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Anal gland problem?

Anal Glands

We have a foster dog that had the worst anal glands. When we first got him we took him to the vet and his glands were so compacted that they couldn't be drained either. He was put onto antibiotics for a week. Once the antibiotics were finished, the vet cleared them out (very unpleasent for all involved) and he was given an injection to help clear anything else. He was also put onto more antibiotics. For the next five(ish) days his glands were seeping and I was constantly running after him with babywipes. The smell was very bad and he seemed quite uncomfortable (esp when he was going to the toilet) but it did the trick. (y)
 
She's doing so much better and she now has a foster cavalier for company.
She's had no side effects yet from antibiotics(vet said she could get diarrhoea) and she's back on Wednesday to vet.Lorebringer....Thanks for the warning about the aftermath of having the glands cleared.I started my career about 20 years ago in a veterinary diagnostic lab so I have a reasonably robust constitution, I suspect I'll need it.
Sins
 
Bella had an upset tummy within a week of getting her, and so her anal glands didn't empty properly. So after I noticed her scooting, I took her to the vet who said he glands were infected and I should keep an eye on them. I have taken her back several times and they said they are now normal (I make sure her poos are firm) - but she still scoots from time to time! :bang:
 
Anal gland abscesses can happen occasionally to any breed of dog.

Some owners give a little bran in with the dog's food to make the motions bulkier & so make sure the glands are more likely to be emptied of their contents.

I had one dog that had ongoing & very persistent anal gland infection which just did not clear up. The surgery had to go very deep & I was warned that there was a chance that he would be incontinent of faeces.
Fortunately it did not happen.

It is not something I would want to do unless I was sure that there was really no other option.

Margaret C
 
Glad that Daisy is on the road to recovery - and hope that your son is too!!

Some Cavaliers really seem to suffer with anal gland problems, whatever they are fed, so the best thing is to check them regularly, at least once a month.

A vet, vet nurse or good groomer can teach you how to check them and empty them, and this is something we all really need to know - it's not that bad when you get used to it!! We do ours once a month - some are always ok, others seem to need them emptied.

It used to be said that once you started emptying them that you would always need to, but I've been told by the vets that that isn't true - some dogs just can't empty them themselves and need them done.

Impacted - and especially infected - anal glands are extremely painful for the dog, and the surgery really is a very last resort.
 
Thanks Nicki,
She's been back to the vet and had them completely cleared and has made a perfect recovery.I'll ask the vet to show me next time.I have no problem at all doing this, just holding her is the difficult part...she's a very ill tempered patient with very sharp teeth.
Sins
 
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