Anal Sac Disease - General

Below is an overview of Anal Sac disease presenting signs and disease factors. For individual disease information see the pages under Recto-anal Pathology

Description

The anal sacs can become impacted,infected, abscessed, or neoplastic. Retention of sac contents predispose to bacterial overgrowth, infection, and inflammation.

Signalment

Small dog breeds and German Shepherd dogs are predisposed to anal sac disease, large dogs and cats are rarely affected. Obese dogs are also more frequently affected.

Clinical Signs

Include excessive licking or chewing around tail base or anus, reluctance to sit or discomfort when sitting, scooting, dyschezia if extreme, tenesmus and sometimes draining tracts are present.

Predisposing Factors

Disease factors leading to anal sac disease include faecal consistency, looser faeces tend to result in retention of sac contents, diet, poor muscle tone, inactivity, obesity, generalized seborrhoea, oestrus and anal furunculosis.

Literature Search

Use these links to find recent scientific publications via CAB Abstracts (log in required unless accessing from a subscribing organisation).


Anal Sac Disease publications

References

Ettinger, S.J, Feldman, E.C. (2005) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine (6th edition, volume 2)W.B. Saunders Company