about abby's anal glands

[abbersmom]

We're just gome from the Vet AGAIN!!
He expressed them in October-December-March-May
Usually she ends up on an antibiotic after he does it bacause they get full & infected that quickly! Today he put antibiotic right IN the glands to see if that helps...He's beginning to talk about anal gland removal if we continue at this rate...
Anyone been there-done that?? Any thoughts???
Seems to me I read somewhere that with the removal of anal glands there is a remote possibility of loss of bowel control in some animals...anyone know any stats on that???


Found an article about it
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=510

[lv4dogs]

I went through it with Raustyk for almost 4 years. Since I switched her to Nutro NC & her anal gland problems (and MANY other problems) went away. I don't know what you feed her but you could try another food or add something with fiber, canned pumpkin helps and I think green beans may too.

You can also learn to do this at home. It is a stinky procedure but one that is very very simple! I am sure your vet will be happy to show you how. Rubber gloves, paper towel & something like skunk off is all you will need.

I know it can become annoying but if you empty them at the very first sign they shouldn't become infected and it won't result in any other problems with your dog like a sore, red, irritated bum, etc... Personally I would never even think about removing the anal glands. The procedure is too risky, one itty bitty slip or even if your dogs nerves are placed a little off or even in some dogs just irritating the area can make them have no bowel control for the rest of their lives.

The removal of the anal sacs is a very complicated surgery and not many vets will preform the surgery either. There are many local nerves controlling fecal continence, the fact that any change in the local musculature of the anal sphincter area can affect fecal continence, and the fact that with chronic anal sac problems anatomy is distorted. The surgery is litterally just a centimeter away from the nerves which if accidentally cut your dog will loose control of his bowel movements forever.

I have seen a few dogs have the surgrey and every single on of them had some sort of problems, one lost control of his bowel movements, a few took months of healing, very painful, some needed to be re-sutured.

If surgery is the option you choose to take please make sure you choose a veterinarian with extensive experience with anal sacculectomy to perform it.

[abbersmom]

Thanks for the reply & info
Abby eats Science Diet Canine C/D due to kidney problems

Before that she ate either Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul or California Natural.

She eats baby carrots & some green beans.
I have not tried the pumpkin, but maybe I should do that.

[lv4dogs]

I would keep her on that food, since she has other more importnant medical issues that need to be addressed.

A tablespoon or so should be ok for a dog her size. Basically anything that can produce larger stools, which helps push on the glands as she defecates, which helps naturally empty the glands.

It can also be allergy related. Is it worse at certain times of the year?

How old is she? Did anything change when she first started to have these problems?

[abbersmom]

Abby will be 5 in October...
She had an occassional problem, oh maybe once a year with anal glands til she was about 3 or so...
In all actuallity, the problem is more frequent since she went on the canine c/d....BUT she has not had another problem with kidneys since she started exclusively eating that. After what we went through with that I'd want NO chance of going through that again! It seems to be about every 2-3 months pretty much year round...altho the late March to mid May this time is very soon!

A Tablespoon of pumpkin...how often? I'm going to give that a try

Thanks!! :)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Thanks for the reply & info
Abby eats Science Diet Canine C/D due to kidney problems
Does she eat dry, canned, or a mixture of both?

If she's on canned food that may be the problem. Canned food often causes stools to be softer. The anal glands act as a lubricant for the stools to pass, when the stools are softer the anal glands don't need to work as hard and then often need to be manually expressed. Like lv4dogs said, fiber should help. If her stools are on the softer side the fiber should fix that.

[lv4dogs]

A Tablespoon of pumpkin...how often? I'm going to give that a try

Thanks!! :)
With every meal.

[abbersmom]

Does she eat dry, canned, or a mixture of both?

If she's on canned food that may be the problem. Canned food often causes stools to be softer. The anal glands act as a lubricant for the stools to pass, when the stools are softer the anal glands don't need to work as hard and then often need to be manually expressed. Like lv4dogs said, fiber should help. If her stools are on the softer side the fiber should fix that.


