About my little Dog,

[Bay_Beasty]

My elderly JRT has bad anal gland problems. She has to have them cleared about once every 6 weeks but she has been suffering from an infection in one of then for over 3 months now and been on and off anti b's. WE thought she was just getting really old, but with the last lot of anti b's she has reverted to her naughty little self. I have asked the vet if we can have them removed as it just seems to come back once the course is finished but they say she is too old to go under the knife. We can have her PTS as she is perfectly happy and is very very well when the infection is being treated!

Surely the sensible thing would be to remove the offending anal gland or am I being to simple!!! We don't know her age as she is a rescue but she could be as young as 11 or as old as 15!! She is around 10lbs in weight never more or less regardless of if she is on a diet or in she gets fed huge amounts (like now as the builder are in) and she keeps herself fit by pottering around are garden

here is a photo

what would you do???

 

[devilinajar]

Given her age had how major the op can be, i would say it is best to follow the vets advise. The op can lead to many problem after surgery with infections as the area is full of all kinds of nasty bacteria, and they can be very uncomfortable after for some time.

 

[Birker2020]

Our dog who is a 9 year old overweight beagle bitch keeps getting repeated anal gland problems which cause her great discomfort. She makes the situation worse by biting around her privates, noticeably her vulva in an attempt to elliviate the itching. She can scoot three 360 degree circles in a row when it starts to get itchy and we have cream to apply which heals it in a couple of days. The vet says that it is to do with the food she is eating as she was on tinned dog food and she has her glands emptied about four times a year. We would only put her through an op as a last resort as being overweight (whcih we are working on) and old is not a good combination for a G.A. The thing with tinned food is that it can be quite rich and does not pass out the dog easily due to its consistency. Therefore dried food is the best as it will help harden her stools so she can pass waste easier and thus avoid getting blocked glands all the time. The downside to biscuits is that they make her incredibly bloated so she f**ts for England!!!

 

[GreedyGuts]

I'd discuss the situation with your vet again. Anaesthesia is a risky business, particularly in older animals, but there are things that can be done to assess and minimise the dangers. If your dog is in reasonable shape without any heart/respiratory problems and is blood tested to screen for kidney and liver problems then age is not necessarily a reason not to go ahead, although your vet's trepidation is understandable if they feel that the problem can be controlled more safely using antibiotics when symptoms occur. However if you are considering having her PTS as the next option and you understand the risks then I would discuss it further with your vet. The other option would be to ask them to refer your dog.

 

[shazza283]

Have you tried using Profibre - it's a probiotic and fibre pellet that you add to feed daily - I use it for both of mine who have had ongoing problems - before using it they both needed reg emptying now 6 month+ on and no probs.

It used to be a bit high in salt for oldies but I believe they've reformulated it so the salt level is safe where there may be an oldie involved.

The probiotic seems to help way over and above just adding fibre to the diet - shame as I quite liked the odd bowl of all bran!!

I hope I'm not telling you stuff you've tried already - my approach would be no op - I wouldn't want the last thing they had to deal with to be having to go through stress of going to vets, being in a kennel, injections and then going to sleep maybe not waking up. Think your vet's right.

Is there any reason she can't just keep on the antibiotics all the time or do a week on week off sort of programme?

 

[jenh166]

I don't think it's so much the anaesthetic, but the complexity of the operation. It's difficult to remove anal glands without damaging any surrounding structures (e.g. pudendal artey, nerve and vein, or the external anal sphincter), as then you will end up with an incontinent dog... I would ask your vet about referral, as it's a possibility they are reluctant to operate as the operation isn't easy!
Also, in my experience, tinned foods help as they soften the stools so she won't strain so much.
Can the vet not teach you how to empty the glands yourself? Granted, it's smelly but it's easy to do!

 

[shazza283]

.....and if you're not confused now you never will be !!!

There's six different sorts of advice on here!

Think the best advice is ignore all us lot

- have another chat with your vet who's got the experience and knows your case - you can ask vet about all these things and they should be able to put all these suggestions in their right place.

Forgot to say she looks absolutely lovely - a right little pixie

- and the right thing to do is the best thing for her - the surgery and the anaesthetic are both hard things for an older dog to get through - and is it worth all that hardship for her?

Profibre is good for f**ting too!! - no I don't work for the company - just love the stuff and it's made my life so much easier and less smelly! My vet nurse friend reckons it has stopped her naughty lurcher running away too - he was always running off to scavenge and the profibre seems to have stopped him wanting to scavenge so he doesn't run off anymore

 

[hellybelly6]

I had a cat with anal problems. Vets do not like removing them as it can lead to constipation (as its secretions help lubricate the poo), also it can lead to nerve damage and subsequent continence problems. At least this is what I was advised.

Could your vet show you how to empty the glands to prevent recurrent infections?