[Bentley]

My daughters GS pup weighs 93 pounds, full of energy, shiny coat, firm poops…but a couple weeks ago when I was babysitting him I notice a nasty smell, checked his hinney and it was blood tinged black discharge. A trip to the vet where they expressed his glands and put medicine in them, then again 3 days later….and again today there was dark blood in one sac. They say this is unusual for large dogs. I can’t figure it out, he has been on Nutrisource puppy which has chicken in it, thinking he is allergic to chicken I am slowly switching him to Annamet option now and giving him pumkin and digestive enzymes with probitics. His brother who is the same age does not have this problem. Does anyone have some tips or insite on how to help this poor guy out on my end? These GS’s are farm dogs so they eat everything! Thanks!

[theBCnut]

Anal gland problems are a common sign of food intolerances. You may have to make sure you are feeding different carb sources too. My dog who is intolerant of chicken is also intolerant of many different grains and tomato.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, my Cavalier that has allergies has anal gland issues as one of her symptoms. She can’t have poultry, at least chicken, but just to be safe I’m staying away from all poultry. I am using grain free, poultry free dry and canned foods. I also make sure any supplements or treats don’t contain offending ingredients. Since I’ve done this her symptoms are gone.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Bentley]

Patty and Mom, thanks so much for your advise and personal experiences. This pup had a hot spot a couple month ago as well, so something is definitely working against him. Now to find the problem. I have a couple of unopened bags of nutrisource grain free/chicken free, which my daughter could afford, but afraid to use them because of the high calcium levels.

[theBCnut]

How old is he? If he is older than around 10 months then calcium shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Around 8 months, they are supposed to gain the ability to regulate calcium uptake, so that they don’t absorb all the calcium they eat. I give them until 10 months out of an abundance of caution, for those slow to mature.

[Bentley]

Patty he is 10 months and around 95 pounds. And upon further investigation, the nutrisource seafood select grain free that I have on hand has….” chicken fat , natural turkey and chicken flavor”, as a 8th/9th ingredient. This is going to be harder than I thought. So my search goes on.

[RescueDaneMom]

You could try Victor GF Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato. It is grain-free, gluten-free, and poultry-free. It’s also on the affordable side. On Amazon it’s $58.95 for a 30lb bag. It sounds like it would be similar to the Nutrisource Seafood Select minus the poultry ingredients.

[theBCnut]

Earthborn also has some great foods at a good price. He’s old enough that you shouldn’t need to worry about calcium levels anymore, but still keep him thin so he matures slowly.

[Mom2Cavs]

I know about the Nutrisource….I so wanted to try it, but it seems like most contain some kind of poultry ingredient, drat it all. Keep us updated on what you choose, I’m def. interested.

[Bentley]

Thanks so much for all your advise and suggestions, very much appreciated!

[Bentley]

I did notice that nutrisource has a pure vita line, salmon grain free, 24 % protein, seems low for Grain free? This would be ideal for us to purchase locally. But wow, they sure have alot of peas and I notice the tomato pomace. We grow peas and during transport to storage peas end up on the ground, and these two GS pups are like vaccum cleaners, if they are missing I know they are down by the grain bins. I hope peas are not the culprit behind his problems.

[theBCnut]

24% is VERY low protein.

[Jackie B]

GSDs can also get anal tumors. It is unfortunately pretty common in the breed. If the food suggestions don’t work, I’d get a second opinion.

[Bentley]

Jackie, we have had GSDs for years and I was never aware of this… thank you for bringing that to my attention. Appt on Monday again, I will question my vet about this possibility.

[InkedMarie]

Is GS for Giant Schnauzer?

[theBCnut]

My first thought was German Shorthair, til I heard the size.

[Bentley]

I am sorry, I was to lazy to type German Shepherd. Vet sedated Cruz today and flushed his glands, and I am switching him to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain-Free as soon as UPS delivers. Using pumpkin and NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics in the meantime. I hope I am on the right path. Fingers crossed that I can pull him out of this and problem will go away. He never acted sick or scooted his bottom, just the smell is how I discovered something not right. Now to keep him away from the horse poop while he is here! Good grief.

[theBCnut]

My usually mantra is “Children are such a joy, children are such a joy, children are such a joy.” It readily changes to “Pets” if that is what is needed. I hope that takes care of everything for the poor boy!!

[Cyndi]

LOL! Patty, I’ll have to remember that saying next time I’m at Walmart or the grocery store and there’s a screaming kid there that I can hear from the time I walk in til the time I leave. I HATE that! The older I’ve gotten, the more I hate kids. Yeah, they’re cute and all, but holy crap they are little demons, lol!

[InkedMarie]

Patty: I always thought gsd= German shepherd dog, Gsp=German short haired pointer and GS=giant schnauzer.

[theBCnut]

That would be correct, but not commonly known. Every breed has a standard abreviation, but most people don’t know what they are.

[Bentley]

Love this forum, so nice to have others opinions and views. Here is my update: Anal infection on 10 month old GSD is thus far gone, watching him closely and transition is underway to Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast Grain-Free. What would be the approx calorie intake I should be shooting for? He is about 95 pounds. I am giving him around 2400 calories a day. He is not fat, I can feel his ribs but not “see” them. I guess I am more concerned about his nutritional needs cause of his age. Am I on the right track? I feel like I should be giving him more.

[RescueDaneMom]

Bentley-

So glad your pup is doing better! In my opinion, it sounds like he is at the perfect weight. You want him to be on the lean side. Especially with his breed being prone to joint problems, it is better to keep him lean so he never has excess weight on his joints. As long as he is in good body condition, which it sounds like he is, then his nutritional needs are being met just fine. If he was so skinny that his ribs were showing and he looked malnourished, then I would worry.

I have a 7.5 year old Great Dane that was recently diagnosed with arthritis. I made a switch to Honest Kitchen (dehydrated food) and raw. He has lost a significant amount of weight (somewhere between 8-10 lbs) and I can just barely see the outline of his ribs. My vet told me that he was perfect and having the excess weight off would help his joints.

I think the worst thing you can do for large dogs is let them get overweight, even if it’s a little bit. Though, to me, it sounds like your boy is perfect. I would keep doing what you’re doing. I hope his problem stays cleared up. 🙂

[Bentley]

RDMom,

Thanks for the good advise, I was thinking the same thing, but with him being under a year old I was double guessing myself. They act like they are starving all the time! And those pleading eyes with the drooling mouth begging for more food. lol

I am sorry to hear about your Great Dane’s diagnoses, he is a handsome fellow! The Great Dane seem so majestic and proud. 🙂 Good luck with him.

[Kathleen E]

Hello,
I just have a small contribution. I was/am feeding my German Shorthaired Pointer mix a raw diet. I want to change her to a manufactured diet and I have looked at many ingredients.
I found one called Canidae Grain Free Pure Ancestral Freeze dried raw coated Fish Formula. It is almost all fish. My dog loves loves it. Not a typeo.
It is less expensive than feeding her the raw diet and for me easier.

I was thinking this might be something to look into??

[Author]

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