Strictly dry food

[abbersmom]

With every meal.


Thanks...this is going to be my very next step...I'll get some today!

[Dixieland Dancer]

My Dixie has a problem with anal glands filling. She was the first dog I ever had that experienced this problem. I had the vet show me how to express them so I could do it on my own at home. I also found some websites that explained how to do it. With practice, I was able to do it quickly and with little mess. I usually express them each time I bath her (about once a month). It makes her feel better and it saves me visits to the vets!

[lizbud]

[QUOTE=abbersmom]We're just gome from the Vet AGAIN!!
He expressed them in October-December-March-May
Usually she ends up on an antibiotic after he does it bacause they get full & infected that quickly! Today he put antibiotic right IN the glands to see if that helps...He's beginning to talk about anal gland removal if we continue at this rate...
Anyone been there-done that?? Any thoughts???
Seems to me I read somewhere that with the removal of anal glands there is a remote possibility of loss of bowel control in some animals...anyone know any stats on that???


The Vet I had with Buddy recommended the surgery for most dogs. He
presented it as an option at the time of spay/neuter surgery.It never
caused any problems. As mentioned in the article in your link, there are
rare cases of problems. I don't think a reputable Vet would attempt this
surgery if they had any reservations about the outcome.

I'd ask your Vet about stats on this surgery. He/she should be glad to
satisfy any doubts you might still have.

[lv4dogs]

The Vet I had with Buddy recommended the surgery for most dogs. He
presented it as an option at the time of spay/neuter surgery.It never
caused any problems. As mentioned in the article in your link, there are
rare cases of problems. I don't think a reputable Vet would attempt this
surgery if they had any reservations about the outcome.

I'd ask your Vet about stats on this surgery. He/she should be glad to
satisfy any doubts you might still have.[/QUOTE]


Wowzers, with all the years experience I have with vets and animals alike I have never heard of a vet offering it as an option at time of spay/neuter. In fact most vets don't even reccomend it until the dog has had a problem for at least 2-4+ years & has tried every other option available. I was already shocked by the fact that abbersmom's vet had already mentioned it but then when I read your post I just about keeled over. lol

Just be careful & do your research please. I've seen some messy results from that surgery, I'd hate for anyone else to experience such a thing.

[lizbud]

Wowzers, with all the years experience I have with vets and animals alike I have never heard of a vet offering it as an option at time of spay/neuter. In fact most vets don't even reccomend it until the dog has had a problem for at least 2-4+ years & has tried every other option available. I was already shocked by the fact that abbersmom's vet had already mentioned it but then when I read your post I just about keeled over. lol



Well you learn something new everyday don't you. :D This Vet lived & worked in Indianapolis. My daughter also used this Vet for her two dogs.
He had a very good practice for 30 years before retiring & selling the
practice to another younger Vet.I hated to see him retire.

[abbersmom]

We started her on the pumpkin...she thinks it's the greatest treat she has ever had! :D

[sanford8916]

How much canned pumpkin do you give to a 45 lb dog to help with the anal glands?

[Catlady711]

At our hospital we usually try other alternatives (ie. teaching owner to express glands themselves, medication, or diet) before we'd even suggest such a surgery. However when the glands become impacted or cronically infected, despite other alternatives, then we do recommend surgery to our clients.

In the 6 years I've been there, I've only seen about 6 anal gland removal surgeries, so no it's not the vets specality, however in the ones that's been done we've had only 1 that chewed and we had to re-suture (owner would not keep the e-collar on, and did not call us saying she had a problem until the area was badly infected a WEEK later), and one that a year later had the other gland impacted and we had to go back in to remove that one (dog has been problem free since then), the other dogs had no complications and have had no problems since.

My recommendation would be, that if you are hesitant, seek a second opinion. A good vet should not have a problem with you wanting to seek reassurance (as the pet's bets interests should be first) or a possible alternative treatment that he/she may not know about. Vets do attend seminars and such to keep on top of the latest treatments available in the field, however he/she could not possibly go to every seminar and keep up with the vast amount of information out there.

Good luck