[C4D]

Hi Trevor,

As I stated earlier, what you decide to feed is totally your decision. If you have only used 1 formula of NV, you might try switching to a different protein. You could also find a grain free that is slightly lower in protein as DF suggested. NV Instinct carries limited ingredient diets that are lower in protein and are specific proteins, so if it is food intolerance, that could solve the issue.

I found that when my dog had an allergic reaction to a specific protein and I switched to a different protein and added a small amount of fiber until the stools adjusted, the anal gland issue was resolved. She did see a vet and had a bad issue including an abcess. This happened quickly. It was a combination of allergic reaction to food and antibiotics, which created diarrhea, causing an anal gland problem.

What you need is a food that gives her a solid, normal sized stool (barring any medical issue relating to the anal glands). That’s the reason some added fiber was also suggested. I hope this helps your dilemma.

[Trevor V]

Sorry all, my question wasn’t about what to do with her anal glands. The question was about how to figure out what to give her when this site recommends foods that 2 different vets don’t, and that the vets recommend 3 different foods that are rated poorly here.

[Jenn H]

From my experience adding fiber has been what works best.
My choice is canned pumpkin.

Interestingly enough the dogs that have needed it for anal glands are the ones that don’t hang out with the horses. The ones that do I know snack on their manure and/or dropped grain. So they get plenty of fiber!

[Anonymous]

Oops! I think a posted a wrong link, regarding using the search engine at this site: /forums/search/anal+glands/

This is the one where I meant to say I didn’t agree with all of the opinions expressed, not the youtube one.

[Anonymous]

Excerpts (out of context) from article below: http://www.vetmedclinic.com/?p=290
click on link for full article.

Overview:
Anal sacs are the reservoirs for the secretions of anal glands which are located on either side of a dog’s anus, at approximately four and eight o’clock. These sacs contain liquid secretions from the anal gland, which, in healthy animals, are normally pale yellow-brown to grayish in color. The contents are usually emptied during normal bowel movements, or when a dog is nervous or scared. In most animals, these sacs empty easily. However, some dogs, especially small breed dogs, are not able to empty the sacs properly and become susceptible to anal sac disease.
Transmission or Cause:
The cause of anal sac disease is unknown. Smaller dog breeds, such as Chihuahuas and poodles, are most often affected. Excessive anal gland production, soft feces or diarrhea, poor muscle tone, and obesity also contribute to higher risk of developing anal sac disease. Anal sac abscess tends to occur after an impacted anal gland has become so severely swollen and infected that the anal sac forms an abscess and ruptures.
Prevention:
Expression of the anal sacs every few weeks or months often will help prevent anal gland fluid from accumulating and becoming thickened again. High fiber diets have been shown to help prevent anal sac disease in at-risk dogs, especially those that are obese.

PS: Hope this helps, I don’t want to play “Dr Google”, obviously anyone can look up stuff and find articles that support their opinions, however, some articles are better than others, imo 🙂 See what your vet recommends.

[C4D]

DogFoodie is absolutely correct. If you start expressing the anal glands manually, you are just setting up a lifetime of possible problems. I have a foster that has these issues occaisonally, so I supplement with some additional fiber in her diet. I use pure canned pumpkin. It has taken care of the problem for over a year.

Here’s Dr. Peter Dobias’ link:

http://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014181-holistic-approach-to-anal-gland-problems-in-dogs

[DogFoodie]

I’ve never had to express my dogs’ anal glands. Neither my vet nor my groomer has ever recommended it either.

One of my dogs has multiple food intolerance issues. It is frequently the case that when he begins reacting to something that he’s eating, his anal glands begin smelling strongly. A change to one of his “safe foods,” typically resolves the problem.

Regardless of the brand, although I’m not a fan of any of those your vet mentioned, if you don’t identify the trigger, the problem will continue.

It could be a food intolerance and it could also be a fiber issue. Have you tried adding additional fiber to see if that helps? Some easy choices for fiber are ground chia seed, plain canned pumpkin, ground psyllium, and even Metamucil.

Interestingly, I find that my Golden does better with a more moderate level of protein (right around 30%) and a bit less fiber (around 4.5%). You might also find that your pup is getting too much fiber and its what’s causing the most stool.

What is the fiber in the food you’re currently feeding?

[Anonymous]

The best thing that you can do for a dog that has a tendency to have impacted anal glands is to learn how to express them yourself. example http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+express+canine+anal+glands&FORM=VIRE7#view=detail&mid=76593F745A542FBF1DE476593F745A542FBF1DE4
Have your vet tech/vet go over how often this needs to be done for your dog (once a week?)
With the right diet, exercise and routine care, you may find the condition will clear up quite a bit and you may not have to express the anal glands as often…if at all after a while.
Make sure she is drinking adequate water, maybe add a splash to her meals.

