Anal Gland problem

[My baby Milo]

My Milo is still having anal gland problems. His poop is firm. So i don't know what is going on. I am feeding him chicken soup puppy food from pet depot. Its a high quality food by what i have read. Should i try canned pumpkin even if his poop is firm? He is almost 6 months old.

[Maximo]

Poor Milo. Are his poops large enough? Sometimes size and firmness are required. Some of the high quality and high protein foods make poops really small.

Walks help too. My boys tend to empty their glands on walks, but not when they have to use the piddle pad.

[lillymae]

Often anal gland issues are caused by allergies. Maybe try a diff food, since the one you are feeding has chicken & lots of dogs are allergic to checken, try a diff meat.

[My baby Milo]

He does go on his pads with no problem. I think that it could be allergies because when I take him to the vet for them to check his anal glands they sometimes don't get anything out. They have never said it could b allergies tho. What kind of food should I try? I know this is driving him crazy.

[kjc]

Did he always have problems or did this just start? Does he strain alot while pooping or does it pass easily? Does he poop regularly or is he bloated and constipated? Are his poops on the dry side or soft but formed?

[My baby Milo]

He does poop about 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes it might be kinda soft but most of the time it's firm. I try to look at it because i pick it up and flush it. I had him for about 2 weeks when i noticed him scooting and licking. The 13th i will have had him 2 months. I did change his food from Diamond puppy food to Chicken Soup puppy food because the people at pet store said it was a much better quality food and we do feed our 2 outside dogs Chicken soup for adult dogs. I have noticed that one time today when he poop it was softer and it looked like it was wet. Could that be his anal gland expressing?

[TxVicki]

Have you had a fecal test done on him to make sure he has no worms?? You don't always see the worms, and a fecal test will tell you this.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by My baby Milo

He does poop about 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes it might be kinda soft but most of the time it's firm. I try to look at it because i pick it up and flush it. I had him for about 2 weeks when i noticed him scooting and licking. The 13th i will have had him 2 months. I did change his food from Diamond puppy food to Chicken Soup puppy food because the people at pet store said it was a much better quality food and we do feed our 2 outside dogs Chicken soup for adult dogs. I have noticed that one time today when he poop it was softer and it looked like it was wet. Could that be his anal gland expressing?

The wetness could be from anal gland secretions.

As I mentioned above, firmness is important, and sometimes bulk/size. If the poops are tiny, they may not be large enough to express the glands. Max had a problem when he was a pup after the vet manually retrieved a stool sample. Our breeder advised us to feed him a few baby sweet peas. The peas added bulk to his stool and this solved his problem.

My boys will not express their glands when they use the pads indoors. They express only when they are outside. Exercise seems to help.

[My baby Milo]

I have really looked at it and I haven't saw any. I am going to take him tomorrow to see what the vet says.

[Maximo]

If you see mucous, then it is definitely vet time. Has the vet checked to see if the anal sacs are full?

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by My baby Milo

I have really looked at it and I haven't saw any. I am going to take him tomorrow to see what the vet says.

Good plan.

[Latte's Mom]

I'll be interested in seeing what the vet says. After lots and lots of scooting, I do believe it is allergies with Latte. She has her anal sacs emptied every 2 weeks and after a vet check, there was nothing wrong with them. She's back on a fish and sweet potato diet and duck jerky for treats. After a month, I'll see if she can tolerate her favorite oatmeal and peanut butter cookies. Let us know what the vet says about Milo!

[My baby Milo]

I have not saw him scooting anymore just licking. He also licks his feet. I took him to the vet today to let them express his anal gland and only a tiny bit came out. They said it sounds like allergies for me to change his food. Any suggestions

[Britster]

Originally Posted by My baby Milo

I have not saw him scooting anymore just licking. He also licks his feet. I took him to the vet today to let them express his anal gland and only a tiny bit came out. They said it sounds like allergies for me to change his food. Any suggestions

A lot of dogs have chicken allergies. You could try a chicken and grain-free food to start. Something simple.

California Natural has some simple formulas with only one meat source - they have Lamb, Kangaroo, Salmon and Chicken grain-free.

Acana has four grainfree formulas and I think two or three of them don't include chicken.

Not that chicken is necessarily the culprit; sometimes it's just trial & error.

Jackson was eating some grain inclusive foods for a while and he began itching a bit more (nothing obsessive, but just more than usual, his hair also was coming out a bit more and obviously, they are non-shedding dogs, so that's not normal). Once I switched him back to grainfree, I found his minor problems went away. I'm not sure if it's grains in general, or something more specific, like maybe the barley or oatmeal. I dunno.

I feel like it's mostly just trial & error and finding what works best for your dog.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Maximo

The wetness could be from anal gland secretions.

As I mentioned above, firmness is important, and sometimes bulk/size. If the poops are tiny, they may not be large enough to express the glands. Max had a problem when he was a pup after the vet manually retrieved a stool sample. Our breeder advised us to feed him a few baby sweet peas. The peas added bulk to his stool and this solved his problem.

My boys will not express their glands when they use the pads indoors. They express only when they are outside. Exercise seems to help.

Have not read that before, very interesting, but it make sense since the purpose of the gland is to communicate with other dogs.