# Anal Glands



## madginger (3 April 2008)

Can anyone recommend a feed that will help excreat my dogs anal glands? or make her poo harder so it does the job?

She is currently fed half a small tin of meat with a handful of mixer she is a slightly overweight beagle!

She has had to have them squeezed by the vet a couple of times as they were uncomfortable and the vet said that she needs to have a higher fibre diet but I am not sure what to feed.

I can tell when they are getting full as they start to leak and the smell is awful so just wanted to help her!

Any ideas?


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## sloulou (3 April 2008)

Add all bran to her food - to each meal.

Vet recommended it to my parents who had the same problem with their border collie.  Worked amazingly!

She seems to like eating it as well!

Have also seen others recommend this.


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## keekee (3 April 2008)

rice  and paster is meant to be good


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## madginger (3 April 2008)

Will try the all bran, she will eat anything so don't think getting her to eat it will be a problem! If she does turn her nose up I'll try the pasta and rice option - thanks


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## Blythebeck (3 April 2008)

Raw meaty bones will harden her poo up brilliantly.  Not too much fat on them though or else it will give her the runs.


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## piggyinablanket (3 April 2008)

I agree with blythebeck. RMB diet gives the tiniest poos as almost all the feed is digested. I think a raw diet is brill, if your dog is keen. Theres plenty of research to read online about it. Also called BARF diet. Hope she improves soon!


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## severnmiles (3 April 2008)

Raw.  Barf e.t.c e.t.c....

Don't know how on earth a higher fibre diet would help but thats vets for you


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## severnmiles (3 April 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
rice  and paster is meant to be good 

[/ QUOTE ]

Rice perhaps but not pasta...


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## prose (3 April 2008)

I've just about given up with Stella's anal glands. She's fed well (no grains, no fillers, organic meat and veg only) and produces perfect poops. Despite all of this, her glands need emptying every few months. The vet said that they are in a slightly odd spot, and the absence of a tail (AKA the poop lever) probably doesn't help her cause.

Any final genius suggestions?


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## KarynK (3 April 2008)

Echo Raw Bones!   

That's what the Anal Gland was evolved to do, i.e. help lubricate the anal passage when expelling hard faecal matter that comes from eating bones.   Mine excrete almost pure calcium after a bone meal, you could if you felt inclined write with it!!!! 

This is another of my favourite gripes about grain based diets and overly cooked pet foods, they make this gland redundant and hey presto gives the vet a steady income!  Not to mention health problems.

By the way, with most modern wheat varieties, you will have no luck in finding decent bran, 30 years ago you would get lovely big flakes, but today it will be dusty minute pieces!  Besides Bran is roughage for humans and horses etc, but a dogs natural roughage is bones and fur.  So Raw bones and roadkill rabbitts!


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## MurphysMinder (4 April 2008)

I don't feed barf diet (well suppose I do sort of as I feed green tripe) but if have any dog with anal gland problems I get petmince from butchers which has bone ground into it.  Makes the stools really firm and bone like (sorry too much detail).  Bit puzzled by the vet who suggested bran, which I always understood softened motions which is why its sometimes advised for colicking horses.


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## sloulou (4 April 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Raw.  Barf e.t.c e.t.c....

Don't know how on earth a higher fibre diet would help but thats vets for you  
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that bones and barf is the best thing (you know I feed my dog that) but even dedicated barf people have recomended adding all bran to food to help with emptying anal sacs - and I know it works because my parents dog no longer has a problem.  Some dogs do seem to have more problem than others... mine doesn't though cos the bones sort him out


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## madginger (4 April 2008)

I think a trip to the pet shop may be in order! I have had a look at the BARF website and there are quite a few stockists near me so may be worth a try, eating bones will also keep her occupied longer I'd imagine!


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## sloulou (4 April 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
I don't feed barf diet (well suppose I do sort of as I feed green tripe) but if have any dog with anal gland problems I get petmince from butchers which has bone ground into it.  Makes the stools really firm and bone like (sorry too much detail).  Bit puzzled by the vet who suggested bran, which I always understood softened motions which is why its sometimes advised for colicking horses. 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

Youc an't compare dogs to horses. Dogs have completely differnet diets and digestive systems to horses - for a horse that eats really high fibre stuff like hay, that is tough - bran would make their poo softer.  Fibre added to a dogs food (really high fibre like all bran cereal) bulks up the poo - doesn't make it softer - then means the anal glands are more likely to empty naturally.  

But bone is far better than all bran.


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## sloulou (4 April 2008)

good idea madginger!  keeps them entertained for ages  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Just a word of warning - the first time they have bones sometimes upsets their tummies - but keep going and the gut bateria will sort itself out


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## peter1959 (4 April 2008)

I may sound stupid but here goes......I dont know if my dog is having a few problems in this area. 

He occasionaly tries to lick at the back end and I have noticed a kind of tinny smell from that end too when he does this.

Could this be his glands playing up?


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## KarynK (4 April 2008)

Re Smelly gland, it could well be an indication that all is not right, might be worth getting it checked out.  

RE BRAN - I know a lot of purist raw feeders and none  I know would ever recommend the use of bran in dogs, I would go as far as saying that it is just about the most alien food you could give to a dog and to me it is against the principles of a species appropriate diet in a canine. 

If my dogs are a bit bunged up I will feed more muscle meat, if they are loose there is nothing better than lamb bones to make things harder.  A nice rib bone usually does the trick.


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## madginger (7 April 2008)

Quick update - managed to get a huge bag of raw meaty bones from our local butchers for 30p and she loves them!

No bad smells as yet and I have already noticed that she is drinking less water and is not as hungry, think that this may be the way to go.

Thanks for all of your replies and advice


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## severnmiles (7 April 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
I think a trip to the pet shop may be in order! I have had a look at the BARF website and there are quite a few stockists near me so may be worth a try, eating bones will also keep her occupied longer I'd imagine! 

[/ QUOTE ]

You're right, people wonder why dogs chew in the house, it must drive them mad having a natural drive to chew and not be able to actually act on their instinct.


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## severnmiles (7 April 2008)

Now, Widget this will be our first disagreement  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 lol

In any animal where fibre is concerned it will always loosen stools, in humans if you're constapated and eat prunes it will usually easy the constapation.  In a colicking horse with a blockage, bran is recommended.  Cows that live on a high fibre diet 5hit through the eye of a needle so I can't see how it could harden poo's the way meat and bones do??


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## KarynK (7 April 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Quick update - managed to get a huge bag of raw meaty bones from our local butchers for 30p and she loves them! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Well done keep it up and you will see more benefits but don't forget to feed muscle meat (mince or braising steak, chicken legs etc) now and again and an occasional offal meal plus some blended veg (about 2tsp once or twice a week).  Chicken wings are very good as they are the correct ratio for the diet 80% bone 20% meat. 

Eggs are good as well, basicaly plenty of variety over  say a 2 week rotation and you should not need suplementation at all, although kelp tabs are good and you can chuck in a handful of pumpkin seeds to the veg in the blender to keep intestinal worms at bay.


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