# Anal Glands



## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

Anybody have any suggestions for infected anal glands? 

Background: Ted's anal glands were infected in July. When the vet expressed them, all that came out was blood. Symptoms were smell, blood around stool (not in it, but dripping around it, stool is solid and formed), and him chewing at them. The vet infused them with antibiotics and gave us 2 weeks of cipro. After a week, we took him back in because they were not getting better and she expressed them again of the blood and infused them again. She gave us more cipro and they seemed to clear up after a week.

Present: The smell, chewing and blood around the stool returned in early November. At the first sign of symptoms, we took him back, sure enough she expressed them and all that came out was blood. She infused them again and said this time she would want to keep him on cipro for longer just to make sure we knocked out the infection. Last week, three weeks after beginning treatment, we took him back in because he was still chewing, still bloody stools and smell. Same thing, infused them with antibiotics and gave us 3 more weeks of cipro.

Question: Is there anything I can do besides the cipro to help him? Should we ask to switch antibiotics? He doesn't seem to be improving and keeps chewing/licking at them. She said if they don't clear up, she wants to remove them. Any negative impacts of removing anal glands? What is the recovery time?

Thanks for your help!


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## Gina Pasieka (Apr 25, 2010)

How old is your dog? Couple of things you can try. First I would try to add in some extra fiber to your dogs diet in an attempt to get your dog to express them himself. You can try adding canned pumpkin. You can also request that your veterinarian teaches you how to express them yourself . You can do it routinely once a week to keep them empty. The other thing I find that dogs with chronic anal gland issues can have food allergies, so you may want to talk to your vet about trying a novel protein food for 12 weeks to see if that helps. 
Anal gland issues can be very frustrating, however you want to try to get this under control before he has too much scarring. You never want to be left with having to do surgery, as there is a risk for incontinence afterwards.


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

He is 5 and is in normal weight range for his size. I will try adding some fiber to see if it helps. When the vet drained them, she said she did not feel any abcesses and the only secretion was blood. They did not contain pus, just blood. She told me he may not be secreting them when he relieves himself, but I do see blood drippings.

He is currently on Acana lamb. We did switch their food right around the time he first had issues to Nature's Variety Instinct Beef (stopped this food because it made all 3 of the dogs constipated). I will switch back to the Acana fish as he seemed to do best on that. When I first got him, he seemed to have an allergy to wheat, so he has been fed grain free since then. We also think he has some environmental allergies to grass. Not sure if this can be affecting them, but we did just overseed the lawn in October.

Should we continue on the antibiotics until new food has a chance to settle the glands? Should we try switching antibiotics. I have a call into my vet to discuss with her, but when I bring him back in I will ask her to show me how to express them myself.

Thank you.


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## Julia Jones (Aug 10, 2010)

Expressing them yourself might be helpful. I have a doberman who has anal gland issues and have to empty them myself from time to time to prevent infection when I notice they bother him. I would ask her why she is keeping him on the cipro and discuss changing the antibiotics. What is she infusing into the empty anal glands? If she infuses them it might not be recommended to express them yourself until the infection clears up, otherwise you'll just be expressing out whatever ABx solution they have in there.

The surgery is expensive and there is always the risk of the dog becoming incontinent. I have seen the procedure done on several large dogs without any problems or incontinence afterwards. I would consider removing them as a last resort and ask to try other options before going that route.

Switching my doberman's diet helped with his glands a lot. He always used to get bad GI upset with chicken as the protein source but I finally found a food that doesn't piss off his GI and keeps the anal gland issues to a minimum.


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## Steve Estrada (Mar 6, 2011)

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to express anal glands. Amazing (and scary) what can be found there. I think a raw food diet with Honest Kitchen, maybe preference to not have constipation. You may have to find the right protein for your dog but should have bone in it. I agree with the pumpkin also. Have they done any blood work? Good luck...


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't want to have the surgery and will keep that as a last resort. I agree I shouldn't express them with the infusion, but I feel like he licks the infusion out after a day or two. The dreaded cone may be coming out. I will talk to the vet to see if I should be expressing them. 

I left a message for the vet to call me. I plan on asking what she used to infuse them with and if an alternative antibiotic is worth trying. She told me some dogs require months of oral antibiotics for recurring anal gland infections because of the location and to make sure the infection is completely gone. 

He has not had any blood tests. He did have a fecal exam which was negative. The infection is impacting his mood and I want to clear this up. The last time he had surgery, removed a cyst from the base of the underside of the tail, he became very aggressive and agitated. 

Thanks.


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

I just spoke to the vet. I didn't get the name of the ointment she infused him with, but she said it was an antibiotic/antifungal ointment. She did suggest we change his antibiotic to something else, a lot more money, but could be more effective. I will post the name of it later tonight when I pick it up. She said not to express them now as they probably don't have much build up since he was last expressed last Wednesday. She wants to do a recheck next week and will express/infuse them if necessary.

We spoke about the next step if this doesn't work and she said she would probably sedate him, flush them out, and infuse them. The other option is removal, but I stated I would like to try all options before that.

I will post tonight with the new meds, but any further advice is appreciated. 

Thanks.


