# Full anal glands



## Lilies (Sep 14, 2011)

So midday at the grooming course and hubby is bathing Ollie, who suddenly wont let anyone near his bum. We finished early on the course and headed up to the vets
So he was very miserable at the vets, they said it was just his anal glands were full and needed expressing, which they did and he screamed - but he came home and tail was still down and all he wanted was cuddles, he was climbing on us for these which is totally out of character. Next morning still the same, back down to the vets who then gave him a painkilling injection but he was pretty miserable all day. Today he has raised his tail from time to time, had a walk, just got very upset when a puppy came near his bum, is still quite cuddly, so is now definitely recovering but slowly, vets have put on his notes if they ever have to empty them again he will need an injection poor boy 

Anyway just wondering if there are any tips on food etc to keep the dog emptying thses glands fine themselves - Ollie is 3 years 9 mths and its not a problem hes had before


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## Dextersmum (Feb 9, 2012)

I'm sorry I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say I hope he gets better really soon. Poor little boy probably doesn't know what's going on. You sound like you're doing the right things and giving him cuddles when he needs them.
Get well soon Ollie! x


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## twored (May 25, 2011)

Lilies said:


> So midday at the grooming course and hubby is bathing Ollie, who suddenly wont let anyone near his bum. We finished early on the course and headed up to the vets
> So he was very miserable at the vets, they said it was just his anal glands were full and needed expressing, which they did and he screamed - but he came home and tail was still down and all he wanted was cuddles, he was climbing on us for these which is totally out of character. Next morning still the same, back down to the vets who then gave him a painkilling injection but he was pretty miserable all day. Today he has raised his tail from time to time, had a walk, just got very upset when a puppy came near his bum, is still quite cuddly, so is now definitely recovering but slowly, vets have put on his notes if they ever have to empty them again he will need an injection poor boy
> 
> Anyway just wondering if there are any tips on food etc to keep the dog emptying thses glands fine themselves - Ollie is 3 years 9 mths and its not a problem hes had before


My Puppy had full anal glands twice (he was rubbing his bum along the ground - scooting) which the Vet "dealt" with quickly. He yelped at the time but had no obvious pain afterwards, just relief. I then read up about it and several suggestions were to switch to more fibrous diet (he was on a rich puppy food). I did then switch over gradually to Burns Chicken and Rice and although he didn't seem to find it so interesting we haven't had the problem again. Might be worth a try. The Burns website gives advice about which food and how much.


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## Bertie Brown (Aug 12, 2011)

Aww poor Ollie, hopefully he'll be back to feeling himself soon. Bertie suffers with his glands and he's now on Burns Pork and Potato and I add a little bran to his morning feed (about half a teaspoon). He's been on Burns for a little while now and so far I have only had to take him to the vets once for his glands to be emptied and that was just after I had switched him over so maybe his body hadn't got used to the new food. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Burns does the trick as Bertie absolutely hates going to the vets and having it done. What do you feed Ollie on?

Clare and Bertie


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Aww poor Ollie, glad he's getting better now. What sort of food is he on at the moment Nikki? I think the Barf diet is meant to be good for this due to the high bone content ... others may be able to give advice on this. Good luck.


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Sorry to hear Ollie has suffered from full anal glands .. 

My cockapoos have not suffered from this, but I have checked them myself, they are feed on Barking Heads dried food along with natural treats ...


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## Lilies (Sep 14, 2011)

Its interesting that we moved him onto james wellbeloved on the advice of thebehavioursit we had but when he was on burns he was fine. I will keep him on what hes on in case its conincedence but if it happens again then will change


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## Bertie Brown (Aug 12, 2011)

Why did the behaviourist suggest you changed foods from Burns?

Clare and Bertie


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

Sorry to sound grose but what colour what the stuff that came out his anal glands and was it thick or thin and watery. 


it might be you yourself will need to empty them more often to stop him having to go through this again. i would sujest any time you give him a bath give them a wee check.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Poor Ollie.

Millie has suffered from a very young age. I did swap her to Natural Instinct (raw diet) at 5 months old, partly to help with her anal gland, parlty because she wasn't enjoying her food.

She still need to have her glands emptying, but not as frequently as before. Funnily enough I did ask Dinah to feel Millie's glands. She said they were full, and although I felt carefully, I couldn't tell what I was feeling, so not sure I will be able to do the job myself.

Signed that the anal gland is getting full is nibbling on the back legs as if they have a bad itch, lots of licking of their twiddly bits, scooting on their bum.

The raw diet is definitely supposed to help with this as well as giving a raw bone. A good idea is to give a raw chicken wing (bash it up a bit first to encourage chewing). The idea is they eat the whole wing, skin, flesh and bone. The bone helps to firm up their poo and it is this firm poo that helps empty the anal gland.

Maybe if the vet keeps an eye on his anal gland ie every 6 weeks, you will know if they need emptying and hopefully this can be done before he gets very sore, painful and uncomfortable.


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## Lilies (Sep 14, 2011)

Kendal i didnt see as they took him behind teh scenes to do it. He was getting a bit hyper on burns.
and Julie he showed no signs of anything in the days before no nibbling, scooting or anything! - btw i think i have your certificate from the grooming course, i you want it i can post - no idea what they did with mine


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## Bodger (Oct 9, 2011)

I was reading about anal glands recently (sad I know). I read that each time they go to the toilet the pressure from poo (sorry to be so graphic) causes the glands to secret a small amount of fluid which is deposited on top of their (you get the idea), hence dogs smelling where other dogs have left a deposit. This in turn gives other dogs lots of information.

If their poos are on the soft side there will not be enough pressure on the gland and they can become impacted. So I assume you need to see if that is the case for your dog and if necessary bulk them up, I presume with fibre.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Most dogs do empty their anal gland naturally without any intervention from us.

Nikki unusual that Ollie showed no signs, poor chap 

Ah, yes they got confused and gave you my certificate. I think you can just bin it as they said they'd send a new one onto me and send you out yours. TBH, I don't need my certificte, I have enough work to do without opening up as a dog groomer too


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

Luna has also suffered from this. We are very lucky as our groomer empties it for us. She sees many cockapoos and said the breed really seems to suffer from it. Not nice at all .


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## alvinsimon (Feb 22, 2012)

*Alvin's Infected Anal Glands*

At the beginning of 2012, Alvin started scooting. His anal glands were infected. 

Blog posts (there are 3 parts): http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-to-do-when-your-dog-is-dragging.html

Vet and groomer recommended a small amount of pumpkin per day to bulk up stools. We also include sweet potatoes with his kibs.


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## maplegum (Mar 10, 2011)

You can also try adding a pinch of psyllium husks to their feed. Works wonders


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