# Anal gland issues solved by food change?



## dogperson423

Sometimes my dog seems to release her anal glands for no apparent reason, and it can be quite often. I've been told that changing her food can help solve this problem better than having the vet release them repeatedly. Anyone have any success doing this? Or even heard that it might help? If so, what types of foods would help? (I feed my dog Iams currently, the regular kind in the green bag). Thanks!


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## Jax

The idea is that if her stool is too soft/loose, they aren't being expressed naturally when she eliminates. The stool should be firm enough that she's not constipated, but so that pressure is exerted on the glands as the waste comes out. If she's on Iams, her stool probably isn't terribly firm. 

If you switch, you'd want to look for a higher quality food, or perhaps one that agrees with her more. Most people seem to see firmer stool quality with higher protein and/or grain free/low grain foods (Evo, Orijen, Blue Wilderness, Taste of the Wild, Canidae, Merrick, etc.) - but beware that some high protein foods, particularly those high in red meat, seem to be too rich for some dogs.


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## dogperson423

How would I know if its too rich? Do you mean it would have the opposite effect than I'd be looking for and make her stool even softer? It's inconsistent now.. sometimes its soft sometimes its firmer, but she doesn't get fed anything different.. I've also heard that if she doesn't completely finish pooping each time she goes, it could cause the same problem.. Which is possible because each time she goes she runs to me to praise her for going outside


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## Jax

Yes, if it was too rich she'd have soft stool/diarrhea that didn't improve even after she was fully adjusted to the food. Not finishing COULD be part of it, but the inconsistent stool is a likely culprit too. Not having consistent stool is a good reason to give another food a try - as long as you're not constantly feeding her different kinds of treats, shes getting in trash, or anything like that that could account for eating a bunch of different things that could throw off her system.


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## dogperson423

thanks a lot i think ill start researching some new foods 
because she only ever gets the same treats and isnt going through the trash


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## misty073

I would change her to a better kibble, our Maggie came to us almost a year ago eating Iams puppy food (I switched her to raw that day) she was doing the butt scoot about a week later and I took her in to have her anal glands done (at the groomers) and she has never had to have it done again since.


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## Kathyy

Sassy used to need her sacs expressed once a month or so. When she developed kidney disease and I started cooking a simple chicken/rice/veggie food for her they stopped filling up. I have expressed them 3 times in nearly 3 years. 

I suggest looking into trying a limited ingredient kibble like Natural Balance, Simple Solutions or California Naturals. And did Blue Buffalo just come out with one? I suspect it wasn't so much the poop quality as a very slight inflammation due to allergies and something in all the kibbles over all the 13 years she had anal sacs problems bothered her.

It is a starting point anyway. Remember if she eats too much she may just poop it out resulting in large soft stool. Compare the calories per cup in the food you use now to the new food and adjust the amount for starting. The amount shown on the bag is generally too much food and dogs will get fat or have digestive problems.


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## SFdoglovr

My dog had the same problem (with Taste of the Wild, although it works very well for some dogs.) We tried some different foods and the 2-3 we are on now are much better. He used to have anal sack "leakage" daily, and now it occurs very rarely. I believe its all about finding the right food, which is trial and error. Iams is not known to be of very good quality, and this website is a really great starting point if you want to find something better. Canidae, Innova, Blue Buffalo, Wellness, etc. all get really good reviews from dog owners. At least start with a food that is free of corn, wheat, soy, and by products.


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## kimrisa

Interesting post! I've heard a lot of talk about Anal glands but am unclear about it. How do you know if your dog needs to have his anal glands expressed?My dog has soft stool but never leaks... Just curious!

Thanks...


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## misty073

My dog was rubbing her butt along the floor and I hadnt seen any worms in her poop or on her butt so I looked online and found it can be related to anal glands, I took her to the groomer and she did it for me.


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## Curbside Prophet

This was a stinky issue for my dog. I tried switching foods and kept trying commercial brands with fewer and fewer ingredients but if it wasn't just an anal gland issue for her, she was had comedone syndrome too. 

Leaving commercial food to home cooked alleviated this problem and the comedone syndrome almost completely. It's been months since we've had a problem.


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## Linz

Winnie had gland problems for a long time too. It got so bad that I learned how to do them myself and had to express them about every week or every other week. WAAAY too expensive to keep going to the vet for it!! Better quality food did help her as it helped her stool to be more firm. I still do them from time to time just to make sure ... since she's a big lap dog and sits on EVERYONE's lap....


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## -Anna

Lucky has the same issue. He used to scoot around quite a bit and "leak" spontaneously. We used to take him to the vet to get them expressed, but he started needing to have them expressed on a weekly basis so now we just do it ourselves. I'm in the process of switching him from not-so-good kibble to TOTW, so I'll let you know how it goes! I'm hoping it will firm up his stool and he won't have the "leakage" anymore.


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## Kathyy

Hope it helps. The problem is bad enough for us, must be awful for the dog. Weekly? Wow.


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## -Anna

Kathyy said:


> Weekly? Wow.


