Anal Gland Help

Well, Sevuk had been licking his butt a lot late last week and had been leaking some of the anal gland juice. He went to the vet on Tuesday and had his anal glands emptied and was given a shot of antibiotics. He seemed completely normal these past couple days until today he started paying attention to his butt and I could smell that nasty odor again. It just doesn't seem right that he would need them emptied again so soon. He has very healthy stool and has never needed to have this done before. I'm just really confused. My vet said it's more common with some dogs than others and to add more fiber to his food. He gets veggies everyday in his food, steamed carrots and brocolli. Should I add more to help make this go away? I'll probably make another trip this week to get my vet to show me how to empty them myself in case I have to do them myself occasionally.

Anyone else have experience with this?

Comments

  • You can also try canned pumpkin (careful not to get pumpkin pie filling with sugar and spices though) or a human metamucal supplement for additional fiber.

    But, if his problem is a recurring one, it's possible he has some infection that a single shot of antibiotics didn't clear up. I would definitely think about another vet visit to see if there's something else going on.

    Good luck!
  • What is his diet like as a rule? What do you feed him?
  • Thanks for the advice :)

    He gets about 60% meat and 40% veggies. He's been on the same diet for about 3 years now and hadn't had a problem until now. That's what was worrying me.

    So I took him to the vet again to see if the infection was gone and the vet said it was still a little swollen. He got another shot and the vet showed me how to empty the anal glands myself just incase. The vet said that he should be fine after this second shot, so I've got my fingers crossed.

    I am definitely going to try the canned pumpkin in the future. I researched quite a bit about natural remedies for this problem and the main thing that kept coming up was the pumpkin.
  • Just a little update:

    That canned pumpkin has done wonders on Sevuk's bowel movements :) haha. The anal glands still kept on getting full after my previous post, so we decided to try the pumpkin. The first week on the pumpkin he would still lick occasionally like it was still bothering him but by the second week he was completely fine. He poops about 2-3 times a day now compared to the once a day he used to do, but I'm just relieved he's comfortable now. Poor guy did not enjoy the anal gland expression. We just give him 2 little spoonfulls each night and he also enjoys eating it, so it's a win-win situation. :)
  • Great to hear!
  • Pumpkin really does seem to the magical fix all, doesn't it? Glad to hear it helped!
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