Furuncolosis

        Hi i need some advice please , i have an 11 year old springer spaniel who has been seeing my vet since June 2022 . He has been diagnosed with furuncolos. He has been on so many courses of antibiotics, iv lost count . He has had his food changed 4 times from one hypoallergenic dog food to another . He has tried steroids which just made him fat , incontinent and generally unhappy. He has been being treated since last October with atopica and recently had his dose doubled . His anus has open wounds that aren't healing  , uncomfortable and weeping . The smell is horrendous . My vet is now suggesting surgery , he had surgery last year for another condition and was so unhappy , fretted dreadfully and had to come home sooner than he should as he was fretting so much he stopped eating and drinking . My problem is now I have nearly exhausted my finances including around 5000 pounds of my now no savings . I am heartbroken that i am not able to afford surgery and have been warned it may come back again  . They are also sating his tail may have to be amputated. What do i do now , any advice would be very helpful .

Hello - sadly, it sounds not to be medical advice that you need.  You already have a diagnosis and are well into treatment, with a vet who knows your own dogs' case much better than I do.  Apparently, 80% of anal furunculosis cases do respond to drug therapy - cyclosporine is a common one - and it sounds heartbreaking that your springer appears to be in the other 20%.  This sounds to be a very high-stakes, stressful junction you are at.  Your vet, like me, will be wishing that money was not an issue and that they could just get on and do their best, which is what they were trained for, but of course - and even in the NHS - money does need to be considered.  Your vet works with private healthcare every day and sadly will be used to the realities of it - many clients worry that their vet will judge them if they say 'I can't afford much more of this,' but they won't.  My advice is to be open.  'I only have these funds left now.  Treatment isn't going how we'd like.  If I only have X to spend, what would be the best way forward?  What options are available to me?  What are the chances of sustaining a comfortable standard of living for my dog with that?  How would that differ if money was no object?'   There are some charities that will help in some circumstances (I would expect your vet to know about the ones in your area) but there are a lot of rules around claiming and also around the sorts of treatment they are able to provide.  I know that this can be a horrible conversation to have and always respect clients who make me aware of their situation.  We can then offer the best that we can with what money is available, for the patient.