Anal Glands Question

[Lola B Marie]

Every time I take Lola to have her nails cut, the vet takes her in the back and I never see what he does. She always seems happy to go with him or the tech. When she comes back, her nails are cut and her butt is all wet. In the parking lot, she tries to sit and drag her bottom. Sometimes she has diarrhea. I asked at the desk and was told the dr. expressed her glands. Why does he do this? Is this necessary?She has no odor ,is not puffy , and does not lick herself very much. I don't remember ever having this done to any of my dogs. I never asked for Lola to have this done. There is no charge on my bill for this or her nails. Should this be done on a need to do basis? Your imput is very much appreciated. Thanks,
Jane

[AngelBunny]

Her anal sacs are expressed everytime her nails are trimmed?? How often are her nails trimmed?

I'm trying to remember if either of our girls (7 yo & 8 yo+/-) ever had their anal sacs expressed during a vet visit and I'm drawing a blank.

On the nail issue--is there a reason you don't do them yourself?

[targonrotts]

also, sometimes just from stress or excitement they can self express the anal glands...and can have loose stool from all the stress too.
anal glands are usually expressed if dog has been having a scooting issue,being groomed,or swollen/difficulty with the rear end.
why don't they do the nails while in the room with you?
we only take the dog to the back for nails only if all rooms are full, we are packed and it's just for nails or if dog behaves better without owner.

[Lola B Marie]

In replies to questions, Lola's nails are completely black and I am so afraid of hurting her that I think she can sense that. At the vet which is 10 min. from here, he never minds when I call and bring her in. Because she was so sick as a pup,she still requires blood work to check bacteria levels. He keeps a close watch over her. Her nails get cut about every 6 weeks unless she has done some serious pavement walks which are rare. Usually she runs on the beach or on the grass or is swimming. I never realized he was cleaning her anal glands every other visit. I just thought he was checking her out and cleaning her off. I don't know why she goes in the back. She comes in, everyone greets her and pets her. The tech walks her to the scale. She gets on and then we go to exam room. Vet come in gives her full body check then says let's go and she follows him in the back where the hospital rooms are. I wait in the exam room. I think they need an army to hold her. She gets fresh cooked chicken while they trim. She never bleeds and he did say that the quick is very close to the front of her nail so he can't take off too much and needs to come often. He did show me how to cut her nails. I didn't have te force in my wrist and the ability to hold her at the same time. I was just wondering if anal gland cleaning is something that is common. If not, and I take the opinions here very seriously, I will request him not to do this. Thanks so much for replies.
Jane

[Dugganmom]

Anal glads have been talked about alot lately on a rescue forum...Does my dogs need to have it done? I have never had a problem with it. (knock on wood)Also the vet takes my dogs out of the room when I have them clip there nails, I usally only have them clip there nails if they are there for a check and need it done otherwise I do it at home. My rescue Pit Bull who is my foster will NOT let me clip his nails so someone from the rescue will do it or the vet..

[Sissy]

My vet checks occasionally my older dog's anal glands, because they do not always empty while pooping. This is always done in my presence, I never let anyone alone with my dogs whatever the reason. Even in operations I am there. I don't think that this should be done in every visit. I suggest you demand that you follow him to the exam room.

[brunie's mom]

It is not normal for a dog eating a healthy diet to need anal glands to be expressed. I know that your Lola is on a homecooked diet, and maybe there is not enough fibre in the diet for her glands to express on their own with each bowel movement? Try adding a handful of Branflakes to her meal once a day...that may help firm up things enough so that she does not need the glands squeezed.

All Rottweilers have black nails, and only a little should be taken off each trim.
I trim my dog's nails every week...take a small amount off...and no bleeding.

You should be able to trim her nails yourself...just remember less is fine as long as you do it often.

Gina

[Anne]

The only dog I've ever had the vet empty anal glands with was a baby Cavalier puppy. The other Cavalier had no probs. I've had a number of Rottweilers, both my own and rescue dogs and never had an anal gland prob. with the Rottweilers. I've see the Cav's scoot to successfully empty their glands themselves but have never seen any of the Rottweilers scoot.

[Nina&Bill]

Originally Posted by Anne

I've had a number of Rottweilers, both my own and rescue dogs and never had an anal gland prob. with the Rottweilers.

FWIW I just went through a nightmare this May regarding Amber & an impacted anal gland. Smidgen never had a problem and neither had Amber...up until I caught her licking herself bald. By the time I got her to the vet she had punctured the gland and it was a big, oozing mess. 2 different courses of antibiotics, dog pants, one miserable rottie all over the course of a month...it was pretty bleak. While I don't think your dog should need to have their anal glands expressed every few weeks it may be necessary to do on occasion. Definitely up the fiber.

And good luck!

Nina

[Lola B Marie]

Thanks all, I will up the fiber with the bran flakes. She gets wheat germ in her food and blueberries for treats 1/2 cup servings, but perhaps she needs more.
Jane

[groupieindenial]

I don't think she needs her anal glands expressed regularly. I had an issue not long ago with my dog, who when switched foods got the runs for a week, so when they firmed up, he had stinky bum. I knew what it was from reading what it smells like on this forum (fishy smell) and it wasn't his breath! I added 2 tbsp of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) (natural feed additive kind) to each meal, and within a few days he was better. I continued giving it for a week or so. THey say that doing this for 10 days also naturally deworms them, so you don't need to ever use chemicals every again.

