>Pesto is having surgery tomorrow to find the remnants of anal gland
>tissue. It's frightening, the only exotics vet around here didn't
>want to touch it for fear of hitting a nerve while rooting around for
>the tissue. I opted for a surgery resident, she seemed like the best
>choice, given that no one around here has done this surgery before....
>I hope this isn't as difficult as the exotics vet led me to believe.
 
Dear X - I've dug around a lot in that area, and never hit a nerve.
You know, a chronic infection in that area can also do a lot of local
damage, and may damage the nerves there as well.  I'd rather take my
chances early on in the process before it becomes an abscessed mess.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3736]