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## Larry Krohn (Nov 18, 2010)

How is the stool. if it is constantly too soft the glands won't empty like they should. My rotty use to have the same problem until i found a food that kept his stool hard, now no problems. it sounds like your dog is having them get backed up and that causes the infection


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

Stool is firm, formed and solid. He expresses some blood when he goes.


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## Lisa Brazeau (May 6, 2010)

My Presa has this exact issue. She has developed a fistula, and sometimes it just flairs up. So far, everyone's suggestions have worked for us - fiber, more bone, immune supplements. We have only had to treat with heavy-duty antibiotics once. Every once in a while it will get irritated and she will lick a lot, bloody secretion etc (like you're describing) but it usually clears up on its own if we up the fiber and bones.


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## Gerald Guay (Jun 15, 2010)

Your vet should also be looking at the possibility of Perianal Fistulas.

You did not mention giving your dog treats. Do you and what are they?

Best of luck with this.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Keith
if the background you provided was complete my advice is maybe you need to look for another vet
- i realize that may seem harsh....

1. as many have said already here, there are different reasons for this type of persistent problem that should be looked in to and discussed by your vet when it occurs and especially when it pops up again
2. drugs can help but rarely cure
3. ANYone can and should know how to express anal glands if needed, and a vet can surely demo this procedure, BUT just doing it yourself is not always the cure either since, as i understand it, this is what a dog should be able to do on its own
4. the longer it goes on the more chronic the problem often gets, and from those i have heard about the problem usually gives warning signs (butt licking, etc), so maybe that needs to be reviewed.....it might be a good idea to learn how to recognize anal glad smell in dog poops normally, just to know "it's happening"
5. just had a gsd owner who spent a lot for specialist type laser surgery and when i discussed it in detail with her she had just never been as observant as she probably shoulda been and regrets it now.....also regrets that her general vet didn't notice it, address it or discuss it either

if, on the other hand you feel your vet is educating you as well as treating your dogs when you take your dogs there, fine; but that didn't come across the way i read your post
- but i'm a firm believer a good vet will do this, and every time you take a dog in you should leave with a little more knowledge


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## Steve Estrada (Mar 6, 2011)

I concur with Rick and hopefully is not being misdiagnosed, what about a blood panel to rule out anything else? Another vet is a great option for second opinion, just for that!


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

The new antibiotic is called "Simplicef." The website for it says its used to treat skin infections, but she said this was the alternative to cipro for now for Ted.

http://www.simplicef.com/Simplicef.aspx?country=US&species=OO&drug=SI&sec=000

I did ask about Perianal Fistulas and there was no visual sign and nothing else indicating a diagnosis. After the last infection, I recognized the symptoms right away this time and got him to the vet the same day. The smell is not something I will be able to forget. 

From everything I read online, the vet is doing everything that is recommended for anal gland infections. I spoke to another vet in the same office when I went to pick up the meds and she agrees to try this course of antibiotics. 

I started adding additional fiber last night and we started the new antibiotics yesterday afternoon. He was not licking or chewing at it at all this morning, which is a very good sign since this is the first day he hasn't done that.

I absolutely think my current vet is competent, spends the time explaining things too me, even if I don't portray that in my posts. There are 4 vets in the office and I will work with 3 out of the 4. Ted has been to another vet in the past and I did extensive research/interviews of new vets before we changed. From everything I found online, anal gland infections can take a long time to clear up because of their location and the bacteria that inhabits that area. 

With that being said, I did consult with another vet last night, a family friend not in my vet's office. He told me anal gland infections can respond to different antibiotics. He said we are doing everything he would do and we need to give it time to resolve. He also said some dogs may have chronic anal gland infections and the only treatment would be removal, but said to try the new antibiotic, and the additional fiber can help firm his stools to better express his glands himself.

I also spoke to a holistic vet yesterday who recommended some natural alternatives if this round of antibiotics does not resolve his issues. Her recommendation too was to finish the antibiotics and see where we are at after a week. All three vets said he may need to be on antibiotics for a few months to make sure the infection is completely gone.

I am optimistic that once we get this cleared up and with the changes in his diet that this will not become a chronic issue.

Thank you for your suggestions regarding diet.


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## Gerald Guay (Jun 15, 2010)

Your problem sounds like what we just went through with our dog. Her stools were only a little soft but there was localized blood on the outside of the stool (not in the stool) and the smell was horrific. She was leaking between stools and had to be washed constantly. The odor was like a mix of anal gland smell and s__t. When washing the anus and the fur around the anus the towels were tainted with a blood/intestinal secretion mix. Once we found the culprit the problem resolved in 2 days. That is why I asked you if you have been giving your dog treats. We were using pieces chicken tenders as award while training in food drive. Eventually we stopped giving the tenders and the problem went away. Further research and we found this on the web:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm280586.htm

Best of luck,


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## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

Sorry Gerald, forgot to respond. No chicken jerky treats here. He almost died from some chicken jerky treats back in 2007. It was right when they first issued a warning, something we did not know about at the time. He gets grain free treats daily and high value food rewards when training new things. I am going to stop with the treats and go back to his old food and see if this improves anything. When someone posted about this, it got me thinking how the first time around was around the same time he had his first infection. However, this time we haven't changed anything, except the owner of the food manufacturer of his treats has changed (evo...) . Maybe they changed something in the formula. I will remove him from that like I said and see if that helps.

Thanks!


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