Beagle Anal Glands

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health Beagle Anal Glands

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  • #150166 Report Abuse
    Sarah Y
    Member

    I have a beagle that I rescued a year ago. He was in really poor shape and since being with us his coat and body look great. He is soft and shiny :-). However, we are having problems with his anal glands being full. He does not scoot, but he has leaked and even when having him checked by the vet, they always say his glands are full, especially on the left side. (I mention that because the last two times they tell me, “his glands are full on the left and not the right”)

    It seemed his poops have been formed, but not solid. I assume this is why he doesn’t express his glands well?

    We talked to the vet about trying a higher fiber diet and if that doesn’t work, trying limited ingredient diets. He has been on the original wellness core since being with us. I tried switching him a couple of weeks ago to the Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Healthy weight food and we are having the same issues. In fact, perhaps not quite as formed as he was on the CORE. We gradually changed him over to NV over a week and he’s been on the full NV diet for about 8 days now.

    We also tried him on Glandex the fiber supplement for about 4 months and there really wasn’t any change. We are sort of wondering if it’s ingredient related.

    I’m thinking maybe trying another high fiber, different protein diet to see if that helps and I wondered if there were some suggestions. I will admit, I’m afraid of TOTW, Earthborn, and some of the other foods on the DCM food list. NV is on the list, but I didn’t realize it until I bought it. I know nothing is proven, but Acana, TOTW, Earthborn are pretty high on that list too. I wouldn’t mind trying another wellness food since it’s not on the list if one is recommended for anal gland problems.

    Any suggestions for another protein that may work for anal gland problems that’s higher in fiber? Or should we go straight to limited ingredients?

    Thanks in advance!

    Edited to add: it seems Wellness Core Lamb and Wellness Core Wild Game (6% fiber), Wellness core ocean (7% fiber). Are any of these better for digestion? for anal glands?

    • This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Sarah Y. Reason: added wellness core foods
    • This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Sarah Y.
    #150183 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    “Most dogs never have problems with their anal glands, but some unlucky dogs have to have their anal glands emptied several times a year. In these cases, your veterinarian may recommend removing your dog’s anal glands. This is a simple procedure that will prevent future problems with these glands”.

    https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/anal-sac-disease-dogs

    f your dog repeatedly has impactions, you vet may suggest adding more fiber to his diet. This increases the size of his poop, which puts more pressure on the sacs to empty naturally.
    If your dog doesn’t have a problem, there is no need for you to empty his sacs.
    Left untreated, the impaction will turn into an infection. Look for yellow or bloody pus oozing from his sacs. This painful condition can cause your dog to act fearful or angry. Your vet will wash out the sacs and give your dog antibiotics.

    An untreated infection will develop into an abscess (a swollen, tender mass of puss) and could break open. Your vet will open and drain the abscess and usually prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Daily warm compresses can help, too.
    If your dog keeps having problems, your vet may want to remove his anal sacs with surgery. It’s a simple procedure, but can result in complications like fecal incontinence (when his poop leaks uncontrollably).
    Prevention
    Put your dog on a healthy diet and make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Small, obese dogs are at the highest risk of anal sac disease. Also, if you dog has problems with his anal sacs, have your vet check them at every checkup.

    #150184 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    It may not be all about the diet

    https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/digestive-disorders-of-dogs/disorders-of-the-rectum-and-anus-in-dogs

    Your veterinarian can often squeeze out impacted anal sacs by hand. If the material in the sacs is too hard or dry, the veterinarian may inject a softening agent into the sac. If infection is present, antibiotics might be prescribed. Your veterinarian might recommend applying hot compresses if an abscess (infection) is present. Supplemental fiber may be recommended to increase fecal bulk, which facilitates anal sac compression and emptying. If treatment is ineffective, the condition keeps coming back, or a tumor is present, the anal sac can be surgically removed. A common complication from this surgery is fecal incontinence.

    Anal sacs may become clogged (impacted), infected, abscessed, or cancerous. There are several common causes of clogged anal sacs, including failure of the sacs to be squeezed out during defecation, poor muscle tone in obese dogs, and excessive secretion of the gland. When the clogged gland contents are not periodically squeezed out, this can make the glands susceptible to bacterial overgrowth, infection, and inflammation.

    #150188 Report Abuse
    Therese M
    Member

    My rescue dog had that issue when I first got her. Per a friend of mine who works at a vet office, I took chicken out of her diet. Apples and pumpkin have helped. Be careful on the pumpkin. Too much pumpkin can be constipating but couple tablespoons every other day is good. I now give her ProPlan High Protein Dry Dog Food, Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice Formula. It has been a while since I have had the anal leakage or had to have her glands expressed and her poop is better formed.

    #150201 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Adding a freeze dried raw food mixer (one with ground bone) might help the poop to get solid (more pieces than you would get in a Raw Boost recipe). NV freeze dried bites, Primal nuggets, Stella & Chewy’s, K9 Natural, Vital Essentials, etc. I feed everything and raw with bone always makes the poop firm. A large bag of K9 Natural has lasted 8 weeks or more just using it as a mixer.

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