Find a food that will give her firm stools, rather than mushy (less likely to get clogged in the anal glands) I would cooperate with your vet’s recommendation for food, but ask him if you can add something tasty 🙂 Also. some dogs have better stools on canned food, others do better on kibble. Buy small amounts of the recommended foods and see what works, sometimes it takes a week or two to see a difference.

Did you try the search engine here? http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+express+canine+anal+glands&FORM=VIRE7#view=detail&mid=76593F745A542FBF1DE476593F745A542FBF1DE4

I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions posted.

PS: I almost forgot, some good info here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/ and here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=prescription+foods
Plus, feed only once or twice a day, don’t leave food down.

[Allison A]

It is an exhaustive process, for sure. There was a moment that I thought it could be the fat content of the food, but he had diarrhea with Natural Balance LID Fish and that has 10% fat. Normal-ish stool on Hills Adult light, and that has 9% fat. Obviously that 1% isn’t making that huge of a difference, so it has to be the fiber content.

We slowly titrated up to 3 TABLESPOONS of psyllium a day, which would cause major changes for a 200-lb man, and there was no improvement. All it did was give him gummy stool that he strained to get out, and it was still so mushy that his anal glands started bugging him.

Here are the Hills ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Pea Bran Meal, Whole Grain Sorghum, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Lactic Acid, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Oat Fiber, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Beta-Carotene, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Dried Apples, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Peas.

I’m trying to figure out which of the fibers in there is the magic bullet. If it’s the corn and wheat that helps his stool but makes him itchy, then that stinks! Beet pulp absorbs a ton of fluid (have experience with that as a component of horse feed), but I haven’t been able to find a quantity of beet pulp for purchase that’s less than 50 lbs.

I have no issue cooking a completely home-prepared diet for him, but if he’s going to need something like kangaroo protein, then a commercially available food is going to be more economical.

I am not a fan of probiotics. A two-week trial gave him explosive diarrhea; same thing with three of my previous dogs. Personally, I have an extensive GI condition, and probiotics have been the worst thing for it. I know some people and animals have great results with them, but that hasn’t been the case in my household.

[Fran K]

if a dog needs to be on a GI diet and is on a low residue diet for easy digestion and yet needs to have anal glands expressed, and sometimes they get infected (so he needs good solid poops to help express the glands), how does one get a low residue diet into him for easy digestion yet gets enough bigg good solid poops instead of tiny soft ones to help the sacs naturally express?

[Anonymous]

@Tyler G
“Some animals have anal glands that are placed deep and low inside of the rectum. In this case, even though there is healthy stool being passed out of the rectum, there’s not enough pressure to the wayward anal glands to effectively empty their contents during a bowel movement. Very rarely in those situations, those animals have to have anal gland expression performed because they’re not capable of doing it on their own”.
This is from http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/your-pets-anal-glands.aspx

This condition is not unusual in small breeds.

Best to go by what a veterinarian that has examined your dog recommends.

[Pitlove]

100% agree with DogFoodie. Groomers also often express anal glands as part of the grooming service, something I completely disagree with and I would never do unless asked by the client when I worked as a bather in a grooming salon. If you bring your dog for grooming please recommend that they do not express the glands. They aren’t trained to do it properly and if done wrong can create a whole host of problems. A vet is the only one who can do a proper expression of the anal glands, which is internal.

Dogs should be able to normally express their glands when they use the bathroom. The glands can express properly when the poop is firm and solid. It has nothing to do with there being large amounts or small amounts. Large amounts are also not something I would consider a good thing.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Tyler,

You could try adding some bulk to her diet in the form of canned pumpkin, some ground chia seed, psyllium husk or some unsweetened Metamucil. I like a product called Firm Up, which is stored pumpkin and apple pectin. It’s shelf stable so it lasts a lot longer than canned pumpkin. There’s a product called Glandex that I’ve never used, but others here have with success. I don’t know much about it, so hopefully someone who does will weigh in.

It could be a fiber issue, in that your dog might need higher fiber.

It could also be that she’s eating something to which she intolerant. I have a dog with a number of food sensitivities and when he’s exposed to something to which he’s intolerant, it’s not at all unusual for his anal glands to start smelling strongly.

I hope you find a solution quickly. Manual expression of small gland is not an ideal circumstance and should be avoided if at all possible.

