I have a new rescue foster. He is a pug, neutered 11 years old, very obese and has been down in the rear for about 6 weeks. He developed pneumonia and his owner was overwhelmed and surrendered him. I have had him a little over a week now. X-rays show arthritis in the back and neck. He has not had an MRI or advanced diagnostics.
He has been to the vet nearly every day since we had him. He was touch and go with the pneumonia, but is much improved now. He was also unable to urinate and too obese to express manually. He had to be catheterized daily. He was treated with bethanachol and tamsulosin and fosfomycin and now is peeing fine, although we still can't express him. His bloodwork and UA came back normal, as did an abdominal ultrasound and echocardiogram. He is receiving prednisone to attempt to alleviate inflammation and get mobility back. We are hoping that if we can get the weight off of him and relieve the inflammation he may regain some of his mobility. We will eventually switch from the steroid to an NSAID.
He developed very bad diarrhea during treatment, so we took him off of the bethanachol as it often causes diarrhea. He was having diarrhea leak from his butt every few minutes. He also very rarely lies down as it is hard for him to breathe, so he sits all of the time, right on his poor little butthole. It quickly became raw and inflamed from the diarrhea. Frequent washing didn't seem to help. I would spray the area with vetericyn after rinsing clean then apply Bag Balm and set him on a pee pad, but soon he would poo some more and within days it is getting out of hand. He now bleeds and cries when he goes. His poop is firming up some, it is soft now rather than runny, but that doesn't matter when he is sitting right on it and smooshing it as he goes.
I am now having to apply blood stop powder. I don't know how to get the pressure off of the area so it can heal. I am afraid his breathing might become compromised if I try to hang him from a sling, his breathing is very fragile still and he needs to lose a lot of weight before it will get better. I tried using a female diaper to protect the area and hold a dressing on, but it would all just get contaminated with poop. Help! I need ideas to treat this and especially to help his little butt heal!
Anal Bleeding
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If your pet has a medical emergency, please contact a veterinarian immediately.
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RustyPugRanch
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 1:42 am
Re: Anal Bleeding
I may have figured something workable. I pulled out an old, inflatable cone. Loosened the Velcro strap so that the open space was roughly keyhole shaped and let about 1/3 of the air out so it was softer. I set him on it so his butt was over the keyhole area and gave him his favorite stuffed animal to lay his chest and head on (as he always does or he can't sleep well due to breathing issues). He is in his crate, so he can't move or fall off of it very easily. At the moment he is sound asleep. Knock on wood this gives him the pressure relief he needs to heal.
I am still looking for any ideas anyone might have or tricks to getting this delicate area to heal.
I am still looking for any ideas anyone might have or tricks to getting this delicate area to heal.
Re: Anal Bleeding
There is a barrier spray called Cavilon spray that protects skin. If you spray it on it is supposed to last up to 72 hours. If you spray it on fur, it will gum up the fur so it is better for areas that are either bare skin or shaved. It may be an option to think about, depending on what you are dealing with. There is also a Cavilon barrier film if the spray won't adhere.
http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/a ... 7497&rt=r3
Another option, I would think a good option, is Desitin ointment with zinc oxide. Dogs are not supposed to lick zinc oxide so you have to be careful he does not lick it, but this dog is unable to lick his rear so you could use it freely. The beauty of it is it really-really stays on, really-really-really protects, and improvement is quick. I would put it around the edge of the sore so it does not get bigger.
I had not heard bethanecol could cause diarrhea (I need to look that up) but prednisone definitely can cause it. They recommend giving the dog a stomach protectant such as Pepcid AC with prednisone, as steroids can do a number on the GI tract, even to the point of bleeding ulcers in some cases. The vet could tell you the dosage.
If he was sitting directly on the pee pad, that was part of the problem, because unfortunately they are not absorbent enough. It sounds like you may have solved the problem by getting him up off of the pee pads with a makeshift donut. You might ask your vet if he has any small donuts you could use. The disposable pee pads do a better job of protecting the bedding than they do protecting the patient. They are convenient when you are dealing with a constant mess, but would it be manageable for you to use something washable at least for a while? If he is still sitting flat on a pad, I think he would do better on a thick cotton towel, changed frequently, and just get him his own laundry bag and do separate loads of dog laundry with bleach. Another option that might be helpful is the quilted fleece pads they sell for babies. They are a lofty synthetic fleece on two sides with a vinyl liner sandwiched in between. They sell them at places like Wal-Mart, I think a 2-pack is about $13. They won't keep him dry, but will be better than a disposable pad. They launder easily and come clean better than towels.
