Anal sacs filled with air?

I know this is about a Cocker spaniel and not a cavalier but as it’s about anal sacs I thought this would be the best place to ask, especially after typing ‘dogs +anal sacs filled with air’ in a search engine bought up the sort of site who pages I really don’t want to look at. :yikes

My brothers Cocker has just changed to James Welbeloved, which she loves but she started scooting. He took her to the vet who empted her out, all over her clothes (she hadn’t put her work overalls on yet:lol. It was mostly liquid but with some air.

Well a few days later she is still scooting so he takes her back. The vet checks her and says she feels full again, tries to empty them and this time just air comes out.

Well the same thing happen, so he takes her back to the vet, they empty out the air and afterwards she goes a toilet in the vets. It seems the air is stopping her emptying out her bowels as well. He has notice she not spending as long out in the garden as before but wasn’t concerned till now.

The vet has told him to feed her more bran in her diet and says if she has to come back she wants to put her out so she can do a more thorough examination.

The vet said she gets many Cockers in with anal sacs problems but she never had a dog come in anal sacs filled with air. The only connection they have is with change in the new food.

Has anyone come across this problem before?

Yes, but it was my Ma-in-Laws Tri Cavalier, he needed his anal sacs emptying a lot too and it was also a mixture of matter and air, in the end he had an op to remove his anal glands totally. He was fine afterwards despite the bald bottom! :lol:

Extra bran is good for anal gland problems, hope this resolves the problem for your brother's dog!! Big kiss and a gentle :hug: from me OK?

How weird. I wonder how the vet knew the air was coming from the anal sack and that the dog was not doing little nervous.... well you know.... little farties? We call it "playing the bum flute".

Caraline said:

How weird. I wonder how the vet knew the air was coming from the anal sack and that the dog was not doing little nervous.... well you know.... little farties? We call it "playing the bum flute".

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Well put it this way, she is Daddy's little girl icon_whistling.

After being emptied out she let out a very large trump in the waiting room and yes it was a smelly one. Much to my brothers embarrassment icon_blshing

Makes a change he can blame the dog for once :lol:

The air is definitively coming from her anal sacs, but only since she started his new food. She has never had this problem before in her six years of life.

Just an update

The vet has decided that feeding her JWB mixed with water is the cause and she now has to have it dry. She is no longer scooting.

She is staying with me this weekend and she hates eating it dry. Takes a bit at a time and runs out to the hall to eat it, but gives up in the end. I also gave up and put a little water in it and she woofed the lot down.

JWB tells you to mix a little water with it and I can’t see this being a problem as her stools are ok and I was told to put a little water in SiânE food as they believed this was the cause of all her urinal infections.

I did have a look over at the Cockersonline to see if it was a problem and it seems Cockers are like Cavaliers in that they also seem to have problems with anal sacs.

We feed Chester Jame Wellbeloved, after trying to find something he would eat! We've gone through most types, including wet & dry. We finally seemed to have cracked it though. We give him his kibble in a treat ball and he loves it. He has great fun bashing his ball around the house & following the trail of kibble.

He also has trouble with his anal sacs (not air though!). Our Vet said if you need to have them emptied any more than 4 times a year, you should consider having them removed. Thankfully, Chester seems fine having them done every 3 months.