Dog Community

Anal Glands and diet

Posted : 12/30/2006 2:56:06 AM

My hubby and I recently adopted a one year old beagle. Everything was fine the first month and then he started to smell really bad. We took him to the vet and he needed his anal glands squeezed. I've had dogs my entire life and maybe twice have my Irish setters needed this done. I figured no big deal. Well, Buddy the beagle, is going to get his glands squeezed about every two weeks. This last time it only lasted about four days. The vet says that there isnt much they can do except I coudl learn how to do it myself. I love my dog and I pay for it to get done, but I dont think I can stick my hand... You get my drift = )

Anyway, I have heard that a high fiber diet is an option. Can any of you recommend a good high fiber dog food? Someone told me to try Kirkland, but after reading through this site, I dont want to try that either. Buddy currently eats Iams.

I'd appreciate any help!

dyan

Posted : 12/30/2006 8:55:52 AM

Our Dane (actually my sons) used to eat Iams and he had a really soft stool,,,and many of them. THAT food got changed in a hurry because of that.
Now both Ollie and my Bubblegum eat Eagle Pack...both have nice firm stools,,,although quite large. BUT they are large dogs so who knows how large stools should be. But I do feel that helps them both express their anal glands. I know a lot of people here are always talking grain free food but I think think that grains help the consistency of the stool, fiber such as Beet Pulp helps,,,and Eagle Pack has that, for one.
Does Buddy had a firm stool? I would try changing your dogs food ( slowly ) to see if a change helps. I don't blame you for not wanting to run to the vet every two weeks,,,to be honest...I would learn to do it myself, I bet you would get used to it. Just my opinion.

cakana

Posted : 12/30/2006 9:53:15 AM

My lab was having problems like that too but I honestly wasn't sure what was going on. We actually thought it was spay incontinence because we'd find these wet spots on her bedding. It was just a small spot, but smelled so awful and I even mentioned that to the vet, but they still thought it was spay incontinence. We tried meds for a few months, but it didn't help at all, so I stopped. Well, totally unrelated to that, I changed her diet because of allergies. So she eats Natural Balance Duck & Potato and only gets carrots as treats. Guees what? She's never had an issue with the anal glands since then, so I don't know if it was the change in kibble or the carrots, but I'm so glad it took care of the problem. I'd definitely recommend trying something different in the diet to see if that helps.

Misskiwi67

Posted : 12/30/2006 11:14:00 AM

The only truly HIGH fiber diets I know of are weight loss foods, such as Science Diet prescription W/D.

I would try giving your pup things like cooked green beans, cooked celery, and canned (unsweetened) pumpkin.

You could also try mixing small amounts of metamucil or other human fiber replacement in some canned food with dinner every night.

kpwlee

Posted : 12/30/2006 1:37:32 PM

Bugsy had problems with his anal glands but once I figured out what his allergies were and changed foods he has no issues any longer. I'm not suggesting that your dog has allergies but may be a different food will help

Rick B

Posted : 12/30/2006 1:59:17 PM

You could also try mixing small amounts of metamucil or other human fiber replacement in some canned food with dinner every night.

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

Not all fiber acts as stool firming/forming agents. Dried Beet Pulp, pumpkin seed and a couple of other common kibble ingredients aid firm stool formation. Metamucil is used as a laxative for those experiencing constipation. All most fiber does is speed food through the digestive system. That is the opposite of what teach2ndgrade is trying to accomplish.

I know a lot of people here are always talking grain free food but I think think that grains help the consistency of the stool, fiber such as Beet Pulp helps,,,and Eagle Pack has that, for one.

ORIGINAL: dyan

Dyan I'm not sure what connection you are making between grain free kibble and tech2ndgrade's issue since she made no mention of grain free and your post references beet pulp which obviously is not a grain. People have had good stool results on TWO Ocean Blue which is grain free but I'm not sure which of its ingredients aids stool formation.

Is ground pumpkin seed sold somewhere? My guess is that it could be added to kibble to aid in stool firming.

cakana

Posted : 12/30/2006 3:01:39 PM

Well, as I mentioned, our problem cleared up when we switched to NB Duck & Potato, but at the same time we quit any treats except Sassy gets a raw (sometimes frozen) carrot every night. Now folks say that they don't actually digest the carrot, so I've wondered if that wasn't aiding in the anal gland problem...or, was it an allergy issue and changing foods cleared it up. Not sure, but by making the changes, we completely ended any anal gland leaking and all ear infections, and they had both been chronic problems until the switch.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 12/30/2006 4:47:04 PM

Is ground pumpkin seed sold somewhere? My guess is that it could be added to kibble to aid in stool firming.

I've purchase raw pumpkin seeds at the health food store, and ground them to go into dog food. I actually use that as a sort of dewormer (in the very beginning, if I know they've eaten wild game or something like that, it works ok. afterwards, not so much).

Chuffy

Posted : 12/30/2006 4:55:44 PM

Would you consider feeding a raw, natural diet? Dogs on such a diet usually have firmer, drier stools - and there's usually less (sometimes as much as half!) because the natural diet is more digestible than commercial prepared dog foods. (One of the many reasons some dogs develop coprophagia; because to them the poo stills smells food food and has got a lot of valuable, undigested nutrients in it. I know, YUK [:'(])

On the downside, if the dog is unused to bones etc. he might well get constipated. Also, there are risks involved but these are minimal provided you do plenty of homework and are armed with the right knowldege. Never feed cooked bones (which are brittle) and always feed ones of an appropriate size (not small enough for them to choke, not so big that they damage their teeth eating them)

Edie

Posted : 12/31/2006 3:11:23 AM

I have had the most success feeding rmb's to dogs with AG problems.

RAW chicken wings,necks,backs are good rmb's to start with. Oxtails are great for dogs who need a little pesuading in trying a bone.

Buddy currently eats Iams.

This is the first change i would make,and get him off of this food asap! There are many better,healthier foods to choose from [

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Scout in Canada

Posted : 1/2/2007 9:00:50 AM

We needed to firm up our dog's stools as well. I switched her to Timberwolf Organics, Bison formula, and WOW what a difference. Firm and dark. I think with firmer stools such as this, the anal glands would express themselves without your assistance. [&:]

jjsmom06

Posted : 1/2/2007 2:10:09 PM

Is ground pumpkin seed sold somewhere? My guess is that it could be added to kibble to aid in stool firming.

Honest kitchen has a powder called perfect form that can be put on food to keep things firm. It has pumpkin seeds as one of the ingredients...

[linkhttp://www.thehonestkitchen.com/supplements.htm#PerfectForm]http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/supplements.htm#PerfectForm[/link]