[Tyler G]

Within the past two months I’ve switched from Eukanuba Dachshund mix to orijen adult and now I’ve started Acana Ranchlands. Within the past two weeks I’ve noticed that my dog has had this very strong metallic/fishy odor coming from her backside. Well I pinpointed it to being her anal glands. I watched multiple videos on how to express the glands. Well I’ve probably had to do it at least three times in the past 10 days or so. Is this due to the food switch? I’ve been doing it slow. I’m beginning to think the protein content in her food may be too much? Do I need to switch to switch to the acana singles or to the chicken and potato one? Her stool with the eukanuba was a lot larger so that’s why I’m thinking she may need some grains in her diet. Now with acana and orijen, her stool seems to be smaller and she seems to be “constipated” because she squats and strains for longer while doing her business. Help please!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Tyler G.

[Alex Z]

Hey guys,

First, thanks in advance for any help.

My wife and I have been struggling to find a good food for our 3 year old lab. He has always been very sensitive to different foods, but in the past two years his allergies (itchy paws, runny eyes, ear infections, anal glands) really seemed to have gotten worse so we’ve tried several different food trials to attempt to find a food that worked for him.

We’ve already tried the following foods with no luck:
Blue Buffalo Basics Turkey & Potato
Merrick Whitefish
Wellness Core Whitefish
Zignature Duck
Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato

Granted, with a few of these he got significantly worse and we did not finish a full 3-6 month trial, generally quitting after the first bag so I am not opposed to revisiting any food above as we did not know how to properly run a food trial at the time. He is an 85lbs lab, but has maintained a very healthy weight through all of this (he’s very tall).

He has been on the Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato for about 3-4 months now, supplemented with probiotics and pure pumpkin as his stool was VERY loose.

I just had him in for a checkup at our vet, and they recommended trying out Hill’s Prescription Diet d/d Duck & Potato, or Royal Canin’s Veterinary Vegetarian diet. I am a little hesitant to go with either of these diets, cost set aside. Are there any other food’s you would recommend trying first? Or do you guys think one of the prescription diet is needed?

Again, any help is greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

In my experience, anal gland issues don’t have that much to do with the diet. Sure, any foods that will give the dog loose stools will aggravate the situation. It has more to do with their anatomy, more common with small breeds.
The thing I have found that works the best to avoid impactions, is routine expression of the anal glands. Check Youtube for how to videos, and confer with your vet as to how often. He may be willing to demonstrate or have a vet tech show you.

[Gem M]

I’ve seen that site! Sorry to say but vets all have different takes, a lot of their work is trial and error and in my opinion you can never do enough research of the good the bad and the ugly. If the raw feeding movement had enough money to compete against the commercial dog food industry for research and proof I’m sure even this site could argue better, but most research is done in bias.

I’m glad we have knowledge to do what we feel is best for our pets! But I guess people against raw would like me to stick with a dog who has the runs, itchy skin, raw pads, mucky ears and bad anal glands!

[Gem M]

Okay so here is his history

We obtained him at 8 weeks he was skin and bones. The vets told us to prepare for the worse. He didn’t even weigh a pound! He had blood in his stools but was very playful and alert. They said it was parvovirus, I argued that it was worms. After worming him regularly each week he started to grow and the weight came on. Food was an issue he’d go three months the get sore skin and anal glands. Some food he would have very loose stools.

The vets would give us steroids but overall we just kept moving through different kibbles moving to anything grain free. He never had an ounce of fat on him and had an absolute love of life but never got to an ideal weight for a pointer for more than a month. We managed his environmental exposures to help his paws and kept switching foods every 3 – 6 months unless there was an immediate problem.

In January I researched food until I was blue in the face, by this time I was working at a vets myself. I decided on Orijen… The vets disagreed that he needed so much protein and as he was loosing weight I felt despite him looking fab fur wise, anal gland wise and pads I should listen to one particular vet and give him a carb based diet. He gained nothing and I spoke to a nutritionist who said no way is this the right food for him. So I decided enough is enough we are going raw. I spoke with another nutritionist and she explained meats, percentages etc etc. I’m also adding in some sweet potato and butternut squash to his veggies. The plan is lamb as a main base, little fish each day and small amounts of goats yogurt and veg. Egg each day.. Then move to more meat but all of this slowly slowly..

So my boy is pretty much the dream of my vets, he is very active, yet calm, and they think I’m making too much fuss as he is in their minds healthy!! I have spoken to 7 different vets with all different backgrounds and they all say yes he is underweight but he is fine. But I can see every rib, his hip bones, even his back bones. He shivers in the winter. He needs some fat. We’ve gone from walking him 2.5 hours a day off lead to 1 hour every other day off lead. But we can see that what other dogs do in a week he does in an hour. That’s no exaggeration we once did a 26 mile hike and he was STILL running on the 25th mile! He is just a beautiful dog with a lust for life. He is fast playful and great fun. He plays fetch, plays with my other dog, loves his walks and is active around the house for about 8 hours a day… But very obedient.

Anyway last night I gave him some frozen meat in a bowl and he absolutely woofed it down… So I think it’s a texture issue! I’m sure giving frozen is not good but I’d rather that than no food. He ate some frozen lamb, pumpkin, two eggs and two frozen sprats in the end!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Gem M.

