couple of questions...

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simonejp

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not the most delightful subject, but was wondering if anyone knew anything about anal glands in male dogs. my springer went into the vets a couple of months ago with an infection in his, which i understand is quite common. all treated and fine now. just wondered how common it is and if there is anything i can do to prevent it?
also any owners out there with springers or dogs with fluffy ears. do you cut the hair on the inside of the ear to prevent infection, or just keep it clean and tangle free? he is brushed every day. sorry for the odd questions!!
any advice would be greatful. thanks...
 
Yes its very common - in both males and females of all breeds! The anal glands are little sacs that sit inside the anus and should empty naturally when the dog passes a stool. Unfortunately the duct leading from the sac is quite narrow so its very easy to get blocked leading to impacted anal glands - its not the cleanest of areas and so infection and even abscessation can often follow.
When the glands are full the typical thing is seeing the dog scooting his bottom along the floor or licking his bottom a lot. They can usually then be squeezed to release them but if it has gone that stage further then a course of antibiotics or even flushing of the gland may be required.
Some dogs need this doing regularly - some never. The worst dog I know needs it doing every 3 weeks!! My own dogs every now and again. The only thing you could try at home to prevent the glands getting blocked is to increase the fibre content of his feed - the idea is to make his poos as big and firm as possible so there is more chance the glands will empty in the natural way. If not regular emptying may be required but in extreme cases that are either needing doing all the time or have persistant infections the glands can be removed as they serve no purpose other than making a smell - this is quite delicate surgery however so needs an experienced surgeon.
As far as the ears are concerned - do you mean knots on the actual ear flaps - if you do I'd probably clip them off. If you mean the hair actually inside the ear canal - I tend to pluck it out if it is excessive and affecting the natural cleaning of the ear. If his ears are getting very waxy I would get a good ear cleaner such as 'clean-aural' and clean them out once a month.
 
thankyou for the information. hopefully he wont be disturbed by them too much in his life! but will always keep an eye out, and maybe add a little more fibre to his food.
his ears don't seem to be a problem at the moment, but if they need it will keep the hair to a minimum.
thanks again.
 
Im lucky, my spaniel will sit and let me either run clippers up the insides of her earflaps or I can got at them with blunt end scissors. The trick is to get the angle right so loose hair doesnt fall into the ear canal and irritate them.
 
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