Anal Sacs

montzarella

yes...anal sacs.....

one of my doggies (he's four) has been licking his bum and been at it a bit for the last couple of weeks. His bum also smells. Not pleasant. My groomer (who is also a vet nurse) said he needs more fibre, he did his glands about 2 weeks ago and they were bad.

But he is still at his bum and they still seem to be bothering him since the sacs were done.

Question 1 - whats the best food or supplement I can give him to get more fibre in to him? He's on a food called Fuss Pots, he gets the one for dicky tummies. He would be prone to being a bit constipated at times and can be a bit fussy over food.

Question 2 - i will need to vet him for an opinion as i have only internet diagnosed myself so far and spoke to the vet nurse, but from what i read, i need to do his sacs weekly, then he will need an antibiotic. but i read that if this is a recurrent problem for him it might be best to have the sacs surgically removed.

Just wondering if anyone has done this and what are the implications for the dog? He has had this sac problem before so it wont surprise me if this is suggested. I think the sacs give him his odour for other dogs to smell, he marks his place with the scent? Will he feel like less of a man dog without this, if you know what i mean? Or would he notice at all if they were removed?

Any info or advise from anyone whos dog has been through this would be appreciated.

ISDW

I find that a raw chicken wing once a week works wonders on keeping their anal glands clear. Has to be raw, do not cook it, but they are brilliant, never have to take any of my dogs to the vet to be done.

borderlinemeath

Yep, apparantly bones are great for keeping them clear. I feed bones but I've never had a problem so can't say for sure, but that's what I've heard.

Slightly off topic. A&PI must be one of the few forums where you can get away with having a thread called Anal Sacs:P

DBB

+1 on the raw bones, but do take care that your dog chews them rather than inhales them. Maybe I'm overthinking this but I prefer to hold one end ofthe bone for inexperienced dogs, until I'm happy they're going to chew it.

Speaking of anal sacs, isn't it also interesting how dog owners can discuss at length the consistency of their dog's poop, without batting an eyelid?

montzarella

aaahhhh the joys of dog ownership! sacs and poo, sacs and poo!

Tell me more about the chicken wing thing...do i just give him a raw chicken wing once a week? What about the bones? I would worry about him choking on small bone? I know he will try to eat the bones in the wing.

I do give them marrow bones every now and again, not once a week though. i usually give them 15 to 20 mins in the oven just to take the raw edge off. Is it better to just give him the raw bone to chew on? I like the marrow bones because its a good solid bone and doesnt splinter. I can easily give him one a week of those.

DBB

He's meant to eat the bones! Tho if he's a big dog, I'd be more inclined to give him chicken legs. My gsd will eat every last bit of a chicken, not one morsel goes to waste.
Never, ever cook bones for dogs, it's when they're cooked that they're at their most dangerous, because they mineralise, harden, crack into hard splinters or are so hard they'll break teeth, depending on the bone.
Everything a dog puts in his gob is a choking hazard, including raw bone, but there's no more risk from raw bone than there is from anything else, so as long as he's a sensible bone eater, raw chicken wings or legs are great.
If bones are off the menu due to the dog being a hooverer, then there are some foods which have the bone minced up within them, which does the trick too. Naturediet and gRaw are two examples which you could supplement him with a couple of times a week, if you're leaving him on the Barking Heads... Which is a really good dry food!
I would not go for the increased fibre option, particularly if the fibre is to come from a grain source. These often cause low-level (and sometimes high-level) irritation to the carnivorous gut of the dog, causing loose poops, and a worse anal sac problem.

montzarella

DBB wrote: »

He's meant to eat the bones! Tho if he's a big dog, I'd be more inclined to give him chicken legs. My gsd will eat every last bit of a chicken, not one morsel goes to waste.
Never, ever cook bones for dogs, it's when they're cooked that they're at their most dangerous, because they mineralise, harden, crack into hard splinters or are so hard they'll break teeth, depending on the bone.
Everything a dog puts in his gob is a choking hazard, including raw bone, but there's no more risk from raw bone than there is from anything else, so as long as he's a sensible bone eater, raw chicken wings or legs are great.
If bones are off the menu due to the dog being a hooverer, then there are some foods which have the bone minced up within them, which does the trick too. Naturediet and gRaw are two examples which you could supplement him with a couple of times a week, if you're leaving him on the Barking Heads... Which is a really good dry food!
I would not go for the increased fibre option, particularly if the fibre is to come from a grain source. These often cause low-level (and sometimes high-level) irritation to the carnivorous gut of the dog, causing loose poops, and a worse anal sac problem.

I had read before that it was better to cook the bone just a bit before giving to the dog? But i can stop that now and give him raw.

He's a poodle schnauzer cross (a schnoodle!) so hes small to medium in size. I think he will eat the chicken bones but im still a bit worried about him choking on them. Again i read before that if he swallows the bones they might split inside him and cause him damage that way?