[Dori]

D. O. I would find a food for Lily that would harden up her stool a bit more. My three dogs stools are just this side of what one would consider hard and they don’t have anal gland problems. Their stools are not completely ash like but towards that. Don’t go to the extreme that they are constipated, just almost, they need that to be able to empty their anal glands.

[Dori]

Dog Obsessed. I have also read, heard, and been told that anal glands should not be expressed on a regular basis and, in fact, if you take your dogs to groomers the groomers should be told not to express their anal glands. You can find many many articles from learned doctors on the subject. They should also not be removed unless, of course, in cases of tumors or cancer. I’m sure that’s not Lily’s problems or your vet would already be aware of it.

I’ve tried to read thoroughly the posts here on this never and if I missed it I’m sorry for asking but….did you mention anywhere what the consistency is of Lily’s poops? In almost every case that is the reason for anal issues and scooting. Either their poops are not hard enough to push through and squeeze out the scent through the anal glands along with the poop or the scooting is due to a diet intolerance/sensitivity or allergy and their butt is itchy and they scoot to scratch or lick it because it’s itchy or burning in feel to them.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Dori.

[Anonymous]

Most kibble has potato, my dog with environmental allergies and food sensitivities does best on Nutrisca salmon (no potato, no grains) as a base combined with homemade.
Since receiving treatment for her allergies from a specialist, she has gradually been able to tolerate and enjoy cooked chicken, beef, eggs, fish…
I check her anal glands weekly, but there is nothing there!

Hope this helps someone 🙂

[Anonymous]

Quotes from the article that the OP found helpful (link provided by another poster in a previous post) http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/your-pets-anal-glands.aspx

Allergies can Also Irritate Your Pet’s Anal Glands

If your pet is sensitive to ragweeds, grasses, pollens, molds or other allergens in their environment, this can be a problem for their anal glands. All it takes is your pet sitting down outside for those allergens to transfer to the anus and cause overwhelming itching.

So your dog may start to scoot, itch, become red and irritated, and even chew at its rectum, which can create the anal gland problem. So if you’ve got an allergenic pet, addressing the root cause of the allergies is a great way to secondarily address the anal gland problem.

Anal Glands can Also be in the Wrong Spot

Some animals have anal glands that are placed deep and low inside of the rectum. In this case, even though there is healthy stool being passed out of the rectum, there’s not enough pressure to the wayward anal glands to effectively empty their contents during a bowel movement. Very rarely in those situations, those animals have to have anal gland expression performed because they’re not capable of doing it on their own.

[Dog_Obsessed]

That is super interesting losul, thanks! It sounds like I would want to avoid regular expression of the anal glands, if possible.

[losul]

Hi D.O.

I remembered someone posted this Dr. Becker article a while back, might be something helpful.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/your-pets-anal-glands.aspx

[Anonymous]

I am just sharing my experience, having owned dogs for decades, and what has worked for my dogs, under the instruction of a veterinarian.

I imagine many people might be squeamish about expressing canine anal glands, or not know what they are doing. In that case they could cause harm. Therefore they should listen to what their vet advises.
Some folks bring their dog in routinely to be checked by the vet tech.

[theBCnut]

For some dogs, regular expression of the anal glands causes inflammation, which can cause the glands to become impacted due to swelling in the opening to the gland. That’s why it is not recommended to express them if it is not needed. Feeding the dog something to bulk up the stool expresses the anal glands in the most natural and least irritating way, from the inside.

There are more ingredients in THK Love that Lily could be reacting to than just the beef. Hopefully, you can find a LID food that she does well on and start adding ingredients one at a time to figure out what she is reacting to. While I don’t like Hill’s and the like, they are an easy way to start an elimination diet.

[Anonymous]

“it says that regular expression of the anal glands can make problems worse because they will then will fill up faster. Has anyone else heard of this”?

I don’t believe this is true, years ago when I did not know how to routinely express my dogs anal glands, I was at the vets office several times a year for treatment.
Once I learned how to do it myself, I never needed the vets expertise for these issues again. The trick is to catch it before it builds up, just a quick squirt here and there.
Once they are dragging their behind on the floor, you already have an impaction, once it becomes infected the vet has to take care of it and antibiotics may be indicated.

As far as what treatments the dermatologist has to offer, that would depend on his findings after testing and examination.
For example if the dog has environmental allergies and immunotherapy was recommended, this is the most natural way to go, the shots (also available sublingual) are not medication.

My dog is doing so well after 2 years, she may be able to be tapered off….she will see her specialist next week, we only go once a year.

