sorry... me and anal glands again

[trinared]

HI all,
I Just end up more confused the more I research.

Marley has deep set anal glands that need emptying by the vet every four weeks which she says is too often and he needs more fibre in his diet. He is a fussy eater but does like wainwrights wet and has one tray a day in two halves. THis has 3.4percent fibre which is high for a wet food. NATures diet is 1 percent fibre yet the reviews I have read do seem to recommend ND for anal problems.

I am now giving him a weetabix a day too. TRIed chicken wings but they gave him the runs.
He wasn't keen on ND last year but willing to try anything.

ANy advice appreciated. I don't want to overdose him on fibre either as vet says this can stop absorption of nutrients. SOrry for long post.

Confused

[JeanG]

Hi, that's not a long post, I've done much longer than that

Well, I'm no expert and I'm certainly not a vet but Naturediet has sorted out Bella's anal glands. We have a PDSA vet in our training class and she told me off a couple of weeks ago for messing around with Bella's food. I was having the same problem, 4 weekly trips to the vet @ £30 a go Chris (the PDSA vet) said anl gland problems develop when the poo is not firm enough to clear out the glands. I switched to naturediet with burns hypoallergenic mixer a couple of weeks ago, we also add a small handful of allbran in the morning (just a bit - it's strong stuff!) and since a few days after the switch we have had lovely firm poos which are much easier to pick up than the disgusting slop we used to get!

Nothing causes so much discussion as food so I can only say that this worked for us. Good luck!

[poodledoodleted]

The problem with the chicken bones would probably be that he needs to get used to them - with any change of food it is likely that poos will be softer etc so you could give them another go. However, I don't feed raw so I don't know how they would help re: anal glands.

It is my understanding that a dog needs a diet high in fibre and animal protein in order to express the anal glands effectively. Therefore a food like orijen which is animal protein and veg would be ideal - as it gives firm poos.

Naturesdiet is probably a good idea as again it is high in animal proteins from meat but also has veg in. I think although can't tell from the website that Wainwrights doesn't have any veg in. (Just meat, rice and some added bits) So if you want to stick to feeding wainwrights and you have the time could you just add in some cooked veg at each meal mixing it in with the wainwrights? Carrots, peas that sort of thing. Dog find it hard to digest vegetable matter so I think it does need to be cooked or pulsed. Even if Wainwrights does have Veg in (and P@H just dont want to tell me on their website ) you could just add more veg as a source of fibre.

I also don't think I would give him weetabix as I think they can lead to softer poos which wouldn't express the glands effectively - however, maybe keep doing it for a least a week or two longer as it may have an affect - every dog being different and all! I think veg is more dog friendly - so that could be something you try next if this doesn't work.

Its so hard to know what to do when they have a problem which isn't easily sorted. I hope you find something that suits Marley soon.

[whirlwindmum]

Nothing causes so much discussion as food so I can only say that this worked for us. Good luck!

We never got to the stage of having Alfies anal glands emptying, but nearly he was dragging him bum around trying to do it himself they were not infected and my vet wasn't keen on emptying them as he believed once you start then it can turn into a regular job.
As a quick fix we added raw egg white to get his poo firm, it worked and he emptied them himself but egg white alone CANNOT be used long daily as...."Raw eggs also contain a chemical that interferes with the absorption and use of the B vitamin biotin. Biotin deficiency will affect a dog’s skin and coat health."

It really is a minefield, and each dog is different in what they can and cant eat. Alfie started to suffer with colitis and the only food that sorted him out was Orijen now fed with cooked veg.
Must admit i get confused with the weetabix cause with humans they have the opposite effect they tend to get things moving regular

[Gem]

We were having a slight problem with Zooey's poos. She does two a day, the first one is fine, then second one - impossible to pick up. Our vet suggested adding more fibre to her diet, just a bit to help. With Zooey's allergy diet the vet decided the best option was to add a teaspoon of these bright orange bits to her food - I will look up the name of the product if you like. It saves us having to change her food and we simply stir in a teaspoon of it with each meal and it has worked perfectly!

[AnnetteP]

Piran also has a problem with deep set glands. He doesn't drag his bum, but just keeps nibbling at it causing him discomfort and very bad saliva staining. His poos are not sloppy. He is on Royal Canin GI25 as he had a lot of IBS type symptoms. Since he went onto this food his poos have been quite firm.

The first suggestion from the vet was a tablespoon of bran in each of his feeds. This helped a bit. Now he has a product called Pro-Fibre in with his food. It also contains pro- and pre-biotics with the fibre. His poos are now much bulkier and the problem has almost disappeared (though the staining hasn't). The Pro-Fibre isn't cheap, but the vet has opened a condition called anal gland problems with our insurers (Pet Plan) so that the treatment and medication is covered.

[GUNNER]

If your dog will eat raw carrots then try that, it works on my Bichon and she doesn't need the occasional anal emptying anymore. Also try giving your dog a marrow bone, it may also help to harden the poo which of course will aid emptying as well.

[janettehamman]

We have just returned from one of our many vet trips with Daisy to have her glands emptied and the vet gave my OH a lesson on how to empty the deep set glands. Not sure if we will manage it. Just wanted to say Daisy was a sick puppy with (Giardia) a very bad bacterial infection causing dreadful diarrohea but is now fine but does have these blocked glands still. We aren't sure if that has anything to do with it but her poos are firm, no diarrohea now, she eats carrots although not bran (we may try that) so I am not sure what to make of all this only to say it's quite expensive and obviously not pleasant when they are full

Any more advice glady welcomed

[trinared]

Thank you as always good ideas and advice. Lots to think about. I have also emailed my vet tonight to get more advice and will let you know what they recommend.
I tried to empty the glands myself with vet guidance but they are too deep. Marley had compylobacter as a pup and vet believes some scar tissue from the infection may be contributing to the problem as he also usually has ok poo.
He is so good at the vets, but it is a worry and an expense.