anal glands

Pumpkin is good -- *some* pumpkin (too much gives diarrhea) so experiment with the amount.

Mostly you may want to simply add some bulk/fiber to your dog's diet.  We hear all the dogfood companies brag about how little "bulk" there is and how wonderfully small your dogs poops will be -- BUT the reality is that the poop has to be a certain size in order for it to press against the glands and empty them when they do go.

 Sweet potato (just dice it up and boil til tender NO PEELING needed), green beans, most any squash, most any greens -- even white potato (again don't peel -- just cut in chunks and cook til tender and mash).

Dogs can't digest cellulose -- so either you have to process it or cook and mash - but these veggies can honestly resolve the problem for you.

In addition, you may want to ask the vet to show YOU How to empty the glands *internally*.  It's not difficult -- distasteful yes, but I usually think my smaller female hands are easier on the dogs than larger hands.  That and KY Jelly helps make it the least trauma possible and copious treats after usually make it easy to accomplish.

Bailey had the same problem a while ago. He was constantly licking and dragging his butt, and it was honestly the worst smell Ive ever smelled in my life lol I tried adding everything do his diet, but nothing helped.

In the end we had to bring him to the vet to get them expressed. One was really nasty and some funky colored stuff came out, but the vet said it didnt look infected and as long as it didnt come back right away it should be fine.

That was probably 1-2 years ago, after they were expressed he hasnt had a problem with them since.

Bubblegum had to get her anal glands expressed once in a while...and so far Gibby is the same...except baby Gibby....tends to do it himself in bad places.....such as getting on my lap to lay while I am watching TV with my legs up on the lounge chair. OR how about after he gets into the back seat of our car...so that great smell sticks with us for quite some time.  Then at the vets office one day when I was trying to get him back into the kennel that he came out of....he shot those glands all over the  place......lol....the doctors and the techs hated us for several hours.     And THAT was with big firm stools that both of them had.  Now..Gibby is off kibble and I am feeding him home cooked for now....much smaller stools...I am wondering what it will do to the anal glands.  

Pumpkin for my dogs just makes thier stool softer by a lot.

Dyan with pumpkin it's all in how MUCH you feed --try less.

Homecooked - SHOULD help but then remember my insistance NOT to peel potato, etc. -- there is such a thing as "too processed" -- it's one of the reasons why I don't overprocess things -- I just mash them with a potato masher.  It allows for some bulk -- and my dogs never poop undigsted food.  I break it down, but I try not to over-process stuff.

calliecritturs

Dyan with pumpkin it's all in how MUCH you feed --try less.

Homecooked - SHOULD help but then remember my insistance NOT to peel potato, etc. -- there is such a thing as "too processed" -- it's one of the reasons why I don't overprocess things -- I just mash them with a potato masher.  It allows for some bulk -- and my dogs never poop undigsted food.  I break it down, but I try not to over-process stuff.

Callie I was just speaking in general.... every time I see someone write about pumpkin I think of my own experience with my Danes.... other than Ollie that I just can't remember what he did with pumpkin since I haven't fed him for so long.   But I use pumpkin a lot...in spurts. Once I open a can I put it in their food until its gone but I am careful to not buy the larger size cans because it is too much for my Danes.    I have always heard that pumpkin is like our Metamucil in that it firms the stool when it needs to be firmed ( thus good for occasional soft stools ) and softens a hard stool.  That doesn't ring true with my experience at all..its never done anything but soften them for my Danes.   I still use it though...

Yes...I have a bunch of food made up..... part has sweet potatoes and part white potatoes...they have the skins in both.  Since he is eating only home cooked right now.......at first he was only taking one dump a day, that was with just rice....now he is going twice and that is when he is getting potatoes with the skins, but much smaller.   I mean THATS GOOD....I love that his food isn't going out as fast as its going in. I was having a tough time trying to get some weight on him....every time I added more food.... he would just poop more. So I am happy with this..but of course he is only eating this food now for almost 2 weeks.  I have not added any pumpkin in any of the food I recently made...but will in the next batch.   Having a hard time finding it now.......they said there is going to be a shortage and I think everyone bought it all up.

Almost all the pumpkin in the US is grown in one town (doesn't that sound like someplace Charlie Brown and Linus should go???) and they DID have a shortage.  But it was pretty well resolved before Christmas.

But it's not just pumpkin.  Most any orange veggie will help -- and if it helps for my 8 pounds of dogs, I only use ONE 14 oz can of pumpkin a week.

But I use all sorts of veggies too -- and you'll probably see as you add veggies some will change things for you. 

The ones he LOVES will surprise you -- the one that cracks me up is Okra.  If you've never cooked okra -- it's fine for humans if it's cut into 1/2" pieces, rolled in corn meal and then saute'd in about 1/4" of oil. Downright tasty.

BUT -- cook it IN something ... a bit too long?  ewwwwwwwwwwww -- it is like mucus.  It can be the most ugly thing ever.

And dogs LOVE IT.  Cooked anyway ... even in water.  They don't seem to mind at all that it's gooey/slimey.  LOL

Cabbage is another -- they DO love it usually (and I cheat -- I get angle-hair coleslaw mix and then cook it quite a while) but that also is bulky.

There will be SOME veg you don't want to use as your whole base -- things like rutabaga/turnip -- those are really rich.  So is cabbage -- you won't want that to be the only thing you mix with meat.  Those are things you'll add as you add ingredients.

calliecritturs

Almost all the pumpkin in the US is grown in one town (doesn't that sound like someplace Charlie Brown and Linus should go???) and they DID have a shortage.  But it was pretty well resolved before Christmas.

 1) Wouldn't  squash work just as well.  I would think cooking up a squash would provide the same bulk, and squash is usually available.

 2) Does exercising the dog help relieve the anal glands.

I know in Pipers case, letting the vet trim her nails is a guaranteed method of draining the glands, but it's a little hard on the furnishings.

I read too fast-you already answered #1

DougB

I know in Pipers case, letting the vet trim her nails is a guaranteed method of draining the glands, but it's a little hard on the furnishings.

Thats funny!   And true!  Often at the clinic I would take a dog to the back to put in a kennel and they would be so upset they would express their own anal glands........and that was what Gibby did when I tried to get him back in a kennel.  

Funny that they only use pumkins from one area....because we have soooooo many of them in Ohio in October.....everyone and their brother is selling them.........   sure was no shortage here.  I had read though to stock up now ( that was back in the fall ) because its next year ( which would be now ) that there will be a shortage in the stores.   Two of our big grocery stores don't have any now.  Aldis...was getting it in for quite a while but they don't have any either.