Anal Gland Cancer In Dogs
According to Pet Cure Oncology, anal gland cancer in dogs is “cancer of the anal sacs (also known as canine anal gland (or sac) adenocarcinoma or apocrine gland adenocarcinoma) is the most common malignant tumor found in a canine’s perianal region.
Anal gland cancer, in fact, represents approximately 16.5%1 of all malignant rectal tumors in dogs. These tumors are typically found only in one anal sac but, on occasion, both sides may be affected.”
→If you haven’t read my summary of Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma (AGASACA), please go here first!
So knowing how aggressive this cancer can be, the first step in treating Chase’s anal gland cancer, Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma, is surgery. In late February 2022, Chase completed a CT scan to determine how much his cancer progressed. During a routine check-up in January, a polyp was found in his rectum and then during a consultation with the surgeon team, an enlarged lymph node was found. The CT scan in late February confirmed that Chase’s cancer had returned in his lymph nodes.
We met with Chase’s oncology at MSPCA Angell in Boston in late April to go over his health history and where we stood to date. We discussed several treatment options to remove the cancerous lymph nodes and treat localized areas, as well as his whole body.
Anal Gland Cancer Treatment Options
The biggest question for us: what are treatment options for dogs with Anal gland cancer? Here is a quick summary of cancer treatment options we discussed with his oncologist and were designed specifically for Chase:
Option 1: The most aggressive treatment option
Surgical removal of the primary tumor and associated lymph nodes followed by daily definitive radiation therapy (18 treatments) +/- medical therapy (Palladia vs. Carboplatin vs. other). For this protocol, we were given an average survival time of 2.5 years – 3 years.
Option 2: No surgery but palliative care
If we decided not to do surgical removal of the cancerous lymph nodes and mass, MSPCA Angell recommended radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy (Palladia vs. Carboplatin vs. other). We were given an average survival time with this protocol of approximately 1 year.
Option 3: Chemotherapy only
Radiation is expensive. Surgery is expensive. CT scans are expensive. Gas is expensive. This option was more of “we want a little more time with him” approach. Angell suggested Palladia or Carboplatin for chemotherapy.
Ultimately we chose option 1 – the most aggressive treatment plan, which is also the most expensive and emotionally draining approach. We talked extensively about Chase’s quality of life. Daily radiation treatments? Driving in and out of Boston every single day? What if he isn’t the same dog? He is almost 12, and they want him to undergo that much anesthesia?
We came to this conclusion: Chase is healthy. He’s energetic, he’s happy, and if it weren’t for this awful cancer, he’d be a completely healthy dog despite his age. He has zero other health concerns aside from his cancer and it just wouldn’t be right for us not to try and beat it. His oncologist gently reminded us too that age isn’t a disease and because he isn’t a breed with breathing issues and his heart is healthy, she was completely confident he would have no issues undergoing daily general anesthesia. She also reminded us that dogs tolerate radiation and chemo much better than humans do! Read more about radiation side effects in dogs here.
→ Want to know more about how his lymphadenectomy went? Click here.
Tumor Removal Surgery
We picked Chase up early Saturday morning, he was so happy to see us despite him being still heavily medicated from the epidural. His lips pulled up and he smiled at us as we awkwardly collected him into our arms. He made little whimpers into our chests as he kept spinning around, trying to get as close as he could to us. Oh, my boy looked so good but he was so tired. We quickly brought him home and made him comfortable. After that, it was about monitoring his incision and keeping him quiet.
His incision and belly looked pretty rough the first 2-3 days, as the blood and bruising were pretty severe. I actually called the emergency line on the 3rd night because there was deep red bruising that was concerning me. Want to see what that looked like? Click here (NSFW)
The ER doctor quelled my fears and said everything looked fine, given how invasive the lymphadenectomy was. So we continued the recovery plan: lots of rest but scheduled 5-10 minute walks 3-5x per day, pain medication, and antibiotics.
For the days I couldn’t leave him alone, he came with me to work and hung out for the day in my office. At around day 5 or 6, he started to try to get at his incision more – so we were even more diligent on using the soft e-collars every moment we weren’t watching him (yes, even that 4 min bathroom break!).
Cancerous Lymph Node Removal
One of the possible side effects of the polyp (mass) removal in his rectum is the possibility of permanent fecal incontinence. Because the area is so sensitive and filled with so many nerves, it’s hard to get clean margins without removing lots of good tissue.
There is a delicate balance when working in such a small, sensitive yet important area in the body. For both of the mass removal surgeries in his rectum, (2020 and 2022), he did have fecal incontinence for about 5 days post-op. So what I did this time around was I bought two cooling blankets that I rotated as covers on his bed to make sure he was kept clean and sanitary. I also kept paper towels and wet wipes nearby to clean him up. I “checked” his rectum about every two hours, even though I didn’t expect him to release fully, it was sometimes leakage or a nugget or two that needed to be cleared.
Every few hours I would bring him outside to use the bathroom, clean him up, rotate the blankets in and out of the washer, and then do it all over again. It really reduced the smell, on him and in the house, as well as any “accidents”. I recommend getting some thick paper towels, wet wipes, and disinfectant wipes to last you a good week if you are looking at possible rectal surgery for your pet. I also recommend old towels or blankets to rotate out so you aren’t ruining dog beds or other furniture you may use to keep your pet comfortable.
The surgeon told me that he may not fully defecate for a few days because the anesthesia and medication could constipate him. And since they removed more tissue from his rectum, I also included pumpkin once a day in his food to soften his stool so he could go more comfortably.
2+ Weeks Post-Op
The first few days are always a mess when it comes to major surgery for dogs. There’s lots of built-up anxiety until you get that call that your pet is okay. Then there is the excitement and anxiety when you’re ready to pick them up and take them home where you know they need to be the most!
The after-care for Chase was very simple and pretty uneventful. The two weeks passed without any real issues, and today he is back to his normal happy self. At around day 10, we saw our boy come back 100% when he got up from his bed and started to rummage in his boy bin. That really made us all smile!
Next Steps: Canine Radiation Therapy
Now that we are over 2-weeks post-op, we are looking at the next phase of his treatment: a CT scan to confirm there are no other major organs involved and to mark a radiation treatment path for the 18-days of radiation treatment coming up in mid-June. His CT scan is scheduled for June 6, and then a week after that, he is scheduled to start his first radiation treatment on June 14th and go under July 7th.
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* Please note that the following information provided is based purely on personal experience. Any discussion of treatments, evaluation, and prognosis is specific to Chase and should not be used as advice or guidance on treating your animal. Please consult your pet’s veterinarian to discuss all information provided.