PS: Not all dogs have these anal gland issues, tends to be more common with small breeds….out of about 7 dogs 2 of mine had this problem, but I think I have avoided potential problems by routine expression on vulnerable dogs.
Of course, check with your vet first, the easiest time to do it is when you are giving the dog a bath.

[Pitlove]

Dog Obsessed–

“I find it interesting that in the article that C4D provided, it says that regular expression of the anal glands can make problems worse because they will then will fill up faster. Has anyone else heard of this?”

Yes I have. I worked in a grooming salon where anal gland expression was part of the groom/bath service. My grooming salon manager told me that if you don’t need to express the anal glands because you haven’t seen “scooting” or other symptoms of impacted glands it’s best not to start, because when they defacate they should naturally release the anal glands.

I’ve never done my dogs glands. Haven’t had a problem yet, however he is only a year old. The older dogs that used to come to the grooming salon where the ones where I noticed the most problems with their anal glands. One was so bad that I could feel how hard the sacs were when I went to express them per the owners request that nothing came out. I recommended an internal extraction at the vet’s office.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks everyone for the replies!
I find it interesting that in the article that C4D provided, it says that regular expression of the anal glands can make problems worse because they will then will fill up faster. Has anyone else heard of this?

@Susan Thanks for the info! I unfortunately can’t access the group because I don’t have a Facebook account, but thanks for the information about the pumpkin.

@LM Thanks! What kind of other treatments could a dermatologist provide?

@C4D Great article, thanks! I will look into some of the supplements they mentioned.

As for the elimination diet, here are the foods I’m considering:

•NVI LID Rabbit formula
•Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison*
•PureVita Bison formula

*Yes, I know this is not a high-quality food. I am considering it because it is the only food I can find that uses Venison as the sole animal protein.

Any opinions on these, or suggestions for other foods? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

“Regular expression of the anal glands”.
Very important if you have a dog that is prone to anal gland impaction. It only takes a second, Youtube has excellent “how to” videos, just type in “how to express dog anal glands” in their search engine. Ask your vet how often? I have had dogs that needed to be checked at least once a week, sometimes more often.

This problem is common in some small breeds, has something to do with their anatomy, also obesity and sedentary lifestyle can be factors.

“Managing environmental allergies. (shots or meds.)”
It doesn’t have to be shots or meds, however, a dermatologist can come up with specific treatments, different from the regular vet…. that may help your dog immensely.
I would be leary of any saliva kits or any mail-in test that doesn’t require a physical examination by a veterinarian /forums/topic/nutriscan-results-suggestions/

“Try a prescription diet”.
As far as diet goes. you want to avoid foods that will cause the dog to have loose or too soft stools, increase the chance of getting clogged up in a vulnerable dog.

“The vet mentioned surgery to remove the anal glands as the absolute last resort”.
This has been effective and has helped many dogs….when all else has failed. The dog no longer has to deal with discomfort and chronic infection.

[Susan]

Hi, you just need to find that right diet, join this Face Book group https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/ look in the files there’s so many limited ingredient foods also Salvia & Hair Testing kits “Glacier Peak Holistic” test for 100+ Environment allergies & 200+ food for $85….
I would not remove anal glands, once you work out what foods she is intolerant too & avoid, the bum surfing & ear infections will stop, I was feeding pumkin, I have just stopped, I found the pumkin was making Patch itch & bum surf, I’m feeding Quinoa at the moment + tin salmon spring water + a gluten dairy, sugar free fish kibble …… look in the files there is so much information & a lot of experienced people who have dealt with food sensitivities/intolerances, environment allergies.. Patch is seeing a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan Tuesday & is going on a raw diet + Enzymes + natural meds to help with the gut & nausea, his vet also put Patch back on the Metronidazole/Amoxicillin again for 3 weeks, so I’ve had enough at least the bum scooting has stopped when I stopped the pumkin but the nausea & eating grass hasn’t stopped… also look at DigestaVite Plus 100g Patch will be starting a small dose when it comes. http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/skin-allergies.html

[Dog_Obsessed]

So some of you may remember that Lily was having some anal gland/allergy issues a few months back. (More info here: /forums/topic/anal-glandfood-allergy-issues-tmi-warning/)

Anyway, we decided to put her on Acana Pork and Butternut Squash as her elimination diet. The infection came back a few weeks into the diet, so she was on Metronidazole for another 20 days.

We also got her tested for environmental allergies, and she does have some pollen allergies, (mostly 2/6) so we have been wiping off her paws when she comes inside. She also sometimes eats grass, despite our best intentions to not allow it, so that could be contributing. The vets are still convinced that food allergies are playing a part here though. Once off the Metronidazole, she still seemed to be doing okay, and wasn’t scooting any more.

