out less than 1%. Let me do it."
The Pom was getting fed up with being a guinea pig.
I expressed an impressive amount of grey granules spreading an area of 5 cm x 4 cm.
"Did Dr Daniel express this much in February when he vaccinated your Pom?" I asked.
"Much more but blacker in colour."
"The anal sacs are still inflamed and the oil still solidifies," I said. I gave a course of medication and asked her to express the sac with her bare fingers to massage it, during the weekly bath.

Education of the client is important but takes a lot of time. Many vets don't have the patience to do it and it is not so easy for a dog owner to do the anal sac expression as in theory.