# Anal gland or rectal tumor



## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I'm sorry you and your dog are dealing with this. I understand the cancer fear. I think a lot of Golden owners live with this dread. I also understand trying to plan ahead but try not to worry too much about something that may not even be a thing. Messing with anal glands (by groomers) can often set off a series of issues and I try to be sure they are left alone unless there is already a problem and then I would use a vet for help. I have personal limits in mind on what I would put a 10 year old through as far as treatments go but there are so many variables and prognosis to factor in you couldn't possibly project a solution now and thinking it through now is just too upsetting. My advice is enjoy loving on your boy over the holidays and put off worrying and dwelling on the what ifs.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I would also be freaking out. The uncertainty kills me. Good luck.


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## Kimbre (Dec 7, 2020)

Actually my shelter vet is going to palpate him Monday as she did not feel anything that felt like a tumor but she did say he was pretty inflamed. I'm also wondering if a vet can "pop" a tumor as that is what she sort of said she did to pull out blood. I would think you could pop an abscess but not a tumor.


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## Sammy's Mum (Sep 13, 2014)

Kimbre said:


> Hi. i have a ten year old overweight with thyroid issues who is on medication and special food Golden. We had a mobile groomer come to the house about ten weeks ago and part of the service was to express anal glands which Badden had never had done as we had seen no issues. About four weeks later he is chewing the hell out of his tail. I could not get in with my vet so I took him to my shelter vet (I work there) and she discovered an infected anal gland.
> Obviously, I am freaking out. I know they don't live forever but I am not yet ready and I know Goldens are prone to tumors. If she cannot lop off a polyp, we have to decide if we are sending him down the road for a scope. Has anyone gone through this? How far do you go with a ten year old dog? I mean I love him and do not want to lose him, but money can be an issue and I don't...I'm not even sure what I am saying. I am just so upset. I thought this was a simple problem that we were fixing and now this.


I’ve just lived through this, so firstly I’ll say- take a few deep breath. Reading over the post I’m struck by the thought that they were too rough in expressing his glands maybe and caused this irritation. That’s our silver lining scenario. First you need to know what you’re facing and hopefully your vet can bring clarity to the situation.

if it is the big C, then this is where I have some firsthand input. I recently lost my 13 year old Lucas to this cancer. We treated him very successfully with chemo for almost 7 months and were hopeful for many more, but it metastasized into his jaw and that’s when it became painful so we had to let him go. It’s a very slow cancer, and if your pup does have it, it would appear you found it early. Our boy’s tumour was quite large, the cancer had spread throughout his system and we couldn’t do anything to intervene at that point, only manage the illness. There’s a LOT of hope for your pup, yes he’s ten but that’s not too old to fight! We took Luke to Hope Veterinary Specialists in Malvern PA and they managed his illness wonderfully. Up until it went to the jaw, he was happy and enjoying life still.

I hope you have some news soon and it’s as simple as a too rough anal cleaning. This is a valuable post for everyone so they realize how important that kind of checkup is.


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