Possible Anal Gland issue...

[XyberPunk9]

My Catahoula recently went with us for a visit to a frriend's house for some socialization with some other dogs. (Didn't go well unfortunatly. Wont go into that since that's not my concern at the moment)

When we got home, withing a few days we noticed the poor girl got a healthy dose of fleas. Well, after a few baths to get rid of the little buggers, I noticed she was still digging and scratching at her rear end. When I went to inspect her hiney, she had already worn the area bald and was now greatly irritated. I did a home brew remedy (since unfortunatly I wasn't getting paid for a few days at this time). A little Boudreaux's Butt Paste (Yes, I know it sounds bizare but it's a real product. LOL It's meant for diaper rash on babies.. and it's pronounced Bood-row) on the irritated area plus a touch of baby powder to keep the area dry and prevent further irritation. So far it has worked blissfully and she hasn't been going at it as much. but I noticed what looks like a small pin prick of a hole on the right side of her anus that seems red still..

Called my vet to ask what it was and got all the gorey details. Here is my question...

How do I tend to that.. I was told to squeeze it by my vet's secretary. How exactly do I go about this process? Go after it like a pimple or what? (Fortunatly I get paid tomorrow, so she's going to the vet anyway) But I want to know how to make her more comfortable in the mean time.. Thank you in advance..

[runlikethewind]

I can't understand this advice you have been given to squeeze a pinprick hole on the outside of the anus. Anal glands are inside the anus so I don't think she has an anal gland issue unless she has been scooting her butt along the ground. Emptying anal glands requires a detailed explanation but I don't think this is your issue.

I'm sorry for my directness here but I don' think you should be using baby products on your dog's bottom - think increased irritation from perfumes and talc which can bloke pores. It is also possible that the flea bath had some strong chemicals in it which has irritated this area. Try spot on treatment for fleas instead.

See what the vet has to say tomorrow.

[XyberPunk9]

yeah, I thought her advice sounded.. well.. stupid..

as for my current treatment plan. Okay.. I was just trying to give her a quick relief until we saw the vet tomorrow.. anything else I can use on her poor butt in the mean time?

[runlikethewind]

well aloe vera gel is very gentle and soothing and is ok if it is licked off.

[ladybug1802]

No like Runlikethewind has said this does not sound like an anal glad issue....they are inside the anus on either side, and the dog would be scooting his bum along the ground and/or turning round and licking under the tail. I am very surprised the vet suggested you do anything to the hole without her seeing it herself and knowing what it is.

I agree as well that you should be putting anything like human skin products on the dog's skin as they can irritate majorly. I think if anything use aloe vera as suggested, but other than that leave it well alone until you see the vet!

[Wicket]

Working as bather, you can technically expunge the anal glad from the outside and the inside of a dog. If the anal glands become impacted, they will become hard heavy sacs that bulges outside of the dog. I would definitely go see the vet and mention your dog's itchiness as well. While I'm not a vet or vet tech, I've heard that mange can cause bald spots and extreme itchiness. Let us know how the vet goes.

[XyberPunk9]

vet check up went okay. Turns out Shiloh has some hyper sensitive skin issues and will probably always be prone to bouts of the itchies. She is going on a regimine of Prednisone (a steroid and anti-inflamitory) to help curb Shiloh's desire to scratch and lick and give her skin time to heal.. And because of all that licking and scratching, she got her rear end area infected (amazing how fast something like that can happen in only a few days) so she is also on an antibiotic.

Shiloh also has an ear infection going on (which my vet explained Catahoulas can be prone to because of the way their ears hangand dont always allow moisture to leave the ear) so she is now also on an ear solution to clean out her ears. so hopefully, very soon, I'll be back to a happy healthy pup.

[runlikethewind]

Ok.. as several Members here have said in the past to other - just because a dog has droopy ears, doesn't mean it is prone to infections... Think about all the spaniels out there with healthy ears? What are you feeding her? Sometimes infections can be related to excess yeast/ poor diets. It is often not until you get a problem like this that you begin to learn and question diets so you are not at fault if you feed a poor quality food.

I'm also concerned that you have been given steriods to give to the dog. I mean - how bad is her baldness and scratching? Steriods are a serious last resort in my opinion. Is it a steriod cream or injections? I think I read it is a cream. To begin with, you have no idea what is causing the itchiness in the first place. There is a reason why your dog is itchy and I find it quite irritating on your behalf that the vet has not explained what could be causing it, thus giving you a chance to deal with any environmental or dietary issues first of all. I have a dog who is allergic to dust mites and certain grass pollen (we know what because we had to have tests done) and we manage the situation with the following:

an omega 3 supplement
dustmite covers on all bedding
wipe down with microfibre cloth in the summer
a raw food diet (but our dermatlologist and I have a great debate about this!)
Dermacton cream or aloe vera cream applied before walks so he does not like it off.

At least you should be trying a diet without grain for example or maybe considering a dietary intolerance - especially with itchiness around the bottom.