We decided to introduce beef, (she hasn’t had much beef) so we have been feeding her THK Love for the past 2 weeks. Yesterday morning she started scooting again. She had also had some times of scratching her ear, though it wasn’t really an ongoing thing. Today we took her to the vet, and they said the infection had come back, and that she also had a minor ear infection. They proscribed more Metronidazole, and also drops for her ears. The vet suggested Cultural, a probiotic, and also trying the elimination diet again. She was suggesting prescription diets (this is a different vet from last time,) but I said I didn’t really want to do that except as a last resort. I asked her about an anal gland supplement such as Glandex, and she said she hadn’t heard of it but that we could send her the ingredients. I looked at it and it has beef in it, so maybe not. I’m really not thrilled with all the antibiotics, and I would like to look into other options. At this point our options are:

1. Try the probiotic and see if it helps.
2. Try another novel protein diet.
3. Try an anal gland supplement. (Ideas?)
4. Try a prescription diet.
5. Regular expression of the anal glands.
6. Managing environmental allergies. (shots or meds.)
7. The vet mentioned surgery to remove the anal glands as the absolute last resort.

Ideas anyone? We have also been giving her pumpkin with her food, with seems to help with digestion, but not really with the anal gland issues. Thanks!

[zcRiley]

Sounds like a reoccurring anal gland abscess that can be drained. Do not wait for it to rupture. Various infections cause this.

Usually benign, tumors of the sebaceous and modified sebaceous glands are quite common in dogs. They include nodular hyperplasia, sebaceous adenoma, sebaceous ductal adenoma, sebaceous epithelioma, meibomian adenoma, meibomian ductal adenoma, meibomian epithelioma, hepatoid gland adenoma and hepatoid gland epithelioma.

Malignant sebaceous gland tumors are sebaceous carcinoma, meibomian carcinoma and hepatoid gland carcinoma.

The vet must refer you to someone who can do a proper diagnosis, otherwise, he/she is just guessing at a solution, which is horrifying.

[Jane E]

Could it be that he has a denser coat right now (age/seasonal?) and that he never dries well after a bath…also any really coated breed should be bathed twice and rinsed very well. I think anal glands need to be left alone unless there is a problem and then it is something a vet should do. Damage can be done to the anal glands when they are manipulated unnecessarily (they can be ruptured internally). Does he require a flea and tick shampoo? If not a gentler shampoo might be in order (oatmeal based or the best one I think is Eqyss Micro Tec maximum strength pet shampoo) I’ve used it for years. Also with a heavily coated breed it’s hard to *see* if they are having skin issues unless they loose hair. Is he scratching or chewing on his fur?

[weezerweeks]

My niece has a St. Bernard. She says he smells like a wet mop even after his bath. He has not changed any of his behaviors he does not scratch or drool more and she thinks the groomer suppresses his anal glands. He eats 4 health kibble. Any suggestions on why he stinks and what she can do? She says She bathes him with Adams flea and tick shampoo.Thanks

[Anonymous]

“Fecal incontinence is almost always due to the colon and brain not communicating effectively. The nerves that control the colon are supposed to send a message to the brain when it’s time to go outside. If there’s a problem with the lower back – for example, degenerative myelopathy, peripheral myopathy, arthritis, muscle weakness, atrophy, a spinal tumor, or a condition such as myasthenia gravis – the communication pathway is compromised, and the animal isn’t aware nature is calling”.

“In older pets, the anal sphincter can lose its ability to hold in feces efficiently”.

“Parasites can also contribute to fecal incontinence. If you have a pet that has diarrhea for an extended period of time, there can be damage to the muscles of the rectum, which can lead to the problem as well”.

“Other causes of fecal incontinence can include an abscess or infection of the anal glands, a dietary issue, medications, or a perianal fistula”.

“Owners of pets with fecal incontinence might find accidents around the house. Or the pet could inadvertently pass feces when he uses his abdominal muscles to go from a lying position to a standing position, or when he jumps up on the couch, or in similar situations requiring use of the abdominal muscles”.

“Your dog or cat may also poop while walking without knowing she’s doing it. It can also happen during sleep. Excessive gas and swelling of the abdomen are common in cases of fecal incontinence”.

“It’s important to find the underlying cause of your pet’s fecal incontinence. Your vet will want to do a complete blood profile – including a chemistry profile, CBC, urinalysis, and a fecal analysis – to check for the presence of an infection or parasites. Sometimes, additional diagnostics such as X-rays may be required to check for spinal arthritis or a bone tumor”.

“Both chiropractic and acupuncture – I use electroacupuncture in my practice – can be very helpful in these cases. Aligning the vertebral bodies and stimulating the nerve fibers that communicate between the colon and the brain can help reduce incidences of fecal incontinence”.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/07/urinary-fecal-incontinence.aspx

[Anonymous]

He may have more than one thing going on, may be something simple like anal glands needing to be expressed?
If it was my dog, I would have the local vet take a quick look and go from there.

