The anal sacs are a pair of small scent glands beside the anus. In cats they cause trouble far less often than in dogs, but when they do, impaction is the usual problem and a hard, painless anal sac mass in an older cat should make you think of cancer.
Key facts
Anal sac disease at a glance- Species and system: cat; the anal sacs open beside the anus (integumentary on the NAVLE blueprint).
- Frequency: common in dogs, infrequent in cats (MSD). A questionnaire study of veterinarians estimated non-neoplastic disease at 0.4% of cats and 15.7% of dogs (Corbee 2022).
- Most common form in cats: impaction (MSD).
- Classic presentation: scooting, licking or biting at the anus, painful defecation and straining.
- Treatment cornerstone: manual expression and flushing; antibiotics or surgery for infection or recurrence.
- Zoonotic: no.
What's inside
14 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Anal sac adenocarcinoma
- Prevention, control and public health
- Client communication
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 3 self-test questions and 4 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.