Leaky anal glands

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runlikethewind
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Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 12:48 pm

Leaky anal glands

Post by runlikethewind »

Hi there

My female has this really terrible and irritating thing (terrible for us due to the smell and irritating because of the noise of her licking her bum for ages.....) where she periodically 'pops a gland' as we call it. :) The boy does not have this happen. I don't know what causes her to express when resting and not when she's having a poo like normal LOL but I heard pureed pumpkin could help - but they are both raw fed so I don't see how she needs her glands emptying more often? Is this just something that is specific and normal to her and for us just put up with it?

She never scoots but I have seen once the liquid was a white colour (not brown) She has a healthy looking bum hole LOL.
Last edited by runlikethewind on Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
runlikethewind
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by runlikethewind »

I can't find any pureed pumpkin anyway in the UK. They only say that for more roughage apparently - however, I thought more roughage would make the poop less hard and therefore less likely to naturally express the gland. Maybe I need to feed more bone.
Ari_RR
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by Ari_RR »

We had this with the boy.. Was some sort of AG infection, treated and quickly cured with medication injected through anus. Perhaps this a question to consult a vet about. We do give him pumpKin pure every day, maybe that played some role in avoiding a recurrence, but the original treatment was most definitely of medical nature, not a nutrition adjustment.

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ladybug1802
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by ladybug1802 »

Dylan sometimes has this as well....will be lying in the living room then start licking his bottom and I get that lovely smell! I thought this was normal though for them to express them at any time really? I dont think his express on their own very well even though his poos are,most of the time, nice and firm.
runlikethewind
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by runlikethewind »

Well from what I have read, it is not normal to do it whilst resting. They should express when having a poo but then I am not sure she has an infection but maybe she does. She is very happy and lively and they don't cause her trouble. She just does this ever so often - about once a week if that.
Ari_RR
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by Ari_RR »

If this was normal, there would have been fewer dog owners in this world, I am sure :lol:
No, normal is express after poo. In some cases dog's can't always express at that point. There probably could be various reasons.
But it's not just smell. If he can't express, glands fill up and this could be quite uncomfortable, I think.
I would check with the vet. If nothing is wrong and this is just how Dylan is - oh well.. But if this is something similar to Ari's case - then it's easy to treat, and both dog and owners feel much better after :lol:
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Nettle
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by Nettle »

I wonder if there is a grumbling infection, and the white fluid you saw was pus? I think a good look-over from a vet would be useful in case she has an abscess there, or something else easily resolved. It certainly isn't usual for a dog to lick there to express the gland, so I suspect something else in the immediate area.
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ladybug1802
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by ladybug1802 »

Dylan's used to express pretty regularly...when I first got him it was really regularly! That was when he was more nervy and didnt freak out at the vets, and the vet expressed them a copuple of times but said some dogs glands just dont express easily by themselves in the 'normal' way. There was nothing wrong with him...it was just how he is. He doesnt do it much now.

I would imagine if they arent bothering her too much, and she isnt scooting much then it isnt too much of an issue? But I dont really know!
Suzette
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Re: Leaky anal glands

Post by Suzette »

I thought the same thing as Nettle did - white discharge sounds like pus to me too. I would agree also that a vet check is in order to see exactly what's going on. Any time I've seen discharge from the anal glands, it's been brown, not white.
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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