[Anonymous]

If it is an abscess, blocked anal glands. I would get it taken care of right away.
If it is some type of tumor and it is causing him discomfort? Ask the vet that examined him for more information.

I understand your concerns, in order to treat the dog, the veterinarian has to diagnose the condition first, in order to diagnose they usually have to do lab work, ultrasounds or x-rays…..

But, if it was my dog I would see the vet again, or get another opinion. See what he advises and go from there.

[Sam Koch]

I will (try to) do her anal glands soon. I’ve tried before and nothing came out. Her crate is right across from my bed, she can see me from there.

[Sarah Y]

I should also add that as far as I know, Billy does not have any allergies. He has had full anal glands before and he seems to have done better with the grain free food.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention, make sure her anal glands are not becoming blocked? Sometimes they work on an area near there, in an attempt to relieve the discomfort.

[Nate D]

Here’s an update to my situation. After 2 and a half weeks of my dog being on Science Diet prescription I switched back to regular food, Fromm….only after working with their nutritionist I went with their Whitefish formula over weight management and I mixed in their Salmon/Chicken wet food and added the Solid Gold Berry Balance supplement.
I noticed her ph jumped extremely high after this, so I switched to straight wet food with the same results at 8.5, however I found out I was doing it all wrong. I should be testing first thing in the morning before eating not a couple hours after eating because that can easily spike the ph. I also wasn’t testing enough during the day so I’m going to test more throughout the day. I was testing today and all times so far are at 6.5…where I want to be.
She is having a new urinalysis done this weekend so we’ll see what the vet says then and what the results come back as. I’m trying to find a grain free, potato free, carrageean free, low calorie food, but it’s hard. What’s funny is some say lower protein diets are needed and others like Wyosong say higher protein. I did look into Wysong, but their protein amounts are very high from what I’m seeing and for a Dachshund that’s not always good. Gas, weight gain, overactive anal glands, etc.. I tried Orijen in the past and that didn’t work well at all.
I’m determined to find a good medium though. We’ll see what the vet says this weekend. Won’t be surprised if he says to keep her on SD long term.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Nate D.

[Anonymous]

What kind of fistulas? Are they related to allergies? Blocked anal glands?
My dog with allergies does well on Nutrisca (fish), assuming your dog can have fish, I know it contains no potato or grains. Wysong has a vegetarian blend.
I may start getting my Nutrisca from chewy.com because the prices are better.

I like Wysong and consider it to be a quality food and still feed it to my senior dog. However I noticed my dogs seemed to be drinking more water, so I worried that maybe it’s high in sodium? If that’s a concern I think someone at their company could answer your questions.

PS: Consider consulting a homeopathic vet, they may have some treatment ideas different from the traditional vets http://www.vitalanimal.com Some of them do phone consults, if there isn’t one located near you.

[Anonymous]

Youtube has a whole bunch of “how to” videos, some dogs need this done about once a week, some may need it once a month, some may need it once in a great while…or not at all.

It’s not the food, although you do want to avoid a diet that will tend to give the dog loose stools, it has to do with their anatomy, especially small breeds (but not every dog has these issues). Sedentary lifestyle can contribute too.
Now that he has an infection/abscess, don’t try this. The vet will have to take care of it, it may even need to be lanced. The vet may put your dog on antibiotics for a few days.
Talk to your vet about how often your dog’s anal glands need to be expressed, if you can’t learn to do it yourself, you may have to bring him in, maybe the vet tech can do it or a groomer.
If routine anal expression doesn’t do the trick (it should), your vet may recommend anal gland removal if Blacky has a chronic problem.

PS: I have owned dogs for 30 years, out of about 7 small dogs, 3 needed their anal glands expressed routinely and I was able to avoid surgery. I would take your dog to a vet asap….the condition you describe is very painful, the longer it goes on the more likely he will have to be lanced or be put under anesthesia to open up the pus pocket.
I work in healthcare.

[melissa b]

I have an 8yr old Pomeranian(Blacky) and he is having anal gland problems.Very bad! This time he has an absest and I dont know why this is happening. In the last year he has had about 6 anal gland problems! I dont want him to have surgery and from reading the info on this GREAT website I learned it is from the food. I also have a chiweenie and a chiweenie terrier mix, they have not had any problems. So any suggestions for what food might help my poor Blacky?

[DogFoodie]

Just a thought here… one of my dogs has food intolerance issues and I always know that he’s come into contact with one of his problem ingredients when his anal glands start to smell strong. If your dog has food intolerances to chicken and potato, he may very well have other sensitivities you aren’t aware of that he’s being exposed to in his current diet.

