An insistent  attention on a particular point of his body could be the expression of a problem for our pet. I just refer to a continuous licking of the perineum area, often associated to yelps both during this procedure and at the moment of the evacuation.

If your pet keeps on scratching on the floor or bites the above area, there could be a problem.

In this case the owner has to watch carefully that part and take the subject to the veterinary.

We have to observe both the perineum area by rising the tail in case it is furry and abundant since it could hide the problem and all the circumference of the anal sphincter.

If all is fine, you should note a pink color, the absence of any secretion and above all its complete integrity.

The pathology indicated like the “ fistula of the paranal glands” appears with more or less serious wounds at the sides of the sphincter, typically in zones 3 and 9 if you look at a watch, both serous and purulent secretions, with blood and a very nauseating smell.

All that is caused by a serious first infection and then suppuration of one ore more paranal glands that are in the dog in the last section of the rectum.

Their function is the one to produce a sebaceous material rich of pheromones ( see previous article) and of a substance similar, for consistency and color, to the anchovy paste that is released in case of strong fear or stress.

Its  emptying is constant anytime there is the passage of faeces that softly “ squeeze” the glands, sometimes for difficulty in producing compact faeces due to food, infective or metabolic causes, for general infections, but also for race predisposition, like for example the German shepherd: these glands can’t  empty themselves normally, but they gather material that can cause infection.

In this phase the owner can note an intense complaint in the subject and also a  tense aspect of the interested area, just before  the fistula grows outside.

In this phase their light squeezing or the use of anti-inflammatories together with antibiotics could completely avoid the proceeding of the pathology by preventing the fistula.

In the following  phase the fistula will be evident with a more or less serious aspect according to the time spent. It could be small but the wound sometimes involves a good part of the sphincter and the near and deeper areas.

The visit of a colleague is fundamental to state the best case until the most serious cases where we will have to operate, even if it rests a solution to rate very well being the sphincter involved.

The manual and constant squeezing by the owner is never a procedure to suggest, because it could provoke a dangerous infection, it will be  made only by the doctor in exceptional cases.