What to do... anal gland issues... STILL!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Okay, I know I have posted several topics on this issue myself, as well and read other discussions over it, and even emailed specific people about it, but I'm at my wits end and just sooooo FRUSTRATED!

Since about 6 months of age Remington has been having his anal glands expressed monthly by a vet.  Every time the glands were full!  We're talking disgustingly full!  I have done everything that I can think of to try to clear the problem up.  I'm talking feeding him pumpkin, green beans, completely switching food, meds, etc.  NOTHING helps!  May 27th will be about the time he needs them done again, so I was not all that surprised when he leaked some anal gland juice on my bed sheets while laying in bed with me last night!  However, I being the clean freak I am freaked out!  YUCK!  I know that I can just change the sheets and wash them no big deal... but still... it is sooooo gross and something that I have to deal with ALLLL the time!  We have even gone to the point of having the vet teach us how to express them ourselves so we don't have to pay the $25 each month to get it done.  We are getting better at it, but still it is difficult for an untrained person to do it properly and not worry that they are doing something wrong, you know?

I guess I'm just asking for any other suggestions on stuff that can help this situation!  Stuff we haven't tried, stuff that you have heard about, easy ways to express the glands, how to make sure you got it all out, etc.  It makes me upset to think about dealing with this for the rest of Remington's life.  Don't get me wrong... I would seriously go to the ends of the world for this dog, but it is soooooo frustrating to have to deal with this EVERY month.

Any other Doodle Mom's or Dad's out there that deal with anal gland issues... if so please help!

Sincerely,

At There Wits End  

[Camilla and Darwin]

can it really? I usually express Darwin's if he gets a bath. Just the outer ones... I always did that at the grooming shop I worked at so I figured it was the norm. There is rarely anything in there... but I never knew it could be harmful to them. Or is that only when they have problems with full anal glands?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack was having some problems with impacted anal glands, so I took him to the vet. One of the sacs was half full, despite the fact that he had just been groomed & they supposedly expressed them externally. My vet said that doing it that way doesn't always empty them completely and it can even cause an impaction. I don't remember the exact explanation, but since then I've read the same thing on veterinary websites about anal gland problems.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Perhaps I should stop, and only have them done by a vet, if he needs it. Thanks, I had no idea!

[Leslie J]

Cocoa used to have the same problem with her anal glands. We had to take her to the vet every 4 weeks like clockwork- and she really could have gone in every 3 1/2 weeks.

This is what our vet recommended we try- and it worked for us. Cocoa used to graze on her dry food all day and have several small poops each day. We started to mix some canned food and warm water into the dry food twice a day so she would eat a large meal twice a day. Soon she was making two large poops twice a day- and (I know this sounds kind of gross) the pressure of pushing out the large poops would help express the glands naturally.

The vet also said that anal gland problems are much less common in large dogs and there was a good chance that she would outgrow them. I am not sure which one worked, but it has been 9 weeks now!!! We're do back to the groomer and she'll do it for us, but it is so much better now.

I hope that you can get things under control... I remember how awful it was :(

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This happened with Guinness too. When he was having all of his loose BMs, he also had anal gland problems. We had to take him to the Vet two or three times to have them expressed during that time. Apparently it was because he was not having firm BM's which would take care of the anal gland expression naturally. Since we solved that problem with the diet change, the anal gland issues have resolved themselves.

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Hmmmm... okay, so we feed Remington 3 times a day. 1 1/2 cup of food in the morning, 1 1/2 cup at lunch, and 1 cup at night... he poops three times a day. So if I would try to feed him 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night maybe it would help? We shall try it :) At what age did you see a change in Cocoa and her glands? What age did she "maybe" grow out of it? I hope he does too :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kendra, how old is Remington and what kind of food is he getting? 4 cups sounds like an awful lot, and three meals a day is too many for an adult dog. If he's past a year old, you should definitely switch to two feedings a day.

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

He is a little over a year old... we are feeding Wellness Fish and Sweet Potatoes. He is as lean as can be. I also thought it sounds like a lot but the vet said that is the right amount. He is 75 lbs and not over weight at all? I dunno?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm going to look at the fiber content in the Wellness. In the meantime, I would definitely switch him to two meals a day.

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

I had a German Shorthair Pointer that had this same problem, and my understanding was that expressing them can cause more damage - in fact, her duct got plugged (from the expressing) she had to have her's taken out. The surgery was a little difficult, but it was SO nice not to have to worry about it after that. She had the surgery when she was six, and lived to be 14, so it was well worth it. Don't know if that is an option for you? Not that I would suggest an unnecessary surgery but you may want to ask your vet if that is the road you are headed down? If so, get it done sooner rather than later! And I know, it sucks!!!!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

How much did the surgery cost. I was adding it up and if we paid 25 dollars a month for the rest of Remington's life... say he lived to 15 then we would be paying 4500 dollars in anal gland expressions. I think surgery would be cheaper, but I'm afraid I would be kicking myself if something went wrong! I dunno!!!!!!!!!

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

It was right about $600 as I remember, but that was 10 years ago. I was in college, so it was a real struggle, but it was very well worth it. She was pretty down for about 2 days, and I would say totally back to her normal self within a week. I know what you mean about kicking yourself if something went wrong.... I didn't have a choice because one of them got impacted and infected and it had to be done. I fought with those glands for 5 years before getting the surgery, and I will say that it was awesome not to have to deal with them after it was done! Plus, she was healthier because she would frequently get infections in them and have to take antibiotic, etc. Have you had to do that at all, or is it just that they get full? I imagine eventually you will probably have to deal with the infections if they are having to be expressed all the time? If that starts, just get it done! That was miserable!