[zorro13]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

It is not normal for a dog eating a healthy diet to need anal glands to be expressed. I know that your Lola is on a homecooked diet, and maybe there is not enough fibre in the diet for her glands to express on their own with each bowel movement? Try adding a handful of Branflakes to her meal once a day...that may help firm up things enough so that she does not need the glands squeezed.

All Rottweilers have black nails, and only a little should be taken off each trim.
I trim my dog's nails every week...take a small amount off...and no bleeding.

You should be able to trim her nails yourself...just remember less is fine as long as you do it often.

Gina

Quick question if you don't mind. My dog Zorro needs to have his anal glands expressed, probably a few times a year, it depends. He always has good firm stools and doesn't stink. Because of his food allergy issues, he eats bison/salmon (solid gold). So, bran flakes can help with this also in his circumstance or anything else you can suggest?

[styric]

Originally Posted by groupieindenial

THey say that doing this for 10 days also naturally deworms them, so you don't need to ever use chemicals every again.

That is erroneous.

Chemical deworming products are designed to get rid of as many parasites as possible, while keeping the gut flora still active and effective. It's a balancing act - the idea is to keep the number of parasites to a minimum, not achieve a total kill. You'd kill your dog if you removed ALL parasites.

As far as I know, there have been no experiments to indicate whether this would be truly effective AND SAFE. Then there's the question of dosage - how much would you give, and how often? There are no true tested data to help here.

If you are handling this substance regularily, make sure you're using a proper mask. Another name for diatomaceous earth (DE) is crystalline silica, and high-level exposure to the dust from the product has been implicated in some forms of lung cancer. DE is very fine powder, and the dust from it is finer still - even a very slight air movement is enough to create a cloud that a handler or dogs would be likely to inhale. The action that is supposed to kill parasites in the stomach and intestines - a scrubbing action created by the razor-sharp edges of the particles - can cause bleeding and cysts in the lungs.

If you are asthmatic, or have kids, you shouldn't even be handling this stuff.

Natural is not the same as safe.. We simply don't know enough about the effects of DE on internal parasites, and you should not try to use this as a substitute for a proper deworming program.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by zorro13

Quick question if you don't mind. My dog Zorro needs to have his anal glands expressed, probably a few times a year, it depends. He always has good firm stools and doesn't stink. Because of his food allergy issues, he eats bison/salmon (solid gold). So, bran flakes can help with this also in his circumstance or anything else you can suggest?

I would think any good fibre would help with keeping the anal glands empty, Bran Flakes, Bran Buds....or maybe something like Metamucil? One vet I worked with always used to suggest Bran Flakes added to a dogs diet...and usually the results were good to keep the anal glands empty. It's not common for large dogs, eating a good healthy diet to have problems with anal glands. I've had numerous dogs in the last 30 years and the only dogs that had problems were the miniature Poodles. Also..all my dogs h ave always eaten fruits and veggies through the years too.

Gina

[groupieindenial]

Originally Posted by styric

That is erroneous.

Chemical deworming products are designed to get rid of as many parasites as possible, while keeping the gut flora still active and effective. It's a balancing act - the idea is to keep the number of parasites to a minimum, not achieve a total kill. You'd kill your dog if you removed ALL parasites.

As far as I know, there have been no experiments to indicate whether this would be truly effective AND SAFE. Then there's the question of dosage - how much would you give, and how often? There are no true tested data to help here.

If you are handling this substance regularily, make sure you're using a proper mask. Another name for diatomaceous earth (DE) is crystalline silica, and high-level exposure to the dust from the product has been implicated in some forms of lung cancer. DE is very fine powder, and the dust from it is finer still - even a very slight air movement is enough to create a cloud that a handler or dogs would be likely to inhale. The action that is supposed to kill parasites in the stomach and intestines - a scrubbing action created by the razor-sharp edges of the particles - can cause bleeding and cysts in the lungs.

If you are asthmatic, or have kids, you shouldn't even be handling this stuff.

Natural is not the same as safe.. We simply don't know enough about the effects of DE on internal parasites, and you should not try to use this as a substitute for a proper deworming program.

It is indeed approved as a natural feed additive by the FDA. Its ground up fossils from aqua marine life. Farmers have been, and currently use this storing thier grains, and as an additive to their feeds. ITs been added into commercial dog kibble before, except it makes the kibble REALLY REALLY hard. Handling is common sense, the key is wetting it down, I.e. if you add it to your dogs food, stir in some water and wet the powder down. If you apply it to your garden, use a spray bottle and mix it - target your areas.

There indeed are many studies that prove the success rate of eliminating parasites in animals. DE has been used for over 50 years, and has become much more common in the farming community in the last 30+ years.
A bunch of study references are listed here.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_org_research.php?id=41
http://www.postfinder.com/post/24460669.html

Many have found success in using this in so many different aspects. Rid fleas. It's cured leaky anal glands. It's a great known toxin binder. Organic gardeners use it too. I have seen the stuff sold in little containers at pet stores as a "digestive aid".