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Charlie is 10 months old/ 36 pounds and has had his anal glands expressed 3 times since he was 6 months old. He's never shown any signs of discomfort with them. The first two times they were expressed, I had him at the vet for other reasons and they just checked them and they were full. The last time (this week) I just caught him looking at his butt a few times... not licking or scooting or anything like that, literally just looking. I had a hunch, so I brought him in and they were super full according to the vet.

He's been on Taste of the Wild since I've had him, and he does great on this food. I know it's not the absolute best, but I'm comfortable with the ingredients in it (and it's in my price range). I've switched back and forth with the Bison/Venison formula and the Salmon formula. He has had no medical issues his whole life, no allergies, he doesn't itch at all, his ears stay super clean without me having to clean them, and his poops have always been firm! He had a bit of loose stool when he was recovering from his neuter, and that's the only time in his 10 months that his poops weren't firm!

**Also, he is a very picky eater. He eats his kibble just fine, but will not eat ANY fruits or vegetables (especially pumpkin / sweet potato, even if frozen). The only "people food" he will eat is plain meat, cheese, peanut butter and cream cheese (the last two I only give him with his monthly heartworm/flea/tick meds). I give him a little coconut oil on his food each meal which helps keep his breathe super fresh, and he gets 1 raw marrow bone a week to help clean his teeth. He really doesn't get that many treats because he's not food motivated. I have Sojos freeze dried meat as his treats for when I do give them. He'll get a bully stick maybe 1-2 times a month, and I get him freeze dried treats from a specialty store here sometimes (like beef esophagus / tongue / chicken feet... whatever they have that day that I like lol).

What can I do to regulate his glands so he doesn't have to have them expressed? I know that once you start having them done it's harder for them to regulate on their own, so how do you break that cycle? Do I need to firm up his already firm poop?

Help!! :)

The dood himself:

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Replies to This Discussion

First, there is no evidence at all that coconut oil given internally is of any benefit at all to dogs, and some thought that it may in fact contribute to inflammation. 

Anal gland issues are not always related to food. Some dogs have chronic issues because they produce thicker or more copious amounts of anal gland secretions. In some cases, these dogs need to have the glands surgically removed (called anal sacculectomy). We have at least one member here whose dog had this surgery. If Charlie's stool is always firm, and he poops regularly, it may be that he has problems unrelated to food. Extra fiber in the diet may help in cases where the stool is not firm enough to express the glands naturally on a regular basis.

Also, make sure that your groomer isn't expressing his anal glands. Often, this is something that's done routinely when a dog is groomed, and many groomers express the glands externally, which can lead to the glands becoming impacted. 

Since you don't want to change his food, I'm not sure what we can suggest. 

I was just wondering if there was something I could use to supplement his food :) I don't give him that much coconut oil, it's probably a tsp. twice a day. if I don't give it to him for 2 days, his breath gets pretty stinky. Also, he is a grazer and isn't big on food so the coconut oil gets him excited and he always eats at least 1/4 of his food when I first put it down now. He definitely likes his food, he's just not a "foodie" lol. He doesn't really care for treats at all. I wish I was that way!

The grazing might be part of the problem. Regulating his food intake would regulate his bowels, which in turn might help with the anal gland issue. And there are healthier things you could add to his meals that might also be more helpful than coconut oil, like fish oil. (That might also help with the anal gland issues. The TOTW foods are very low in Omega 3 fatty acids and have a poor Omega 6:3 ratio.) There are also all kinds of other ways to freshen a dog's breath, including dental chews and sprays, and brushing teeth. 

I'd stop the free feeding. I'd give him his food twice a day, morning and night, give him 10 minutes to eat, and then put the food away and don't offer food again until the next scheduled mealtime. During that 10 minutes, keep distractions to a minimum: nobody coming in and out of the room, nobody calling out from other rooms, nobody doing something interesting in the next room, etc. And keep him company, perhaps having something to eat yourself. It usually doesn't take more than a couple of days for a dog to learn that food is not always available any time he feels like having a mouthful, and that if he wants to eat, he needs to do it when he has the chance. 

I add fiber to my dog's meals by mixing a half teaspoon of pure psyllium fiber into some mashed sweet potato and adding that to his food, but if Charlie doesn't like sweet potatoes or pumpkin, that won;t work. 

Honestly, I think your best bet would be to consider switching him to a better food that has a higher fiber content and a better Omega 3 content. 

I actually did try to regulate his food at one point, and he went 2.5 days without eating! it just about killed me!! He definitely eats to live, doesn't live to eat. What about Fromm ? It's around the same price range as TOTW. I will get some psyllium ! Thanks

oh and I've thought about adding some fish oil, I may start doing that too. He also gets these fish flakes from a local dog store on his food about every other day.

Fromm is a better brand than TOTW, but it isn't the best choice for Charlie's issues. I'd try Wellness CORE or Wellness Simple Solutions, the fiber and Omega 3 content in both lines are excellent.

Thanks! What about the Wellness Core Grain-Free Ocean formula? I also know this is a hot topic... but would it be okay to switch him to this adult food (instead of puppy) when his current bag is out (with mixing them gradually, of course)? He'll be 11 months when this bag runs out (in 2-3 weeks).

Not a hot topic at all, lol. Most doodles can be switched to an adult formula by 10 months of age, and earlier for the smaller ones. The Wellness Core Ocean adult formula would be an excellent choice. 

And you don't need to do the transition gradually. You can do it over 4-5 days. 

Ok I didn't think so, but I saw a post in a facebook group get pretty heated on it lol. Thank you for all of your advice!! I'm excited to get him a better food and see if this improves! I will keep you posted :)

I can't imagine what there would be to get "heated" about in a discussion on switching a dog from puppy food to adult food, but that's FB for you, lol.

Most dogs don;t even need a "puppy" formula to begin with, and either way, once the skeletal growth is complete, which is between 6-12 months for all but the giant breeds, their nutritional needs are the same as those of adult dogs. 

Right!??? "My vet said THIS" and "My vet said THAT!!" ugh.

I feel really good about this decision! Thank you very much. I just purchased it from Chewy with Auto ship and saved 25% on his first bag :)

Oh good! let us know how he does, I hope he likes it. 

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