Help! Need to change food due to soft stools and full anal glands...

[Barb Betts]

Having problems with soft stools and full anal glands. Chevy has been on Orijen 6 fish since 12 weeks. About a month ago, changed to Acana Ranchlands. On both, the vet had to express his anal glands due to nipping and discomfort. So, I am thinking he is not doing so well on high protein and no grain. I add pumpkin and also give him plain yogurt daily. Where I live the best option I have found (healthy grains) is WELLNESS Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe. But also curious about Acana Classic Red Dog Food (listed as grain free) and the ingredients include steel-cut oats (22%). Wouldn't that be considered a healthy grain.

Any suggestions welcome :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In my experience, the higher the protein in a dog's diet, the smaller and firmer the stool, and the lower the stool volume. Decreasing protein rarely results in firmer stool, as you have more waste material. If bulkier stools helped, that might be a solution. But grains will usually only "gum up the works", so to speak. 

(Yes, steel-cut oats are considered a healthy grain. Acana Classics are not sold here in the U.S., and since all of Acana's other foods are grain free, it made more sense to me to put the brand under the Grain Free section.  I do have a note on the recommended brands list as follows: NOTE: In Canada, there is also the Classics Line, which contains grain in the form of oats. Three formulas: poultry, fish, red meat)
Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/recommended-dog-food-brand...

Anal gland problems are not always related to food. Some dogs have chronic physiological problems with the anal glands no matter what they are fed.The thickness and amount of the anal gland secretions varies from one dog to another, and sometimes, the only way to solve the problem is with surgery to remove the glands. We had a member here whose doodle underwent an anal sacculectomy.

Another thing you might consider would be adding fiber to his diet in the form of pure psyllium powder. I do this with my dog, who has IBD. You can buy plain unflavored psyllium powder in most drugstores (at least you can here in the states) and you could mix a half teaspoon into the pumpkin or yogurt that you're already adding to his meals. 
Otherwise, it can't hurt to try the Classics formula. 

[Katie]

Hi.  My Luna is coming up on 2 years old. After trying what seemed like every food out there, we have finally settled on Fromm Classic (purple bag).   We struggle with soft stools what seemed like forever!!!!  I give proviable probiotic (thanks Karen!).  I've also had to start free feeding.  I'm not a big fan of free feeding and didnt want to do it but it does seem to help.  Luna suffers from a very sensitive tummy.  A change in her schedule or just plain stress can send her digestive system in to over drive......So, we do what works best for us!!  Hope this help - I've been happy with Fromm.