[Nate D]

Here’s a quick update after making some phone calls.
My dog will be going on the Science Diet for 2 weeks. I actually already started. Went and picked it up. After that if there are no crystals I was told I can go back on the dry food, I just need to add water to it……or I can mix wet and dry and add water. I’m told the solid gold supplement is also ok once off of the SD.
So I will still use dry food, but will mix it with wet. I just can’t afford all wet.
I’m also looking at switching the dry food to grain free. The big problem is with Doxies it’s not easy finding a food they won’t gain weight from no matter how little food you give them. Fromm Gold Weight Management has been the only food that keeps both of my dogs stable and where they should be. They do have a new weight management formula, but I don’t believe it’s grain free either. I have tried grain free in the past, but they just kept slowly putting on the weight. Even tried Wellness Core Reduced Fat. I kept lowering the amount I gave them, but anymore they wouldn’t have any. lol
I see Merrick has a grain free low cal dry food as well as canned. I’m also looking at Evo and Fromm for canned food. Natural Balance has a low cal food as well, but doesn’t look as good as the others, but it is more affordable. By Nature looks good as well.
The Evo dry looks good, but the protein is extremely high. I tried that route with Orijen and Acana before but that high just made their stools very soft and they farted all of the time. lol Not to mention my females anal glands were over active on very high protein.
What brands of foods are you all feeding your dogs that had crystals?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay. So this is going to be looong. Sorry in advance. Basically, today we took Lily to the vet because she had been scooting some the last few days. Since her anal glands had been slightly inflamed/discolored before, her vet wanted to actually see her instead of just having the tech do it. In short, they were not pretty. (not that I actually saw them.) The fluid was discolored, which the vet thought might be pus, (hey, I warned you) and there was an area near the anal glands that was inflamed. The vet prescribed a 20 day course of an antibiotic/anti-inflammatory med, and said we should schedule a follow up appointment for when that’s over. I was not thrilled about this, but it might be necessary. I’m planning to give her some yogurt to counter the antibiotic.

The vet said she thought this was a symptom of food allergies. I was afraid that she would prescribe a prescription diet, but luckily she actually knows a thing or two about dog nutrition, and suggested an elimination diet. Basically, she thinks that after she is done with the antibiotics, we should put her on a protein that she has never had before for 6-8 weeks, and then slowly introduce other foods. I pretty much know the drill for this from being on DFA. 🙂 She also suggested home-cooking, but I’m afraid we just don’t really have time for that on a regular basis. I have a bag of Nature’s Logic Venison, and while she has never had Venison in food, she has had it in treats. Is it still okay to use as an elimination protein?

Sooo…Basically I just want to know what you guys think about all of this, and if you have any ideas. I was thinking about giving her a anal gland supplement such as Glandex, but if it is food allergies then I feel like that would be just masking the symptoms rather than solving the problem. Is it still a good idea? Thanks!

Also, an update on Lily’s leg, she is still doing well and not limping much. We’re just crossing our fingers that she stays that way. 😀

[theBCnut]

No, but the constant inflammation/irritation causes the anal glands to over produce, so anal gland issues are common with food hypersensitivities and so are ear issues. You may want to look into changing foods.

[Charlotte P]

My boy Leo woke me up with incessant scratching to his right ear this morning, then kept his head cocked to the side while on our morning walk. I looked inside and was shocked to see so much blood. I took him to the vet and she said it only looked irritated, confirming it was the scratching that caused the bleeding, perhaps an allergy, and gave us some ointment. She was about to send us on our way when she asked if I’d like his anal glands expressed since he’d had an issue before. Sure. The right sac was blocked so she had me leave him for sedation and saline injection to break up the matter. Hours later, I’m told it’s completely blocked with too-thick contents and she wants to slice a new opening and insert a drain as she’s afraid it may further expand and rupture. It’s been a LONG and expensive day. My poor Leo. I realize he will need to have at least that right sac removed in the very near future. My late dog, Jake, had both removed and never had another problem. I asked if the ears and anal glands have a systemic connection, she brightened and said there was in fact a doctor who did a study. I don’t know if this is the doctor who did the study, but it’s the info I was looking for and I’m sure it will help a lot of other people looking for answers.

“Atopy and Anal Sac Disease Are the Same”
http://dogandcatsurgerywellnessclinic.vetsourcecms.com/analglands/

Anal Sac Disease is in the dermatological category:
http://penfieldvet.com/dermatological.php

And then there’s manual trauma:

“Vets and Groomers, Be Aware of Pet Anal Gland Problems”
(Unnecessary Trauma Through Recurrent Expression of the Anal Glands)
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/your-pets-anal-glands.aspx

…Which leads me to wonder if anal gland trauma (clogged “trash-bin”) actually causes atopy.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 12 months ago by Charlotte P.