# anal glands keep filling up -- puppy



## HavAnother (Apr 12, 2011)

Our new 12 week old male puppy has needed his anal glands expressed twice in past 10 days -- and our vet is a little concerned that he might be <<one of those dogs>> that tends to have this problem. Does anyone here have experience with this? Does it resolve with age, as he grows? What would be the best course of action if it turns out to be a lifelong issue? -- surgery to remove the glands?

The vet recommended a little extra fiber in his diet, using pumpkin pulp (canned).

Thanks for your insights...


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Touch wood have never had this problem, though have heard of the pumpkin pulp being used.Sorry not much help.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Same here. Kodi is 2 and has never needed his anal glands expressed. I did work, in the beginning, to find a food that gave him good consistency stools (well formed) and I've been told that this helps prevent the problem by putting a little pressure on the glands every time they go.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi, unfortunately I do have this problem with my Jasper. I need to have his expressed every 4-8 weeks. fiber does help. And it is easier if the food you feed has at least 4-5%

I have heard, unless they get infected or impacted all the time-- it is best not to do the surgery as it can lead to incontinence. I've been told, The best route is to have them routinely expressed. But I would be really curious if your vet reccommends the surgery-- perhaps there are new procedures that have fewer side effects.

One thing, that has helped us is a supplement cailed arabinogalatin powder. It is a prebiotic fiber, but it also has is a powerful autoimmune support. I am not sure what the dose would be for a puppy... You have to mess with the dose-- too much can make it worse. we were told to start with 1/4 tsp twice a day and go from there. Jasper now gets 1/8th tsp once or twice a day. It has allowed us to 6 -8 weeks most of the time.

My vet suspects allergies as a possible cause, and a raw diet (with extra fiber) has helped... but also Jasper's AG's are misplaced...so all the fiber in the world doesn't help poor Jasper. His need to be expressed from the inside, if done right, by my vet with magic fingers it lasts a really long time, whenever it is done by a vet tech I am back in 4 weeks. 

good luck. I would really do research before doing the surgery. But I would love to hear what you find out.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

HavAnother said:


> Our new 12 week old male puppy has needed his anal glands expressed twice in past 10 days -- and our vet is a little concerned that he might be <<one of those dogs>> that tends to have this problem. Does anyone here have experience with this? Does it resolve with age, as he grows? What would be the best course of action if it turns out to be a lifelong issue? -- surgery to remove the glands?
> 
> The vet recommended a little extra fiber in his diet, using pumpkin pulp (canned).
> 
> Thanks for your insights...


 Try what the vet said to do. What kind of food are you giving your pup. We feed Blue Buffalo small bread puppy food and neither of my Havanese have ever had to have that done. Our vet said we would know because they would rub their buts on the floor. He did show me how to do it just encase It was necessary.


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## Sivi (Jun 1, 2010)

I am curious, what are the symptoms?


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

I am sorry you are having this problem. Your dog may grow out of this. Diet and exercise can help to a point. Although it is not a pleasent task you can learn to express the glands. When my Lhasa had paralysis after a disk problem, I needed to do this as he was not exercising and eating mushy high water content food so he would not strain to poop. Thankfully he recovered and is expressing them himself these days. The vet can show you how (really stinky) and recomend how often. This way you can save your dog the stress of going to the vet just for this. Hopefully it will clear up.


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

Hard poop is the best remedy for this. If you ar squeezing his anal glands too often, he may develop chronical problem. When i picked Roki, breeder told me not to let anyone express his anal glands without my knowledge. He also told me to give him good quality kibble and good quality bolied meat shreded in smal pieces. He also told me that canned food of any kind is not the best choice because of high water content that makes the poop soft. Roki is not big eater, but now he accepted Taste of The Wild bison formula. He is eating once a day 3/4 cup and vet says he has perfect body weight. Poop is firm and cates with substance that looks like oil, but it is in fact substnce from anal glands. 
Try altering his diet. Try no grain formulas because they produce firm stools in smaller quantities. Probiotics and brewers yeast is also very good. Avoid treats and food with added sugar. Changing diet can do wonders. I changed Science diet (he was fartin soooo much! ugh!) to Royal Canin. But then potty accidents started to happen. . I wasn't happy with the formula because it contained corn so I decided I will start with TOTW. Guess what? After a week potty (pee pee) accidents stopped miraculously. Afterward i connected them with - food!


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