I will def keep him on the barking heads and try the Naturediet and gRaw supplements, must google them now.

Thanks for all the info though!

Nody

montzarella wrote: »

I had read before that it was better to cook the bone just a bit before giving to the dog? But i can stop that now and give him raw.

He's a poodle schnauzer cross (a schnoodle!) so hes small to medium in size. I think he will eat the chicken bones but im still a bit worried about him choking on them. Again i read before that if he swallows the bones they might split inside him and cause him damage that way?

I will def keep him on the barking heads and try the Naturediet and gRaw supplements, must google them now.

Thanks for all the info though!

I feed raw chicken wings to kittens and cats (cut up in 1cm chunks as I don't want raw chicken dragged all over the floor) with out problem.

ABajaninCork

My dog had the same problem. Turned out the food we were giving him (RC) didn't agree with him. Several (expensive) trips to the vet to get his glands emptied later, we've found a solution. Dog's a Shih Tzu and no way would I give him chicken bones raw or otherwise.

He gets Burns now with psyllium husk added. Costs me £20 for a kilo bag, online from the UK and all I do is sprinkle a pinch on his food. Lasts forever. He also gets chicken, fish and liver with carrots/green beans and occasionally brown rice.

No more sac problems!

tk123

I find wings great for keeping the AG's clear. I smash them with a food hammer though to break up the bones in case my guy gulps them down in one go...

DogsFirst

Dry food creates big voluminous poos because of all the plant fibre and indigestible stuff in it in it. Fibre sucks up water like a sponge, moving the digesta through quicker. Big soft poos passing over the anal glands won't express them and they impact like zits.

If you want to firm up the poos, cut out the plant fibre. Fresh meat fed dogs don't suffer anal gland issues as the fresh food is so digestible, meaning smaller poos, drier nuggets pass over the anal glands, expressing them. Fresh bones / calcium are a great addition to dry up the poo. Chicken on the bone best!

meow

It sounds like aswell as having a problem with his glands filling, he also has an infection in there if its smelling that bad, and an anal gland infection is hard to clear. Its a sore thing for dog to get their glands emptied- my Ben had to have them emptied every 10 ten days at one stage. And the more you empty them the more you risk introducing infection. You need to have a chat to your vet about having them removed for the poor dogs sake. Its not a nice procedure, but you're dog will will have 2 weeks of discomfort rather than a life of discomfort. PLEASE get them taken out.

My Ben had them removed, he's still a typical boy dog, lifts his leg to pee, marks his territory, doing all the boy dog things- but has no pain now and isn't having his bum pordded and squeezed every few days. Definately reccommend getting them out

tk123

Surgery for me would be a bit of a drastic/risky move without trying a simple diet supplement/change but talk to your vet. You can cut wings up with a kitchen scissors if you're worried about the bones. I've just smashed up 30 for my guys meals lol!

RossPaws

I've got this exact problem with my dog, so you're not alone! She's always at it, drives us crazy trying to keep an eye on her and stop her.

A while ago we took her to be groomed and asked if they'd express the anal glands...we came back an hour later and the groomer had a towel around her hair. Apparently she'd gone to squeeze the glands (or whatever it is they actually do!) and it was so full it squirted up into her hair and face. So there's a disgusting anecdote for you!

It's a constant problem with her, so we're going to try the raw bone thing now and see how it works.

DogsFirst

tk123 wrote: »

Surgery for me would be a bit of a drastic/risky move without trying a simple diet supplement/change but talk to your vet. You can cut wings up with a kitchen scissors if you're worried about the bones. I've just smashed up 30 for my guys meals lol!

Totally agree. Lots of dogs get it, all cured with adding fresh bones (and removing wheat etc). Surgery is absolute last resort and I've never seen it necessary in a dog following the above advice. Give all advice ago before putting the dog through something like that.

tk123

RossPaws wrote: »

A while ago we took her to be groomed and asked if they'd express the anal glands...we came back an hour later and the groomer had a towel around her hair. Apparently she'd gone to squeeze the glands (or whatever it is they actually do!) and it was so full it squirted up into her hair and face. So there's a disgusting anecdote for you!

brilliant lol!!

Hitchens

DBB wrote: »

isn't it also interesting how dog owners can discuss at length the consistency of their dog's poop, without batting an eyelid?

they can discuss it, but they are not as quick to scoop it :mad:

borderlinemeath

Hitchens wrote: »

they can discuss it, but they are not as quick to scoop it :mad:

Don't tar everybody with the same brush. The ones that actually don't bother picking up I doubt would have any idea if their dogs poo consistency was good, bad or indifferent.

tk123

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Don't tar everybody with the same brush. The ones that actually don't bother picking up I doubt would have any idea if their dogs poo consistency was good, bad or indifferent.

+1

montzarella

thanks for all the info guys.

Im taking him to the vet tomorrow so we will see what she says. Surgery really would be the last option I would take, I hate putting them through surgical procedures so will try to avoid that.

