HELP - Anal Glands

[CoopersMummy]

Hi all.

I know this is a bit of a yucky topic !! Unfortunately my little 1.5 yr old American Cocker Spaniel needs to have his anal glands expressed almost every 3 months by the Vet. It has been like that since he was a little puppy.

I can tell when they are full and start to bother him, because of his scooting and licking. Not to mention that awful odour !

We feed dry (Evo) daily, and mix it with meat, vegies etc, so I don't think it is because of his diet ?? We are very particular about what we feed him.

What else causes this ?? The vet told us that some dogs are just more prone to haveing problems with their anal glands than others. Is this true ??

The other thing our vet mentioned was to remove them altogether if they were having to be expressed so often.

I am so confused ?? I just want the best for my little baby and don't want to put him through anything unnecessarily. HELP !!! Can anyone give me some advice ??

[MaryAnn]

They do not have to be full to express. They should be expressed on a regular basis. Your groomer should do it every time your dog goes in for a grooming. Or a tech at your Vet clinic can do it for a nominal fee. Nonetheless....anal glands need regular expressing..no matter what.

[jude09]

I suggest that you click on the link below to view some posts regarding anal glands;

When Grooming does the anal glands have to be squeezed?

[CoopersMummy]

Thank you MaryAnn and jude09. I did also read the posts from your suggested link. We take Cooper to the vet, as our groomer does not do it.

I guess one thing I am still wanting to know more about is removing them altogether, which is what the Vet has suggested. What are your thoughts or experience in this matter ?? Has anyone had to go through this with their dog ??

[MaryAnn]

I have never heard a vet talk about removing the Anal Glands altogether. My dog gets her anal glands expressed every month...no matter what. I have spoken with my dog's professional groomer (who is well known in the show arena (AKC, Westminister, etc...) and she told me that she expresses her dogs' anal glands every week when she bathes them.

Check the ingredients list of your dog food package for any fillers or meat by-products, corn, sugar, etc... All of which is not good for our four-legged family members.

[jude09]

I agree with MaryAnn, I've never heard of removing a dog's anal gland all together.

I don't think this is really necessary though.

[DRG0933]

I have a 10 year old cocker who has had this problem for years. Our vet suggested that I put a teaspoon full of Metamusil on her food, and it has done wonders. It has not been a cure but is the next best thing to it. I use orange flavor and Lilu never bulks at it, just eats her food with gusto. It won't hurt to try it or at least ask your vet.

DAVE

[Tonya]

I work at a Veterinary Hospital and we have removed the anal glands from a couple of dogs. These dogs suffered from constant infections of their anal glands and it was the best thing to do. We often recommend feeding some canned pumpkin to add some additional fiber to dogs diets. This seems to help with some of them. The Metamusil is a great idea too. Anything that adds fiber to the diet. Good luck and don't worry about having them expressed every time she is groomed. You can even learn to do it yourself!!

[jude09]

Thanks for the info Tonya. This is actually the first time I've heard about it. So, anal glands are quite similar to the human's

tonsils. If they get infected too much they can be removed. Can you give us more information about this Tonya? I'm sure a lot

of dog owners would like to know more about this.

[CoopersMummy]

Thank you so much everyone. Your advice has been great. We will not be removing Cooper's anal glands ! We had a good chat to our vet. The glands are by no means infected or in a bad way at all, which is a huge relief to me.

We will just make sure they are regularly expressed.

Thanks so much again.