about abby's anal glands

**abbersmom** · 05-11-2006, 09:52 AM

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** · 05-11-2006, 10:00 AM

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** · 05-11-2006, 10:33 AM

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!!

**lv4dogs** · 05-11-2006, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by abbersmom

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

Thanks!!

With every meal.

**abbersmom** · 05-11-2006, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by lv4dogs

With every meal.

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

**Dixieland Dancer** · 05-11-2006, 12:26 PM

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!

**BitsyNaceyDog** · 05-11-2006, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by abbersmom

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.

**abbersmom** · 05-11-2006, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by KBlaix

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