# Anal glands



## redlandsbluenose (Jan 18, 2016)

Hi All

Our girl Cockapoo, Tilly, is nearly 6 months. We've had her a couple of months now and generally all is good (thanks to help on this forum). 

However, a few weeks ago we noticed a fishy smell coming from her backside. With the help of Google I was able to determine the cause of the problem to be blocked anal glands. We took her to the groomer at a local independent pet shop who within seconds had cleared her anal glands. They said the cause might be diet or it might just be something she’ll always get. We feed her on (what we’re told is) high quality wet food (Wainwright’s (not sure if this is UK only food)). The pet shop owner suggested the problem might be that she’s not getting enough fibre in her diet and proposed we added some bran into her feed. 

Her poops have always been generally quite solid, but quite pale in colour and there’s never a lot (or not as much as I might expect). Since her glands were emptied a few weeks ago we've added one tablespoon of bran to her morning feed. 

We didn't notice much change in her poops and their frequency but the fishy smell didn't come back…until Friday. This smell is not only unpleasant to us and the kids, it can also get on the furniture, so we were keen to see to it as soon as possible. We had read it can be done by brave owners themselves, so with You Tube providing the instructions, we donned the synthetic gloves and did the deed between us. The glands emptied and the fishy odour was eliminated, and, thankfully, Tilly wasn't bothered in the least by us doing this!

From Saturday morning, we increased the bran to one tablespoon in each of her three feeds. Sunday she did more poops than usual and this morning we came downstairs to find one in her crate with her. She’s been in her crate for nearly a week with no accidents at all, so assume this was caused by the increased bran and her simply having to go. What we plan to do is reduce the bran to two of the three feeds (not including any in her late feed) and monitor how it goes. 

My question though is more general about people’s experiences of anal glands not emptying when your dog goes for a poop and them needing to be manually emptied by human hands! Is the likely cause diet and, if so, should we try changing her to dry food (if so, what sort?) and should she avoid anything in particular? Could it be something that Tilly will have her whole life potentially? Is it a cause for concern and should she we take her to the vet? Before screaming at me for not taking her already, the advice has been not to…yet.

Thanks in advance


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Oh, that metallic, fishy smell... yuck!

Miss Lilly had a few problems with her anal glands when she was younger but thankfully, that seems to have resolved.

We started out on dry food and now feed raw, with added Kefir (probiotic) and blitzed veggies to bulk things up a bit. Since being on raw, the problem has pretty much (pardon the pun) eliminated itself. As have gunky ears and itchiness...

Small dogs often suffer more with anal gland nonsense than the larger breeds and poos need to be pretty solid in order to massage the glands enough for them to empty themselves. Because Lills is on raw, I can regulate this pretty easily by giving more or less bone in her diet. We don't feed bran or any other grain derivates as dogs can't digest cereals and, I believe, these put more strain on their digestive systems as well as potentially causing a whole load of other problems. Dogs lack an enzyme (amylase) that we have in our mouths and that kicks off the digestive process for carbohydrates. We humans also have a much longer digestive tract than dogs so have more ability to digest grain based foods than they do.

My suggestion would be to research whether raw might be the way to go for you - if not, then trying your pup on a grain fee kibble or wet food and potentially adding the odd chicken wing or other soft bone might be the way forward.

I've heard it said (but it could just be a myth) that manually emptying anal glands tends to worsen the problem. 

Hope this helps


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Our old dog Max would do the characteristic bum scoot from time to time and I learned to express them myself. It is not that big a deal. If it had happened more than it did (maybe once or twice every year or so over her life) or if it had had a bad odour I might have tried changing her food or consulting the vet. I'd never heard about the bran, I guess the theory is that bulking up the stools empties the glands naturally?


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## redlandsbluenose (Jan 18, 2016)

Miss Lilly said:


> We started out on dry food and now feed raw


Thank you.

