Muscle wastage due to long term steroids (Anal Furunculosis)

[Gonetothedoggos]

DDog (Collie x ) is 14 years old and has suffered with Anal Furunculosis for many years. It’s managed with preds although the last 12 months we’ve had to increase the dose due to chronic symptoms.

Otherwise she’s a healthyish dog who still walks several times a day and is still obsessed with her nightly dental stick. We struggle to keep weight on her (steroids) and she has noticeable muscle wastage on her hind legs and rump.

The last six weeks she’s fallen several times. The tiled floor isn’t helping her as she doesn’t have the strength to right herself. She’s not quite dragging her legs but there is a lack of range of movement. When walking she can still stride out and needs to be in the lead. It’s at home we’ve seen her struggle the most. If one of the other DDogs steps in front of her it’s as much as she can do to stay upright.

We’ve seen the vets three times in the last week and are going back again today as she’s not been great this weekend. They’re said she has noticeable muscle wasting due to the steroids. We are looking at next steps. Has anyone experienced this? We’re looking into hydrotherapy for her but I’d like to understand what the likely prognosis might be. Has anyone had success with hydrotherapy? If so how long did it take to see results?

Other than this, I don’t know what other options we have. We can’t stop the preds, or even reduce the dose. She’s 14 now and the last thing we want is for her to be in pain (she’s also on daily paracetamol). I’m just reaching out to the internet in the hope that someone more experienced might be able to help her. Thanks.

My dog was on 30mg Prednisone daily for several weeks (he weighs around 21 kg) in order to reduce a mass inside the anus, which became evident after an anal gland ruptured. The treatment worked very well in that the lump has gone and the anal gland is functioning normally. Coincidentally he's a collie and 14 yrs old. However, the steroid had a terrible effect on him as a whole, and I found myself reducing the dose, maybe prematurely, from the main treatment and throughout the tapering process. My dog was breathless, weak, and shrinking before my eyes. He fell over several times a day and couldn't cock his leg. He was mentally frantic and hyper anxious also. Well the steroids worked for him before they killed him, if you know what I mean. Of course he's old and we have other problems now.
Anyway, your dog's problem intrigued me (collie with a dodgy bum) so I had a look for the condition and found the item below. It's interesting because the suggested treatment is not primarily steroids, but ciclosporin, which is not a steroid. Apparently it's an expensive drug, and maybe your vet has looked at it, but maybe not. I really feel for you and your dog. I hope you can resolve the problems soon.

vetspecialists.co.uk/fact-sheets-post/perianal-fistulae-anal-furunculosis-fact-sheet/

@Gorse thank you so much for taking the time to give such an informative reply. I’ve booked in a call with the vet to discuss ciclosporin. Given her age, if it can make her more comfortable and stop the steroids, then it’s definitely worth considering. I see the relapse rate is high but I’d rather make her happy in the short term as I think that’s all we’ve got with her.

I'm sorry but it sounds like the time has come. Surely you want her to go out while she's still happy and before she really deteriorates to a miserable existence?

Did you mean to be so harsh @StylishM ?

No my tone wasn't meant 'harshly' but equally, at 14 and with the symptoms and condition you describe, I'd gently urge you to speak to your vet about their opinion on her quality of life & recommendations for treatment vs PTS when the time is right. Apologies if my original post rubbed the wrong way

I don't think @StylishM was harsh - more realistic.

It's horrible to think about but at 14yo you really need to consider how beneficial treatment is actually going to be for them and whether it's for you rather than them.

I think you have the wrong post, I was asking for specific advice on treatment and asked for people’s experience in the matter. I was definitely not looking for opinions on whether it’s time to PTS.

FYI we have discussed this with the vet and have five clear set of measurements which will guide us to whether it’s the right time. We firmly believe a day early is better than a day late but that’s not the point. You were rude to even suggest for a moment that we don’t have our dogs best interests at heart. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.