There is a technique to stimulate a dog to eliminate, and if you could stimulate him to empty his bowel several times a day then he would not be defecating while he is sitting in it. Here is an article describing various ways to achieve "poop on demand". I hope it helps.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586
http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/a ... 7497&rt=r3
Another option, I would think a good option, is Desitin ointment with zinc oxide. Dogs are not supposed to lick zinc oxide so you have to be careful he does not lick it, but this dog is unable to lick his rear so you could use it freely. The beauty of it is it really-really stays on, really-really-really protects, and improvement is quick. I would put it around the edge of the sore so it does not get bigger.
I had not heard bethanecol could cause diarrhea (I need to look that up) but prednisone definitely can cause it. They recommend giving the dog a stomach protectant such as Pepcid AC with prednisone, as steroids can do a number on the GI tract, even to the point of bleeding ulcers in some cases. The vet could tell you the dosage.
If he was sitting directly on the pee pad, that was part of the problem, because unfortunately they are not absorbent enough. It sounds like you may have solved the problem by getting him up off of the pee pads with a makeshift donut. You might ask your vet if he has any small donuts you could use. The disposable pee pads do a better job of protecting the bedding than they do protecting the patient. They are convenient when you are dealing with a constant mess, but would it be manageable for you to use something washable at least for a while? If he is still sitting flat on a pad, I think he would do better on a thick cotton towel, changed frequently, and just get him his own laundry bag and do separate loads of dog laundry with bleach. Another option that might be helpful is the quilted fleece pads they sell for babies. They are a lofty synthetic fleece on two sides with a vinyl liner sandwiched in between. They sell them at places like Wal-Mart, I think a 2-pack is about $13. They won't keep him dry, but will be better than a disposable pad. They launder easily and come clean better than towels.
There is a technique to stimulate a dog to eliminate, and if you could stimulate him to empty his bowel several times a day then he would not be defecating while he is sitting in it. Here is an article describing various ways to achieve "poop on demand". I hope it helps.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586
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RustyPugRanch
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 1:42 am
Re: Anal Bleeding
Thank you!!
He is getting omeprazole with the steroid to protect his stomach.
I just ordered the Calvon online, hope it works!!!!
He was sitting on a towel (over a gel cool pak, over a kennel mat), but I thought the terrycloth might be too rough, that is why I put the pee pad (actually a human Tucks pad) on top of all of it. I will pick up some Desitin too.
So far today, no diarrhea, but no poop either. I am hoping that means it is firmed up and not that he is holding it in because it hurts so much to go!
I do know how to express feces, but because the area is so raw and sore, I didn't want to mess with it.
Thank you so much!!!!
He is getting omeprazole with the steroid to protect his stomach.
I just ordered the Calvon online, hope it works!!!!
He was sitting on a towel (over a gel cool pak, over a kennel mat), but I thought the terrycloth might be too rough, that is why I put the pee pad (actually a human Tucks pad) on top of all of it. I will pick up some Desitin too.
So far today, no diarrhea, but no poop either. I am hoping that means it is firmed up and not that he is holding it in because it hurts so much to go!
I do know how to express feces, but because the area is so raw and sore, I didn't want to mess with it.
Thank you so much!!!!
Re: Anal Bleeding
Cavilon SPRAY is much better than the cream, which is just plain old butt cream. The spray was developed for humans with ostomies.
Ingenious idea to make him a doughnut cushion!
Bethanechol didn't give Buddy diarrhea, but he didn't take it much; it made his bladder MUCH too spastic.
By the way, some pee pads are better than others. These are SUPER absorbent. http://www.amazon.com/Depend-Bed-Protec ... _it&sr=8-5 Some "puppy pads" are more absorbent than the human ones, and they're smaller.
Ingenious idea to make him a doughnut cushion!
Bethanechol didn't give Buddy diarrhea, but he didn't take it much; it made his bladder MUCH too spastic.
By the way, some pee pads are better than others. These are SUPER absorbent. http://www.amazon.com/Depend-Bed-Protec ... _it&sr=8-5 Some "puppy pads" are more absorbent than the human ones, and they're smaller.