Excuse my ignorance but when you say 'raw' what do you mean exactly and where can you buy it? I've read how raw meaty bones are good. Is this what you mean? Taking the meat of these bones and feeding your dog that at meal time? Or simply raw meat from a butcher or supermarket? I have also seen pet mince mentioned which is good because it contains ground bones apparently.


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## redlandsbluenose (Jan 18, 2016)

Miss Lilly said:


> adding the odd chicken wing or other soft bone might be the way forward.


When you say chicken wing, do you mean give Tilly a whole chicken wing to much on? I just thought that with the bone being smaller it would be potentially dangerous, getting stuck in her throat etc?


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## Boo Cable (Mar 24, 2015)

Our 8 month old puppy, Beemo, has had to have hers emptied 4 times already, once they were impacted and infected and she had to have antibiotics. Our 6 year old dog, Boo, has never had to have hers done (yet!). Boo's stools are very firm and Beemo's aren't so they are not being expelled naturally.
The vet has suggested we put granuals called "Pro Fibre" on her food to bulk out her stools. She has only been on this for a week so I can't recommend but her poo is definitely bigger!  You can buy it online without prescription if you want to give it a go.
Have heard loads of good things about feeding a raw diet but I really don't have the freezer space and not being a big meat eater myself I'm not sure I could cope with it!
Let's hope this is something our pups grow out of!
PS. I don't know how your vet works but we just make an appointment with the nurse for this - much cheaper!!


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Yes, raw means raw meat but its actually more than that. Dogs need meat, bone and offal in specific percentages in order to have a diet that fully meets their needs. Lots of people D.I.Y after doing their own research but there are also a few companies that sell so called 'completes'. Nutriment, Natural Instinct, Honey's and Paleo Ridge are the ones that spring to mind but I am sure there are others too. There is also a website called 'All about dog food' that will give you lots of information about dog food and ingredients.

Re the chicken wing... the bones in a chicken wing are very soft (almost more like cartilage) so they don't splinter like some bigger bones do. Miss Lilly gets a whole range of different raw (never cooked) bones (drumsticks, ribs... anything really as long as it non-weight bearing (i.e. leg etc.)). If you're giving one for the first time, you might want to hold onto it whilst your pup sniffs, licks and hopefully eventually chews. Some dogs are bigger gulpers than others - Miss Lilly chews rather than gulps thankfully - so until you know how you're pup is going to behave its as well to be safe.

Apart from anal glands, the added benefit of giving raw bones is that it helps to keep teeth clean.

Again, I hope this helps!


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Miss Lilly said:


> Re the chicken wing... the bones in a chicken wing are very soft (almost more like cartilage) so they don't splinter like some bigger bones do. Miss Lilly gets a whole range of different raw (never cooked) bones (*drumsticks*, ribs... anything really as long as it non-weight bearing (i.e. leg etc.)). If you're giving one for the first time, you might want to hold onto it whilst your pup sniffs, licks and hopefully eventually chews. Some dogs are bigger gulpers than others - Miss Lilly chews rather than gulps thankfully - so until you know how you're pup is going to behave its as well to be safe.
> 
> Apart from anal glands, the added benefit of giving raw bones is that it helps to keep teeth clean.
> 
> Again, I hope this helps!


Just to be pedantic - aren't drumsticks part of the leg and therefore weight bearing? I give mine, neck, wings and carcass - but not thighs or drumsticks... they also love a beef rib 
I feed them frozen wings because otherwise they tend to gulp them. More bone does definitely = harder poos


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

He-he! You're absolutely right Marzi: they are weight bearing... I was just thinking in different dimensions (beef, pork, goat, venison etc.). Drumsticks seem to be fine for Lills... but maybe best to stick to the non-weight bearing rule if you are unsure.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Lady will always need to have her glands done, even with solid poos. 
I have learned to do it myself for her, to save the trip to the groomer. it does get less and less gross....it is STILL gross no matter what. but it is quick and over. and air freshener into the air!


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