The thing that makes me think he might need surgery eventually is that is goes from being constipated to having soft to very soft poos. He has always been a bit like that. But I will def try different foods and supplements first, it might just be a case of finding one that suits his constitution better.

Funnily enough he has not been at his bum for the last day and a half and it doesnt smell, it must not be bothering him at the moment.

DBB

Surgery on the anal glands will have no bearing on the consistency of your dog's poops! It's his diet that's at issue if you're having problems with swinging from soft poop to constipation, the anal glands have nothing to do with this. But along with inconsistent consistency (!), anal gland problems are symptomatic of dietary problems.
So you need to be looking at diet here, rather than surgery on a body part which is not the cause of your problem, but a symptom. Barking Heads, good as it is, clearly is not suiting your dog if his poops are so inconsistent.

ABajaninCork

I would agree with this. When we got our dog, the breeder advised feeding him on either Select or Royal Canin. We gave him the Puppy version. Glands impacted, so off we went to the vet. Same thing happened again. Again, we went back to the vet. Vet advised us to change to the Small Dog version of RC. Same thing.

Finally, we realised the food wasn't agreeing with him and as I've said before changed him to Burns, adding psyllium husk to his food on the advice of the vet. I also give him chicken, fish, liver and hearts with carrots or green beans to ring the changes. Since then - no more problems!

Might come under TMI, but his poops are smaller and firmer (feeding him good quality food), and certainly no more botty problems!

celica00

My dog had the problem every single month.
Since I changed the food (more meat/bones and simply more healthy cooking for her), she barely has it again.

montzarella

DBB wrote: »

Surgery on the anal glands will have no bearing on the consistency of your dog's poops! It's his diet that's at issue if you're having problems with swinging from soft poop to constipation, the anal glands have nothing to do with this.

I know that the surgery will have no bearing on his poo consistency, just mentioned that as its a bit of a problem trying to get firm poos out of him!

poo poo poo!

montzarella

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Finally, we realised the food wasn't agreeing with him and as I've said before changed him to Burns, adding psyllium husk to his food on the advice of the vet. I also give him chicken, fish, liver and hearts with carrots or green beans to ring the changes. Since then - no more problems!

!

which Burns food do you give him? is it the sensitive one,or will any of them do?

ABajaninCork

montzarella wrote: »

which Burns food do you give him? is it the sensitive one,or will any of them do?

Trial and error with my little prince...

We've tried them all and found he does best and likes the Pork & Potato best, followed by the Duck & Brown rice or the Chicken & Brown. When he was a pup we did give him the puppy version of Burns as we had sample packs (Cat liked it too!) He hated the Lamb and fish versions. All Burns food is supposed to be hypo-allergenic anyway.

Hope this helps.

DogsFirst

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Trial and error with my little prince...

We've tried them all and found he does best and likes the Pork & Potato best, followed by the Duck & Brown rice or the Chicken & Brown. When he was a pup we did give him the puppy version of Burns as we had sample packs (Cat liked it too!) He hated the Lamb and fish versions. All Burns food is supposed to be hypo-allergenic anyway.

Hope this helps.

Yeah always wondered about this, how meat cooked at high temperature months ago and hypo-allergenic team up together. Cooked chicken is the number two allergen in dogs today (wheat number one, beef is third). Dogs are proven to sensitise to the cooked meat therein after a period of 18mths on the same diet. Then there's storage mites. Countless cases of nasty moulds. Will email them. Definitely better than the wheat based stuff mind. It's a testament to how bad wheat is for dogs, that dogs with tummy troubles, sore ears, weepy eyes, skin rash invariably clear up on wheat free foods.

My favourite dubious claim is that of our favourite vet prescribed dry food that now boasts "Fresh Chicken" with a picture of a whole fresh chicken on the front, and costing €5 per kilo! Where do you begin with that...... I've got a pack of bacon fries here made with fresh bacon.... just don't ask when, or how much pig, or what part!!

TooManyDogs

DogsFirst wrote: »

I've got a pack of bacon fries here made with fresh bacon.... just don't ask when, or how much pig, or what part!!

Or how much is horse......:eek:

It's a smug time to be vegetarian :P

DogsFirst

a) you should be in bed, and
b) you have no idea how much carrot was in that veggie lasagne, soooooo....

Whispered

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Or how much is horse......:eek:

It's a smug time to be vegetarian :P

It's only a matter of time I fear. I'm holding back on the "haha I KNOW I haven't eaten horse" smugness, lest in another while there is another food scandal surrounding vegetables or bottled water.

I'm a secret smug :pac:

TooManyDogs

DogsFirst wrote: »

a) you should be in bed,

Sorry Mammy!


*shuffles off to bed*


:pac:

Binka

So, as a preventative measure, if I give my boys a raw chicken wing or leg a couple of times a week is it ok to give it to them frozen straight from the freezer or should I thaw thoroughly first?
It won't be part of mealtime, but say, as a treat to eat/chew on out in the garden.