Anal Glands..Advice Required.

**Phoebe** · 7th January 2008, 08:56 PM

Hi Daisy's Mom,
Like you, I have been told that once you start emptying thier glands, it needs doing regularly. I've been advised by another Cav owner that there is a brilliant lady vet locally who is great at this job and causes them no discomfort. If it needs doing, I shall take my little fur baby to her.
I have been adding veg to her meals for a while, it's a relief to know that I'm not doing anything wrong! .....Phoebe is my first dog, so I'm on a real learning curve. She has a bit of carrot, some peas or some squished up sweetcorn added to J. Wellbeloved kibble and a bit of fresh meat. I shall give green beans a go as well.

**Sue.k** · 8th January 2008, 10:29 AM

I had to get Lucy's anal glands done in the vets, she really yelped alot, I couldnt do it myself, I dont think she would ever forgive me if I done it!

**Daisy's Mom** · 8th January 2008, 02:35 PM

An update on this topic -- I took Daisy in to the groomers' yesterday for a "spa treatment" (bath, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, nail trim, etc.) They also express her glands, which I didn't know they were going to do until I picked her up. Well, this morning, the poor little girl has been scooting all over the house! Once she even yelped and threw her little butt down on the ground! So now I'm even more concerned! It might be because I told them they could do a little "sanitary" trimming around her bottom. So it is a little red and irritated looking around her, umm, what do you call it? Pee-pee? Sorry, I don't know what it is usually called. So I put some ointment on that area this morning. So I don't know if she's itchy or sore there, or if it is because her anal glands are sore.

I'm not going to have them do any trimming down there again! In fact, I'll probably never bring her to a groomer again. I just did it to see how the "pros" would groom her (by "groom", I mean bathe and brush, not trim!) Plus, I wanted the hair trimmed out of the bottom of her feet, between the pads. She looked great, but I don't think she looked any better than when I do her at home. And I think she smelled better with the products I use. Plus, I lost almost an entire night's sleep worrying that they would cut off her feathers or slippers or mess up her coat somehow! Stupid, I know, but I read so many posts here about grooming horror stories!

I think once she gets over this episode, and unless she is showing major scooting behavior in the future, I am also going to call a moratorium on the anal gland expressing -- by the vet or anyone else!

**Phoebe** · 8th January 2008, 06:10 PM

Poor Daisy, it does sound as if she is pretty uncomfortable, hope it all settles down soon. I was thinking about trimming Phoebe's bum bum area but I don't think I will attempt it now!

**Daisy's Mom** · 9th January 2008, 05:36 PM

Daisy is a lot better now, hardly scooting at all. I still don't know whether it was the shaving or the expressing of the glands, but it seems to be settling down. They only shaved around her pee-pee (again, terminology?), but I'm sure that may be itchy now, and I don't think I'll ever have it done again.

**LuckysMommy** · 13th January 2008, 02:20 AM

I have two puppy cavs.

Lucky, my first cav scoots a lot!!! She's only 10 months and she's had them expressed 3 times since I've had her. Each time the vet does it I am in the room and I see that tons of stuff actually does come out.

Brett is only 4 months old and he's had them expressed once. He was literally scooting his butt across the whole room... until he came to the hardwood wood floor in the kitchen.

The vet recommended adding some pumpkin to their diet, to give them harder poops. I still have to try that.

Has anyone here had their cav's anal glands removed?

***Pauline*** · 13th January 2008, 11:28 AM

Is it not true that they scoot sometimes for no reason? Dylan does scoot for a couple of seconds sometimes and I have never emptied his anal glands. He actually does it less often than he used to and, like I say, he's never had them emptied. I do wonder if the vets who ask you to come in at regular intervals are after the money