Yep 
Our vet taught us how to do it externally so we don't have to take him in all the time. If we try to wait even a week and a half, he leaks. Today is day two of his transition to TOTW. He _loves_ the food, so I hope it'll help him.


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## SFdoglovr

it is the most awful smell! Good diet is so important. Yuck!


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## nightskyyes

Hi there! I actually joined these forums just to ask this question, so I'm really hoping you can help. 

We adopted the sweetest sweetest Australian Kelpie mix (pic attached) from the shelter about 4 months ago. We (the shelter and vet) think she's just under a year old. She 's had 2 anal gland infections in the last 3 months (she had the 1st after about a month, then was groomed & expressed about a month later, then this 2nd one popped up), and this more recent one doesn't seem to want to go away. She was on Clavimox for 2 weeks, and when we went back to the vet she was bleeding again and her left gland was completely full (despite the gland being ruptured and empty upon our first visit). She's on a second round of antibiotics but still seems to be having trouble. 

She's currently on Taste of the Wild and has firm, healthy, regular poops twice a day without fail. Aside from expressing her glands weekly, how can I help the poor thing with her gland problem?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Stephanie


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## katielou

Raw only thing that solves it for us.

Their poop is HARD almost like chalk and the expresses them as it moves through.


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## SFdoglovr

Actually for us, Taste of the Wild seemed to be the problem. While our dog was on this food (about 3 months) the glands weren't releasing on their own, and our dog would "leak" everywhere - our laps, his bed, you name it. Does your dog need grain free food? I started using Honest Kitchen Keen formula (not grain free) and my dogs poops are pretty big. BUT, it seemed to completely eliminate the gland issue. I think w/ TOTW his poop was too small and the glands didn't have a chance to empty out. We feed our dog a variety of things, and rotate between 2 kibbles, but always use Honest Kitchen for one of his meals because he does so much better with it. You can also try adding some plain canned pumpkin to the food for more fiber and that might really do the trick. I'm not the biggest fan of TOTW because our dog did so poorly on it, but others really like the food. There are many other grain free foods to choose from that might work better for you also. I would try the plain canned pumpkin though, about 1/8-1/4 c mixed with your dogs food, its cheap and easy to try......Good luck!


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## StellaLucyDesi

I agree with the above post. Stella hasn't really had an anal gland problem, but she does seem to do better with a little higher fiber in her diet....i.e. she doesn't "scoot" as much lol.


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## nightskyyes

Thanks for your quick reply! I'm in the same boat with the gross leaking everywhere... Ick.

Yeah, I'm not really sure if she "needs" grain-free? She's got mild allergies (occasional sneezing, some eye redness when she plays outside, itching her ears and throat) and I love her just so very very much  so I figured we'd just feed her high-quality grain-free and that would be what was best for her... How do i know if she "needs" grain-free food?

Her poops seem pretty big to my tiny hands and hold their shape when in the bag, but I'm happy to try something else, since clearly what we're doing now is not working... 

Oh! I've also read many posts/blogs/theories discussing a link between dogs suffering from allergies, and those suffering with anal gland problems. Logically I suppose there could be a tie- inflammation in humans wreaks havoc on lots of different parts of the system... Anyone have any experience (or know of anyone who has has) treating their dogs allergies and finding relief from the anal gland issues?

Again, thanks so much!

Stephanie


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## RichM

My cocker spaniel had a abscessed anal gland several weeks ago. She was on EVO Red Meat formula while this happened. I have been transitioning her to Acana Grasslands the last few weeks because of allergies, and they seemed to have disappeared so far. Her allergies symptoms are tear stains, paw licking and scratching. I am not so sure its a good idea to manually express your dogs anal glands so much, but I'm no expert.

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_Anal_Glands

The key is a higher fiber diet. Adding canned pumpkin or psyllium husk powder to their food will help.

http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=53407


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## MagicRe

bubba expressed his anal glands whenever he was hungry, stressed, sleepy, you name it, he let 'em go....

and he had goobers in his eyes...sneezing...what a mess.

i wouldn't have minded the butt scooting so much if he hadn't let loose the skunky smelling stuff on me...blech..

even home cooked didn't help. he's on raw now and doesn't have these issues anymore.....yay....

no matter what you decide to feed, just make sure there is enough fibre to firm up those stools so they release naturally and not during inappropriate times


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## Hallie

I agree that fiber is what they need, not technically a better food. Although it seemed that as Hallie aged they got better and better. When she was 1 and still having anal gland issues weekly, yes weekly, I tried Purina and man did things get smelly that week. Obviously I switched her right back to Wellness and they got better. Now on a high quality grain free kibble rotation with raw a few times a week her anal gland issues are virtually nonexistant.


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## Finkie_Mom

Every week?!?! Oh man... Poor Hallie!!! And poor you, too!

Ugh, so we just got back from the vet, and Kimma did indeed need her anal glands expressed. Much to her breeder's chagrin (he's great with email, so I usually contact him before I go the vet route)... He says he's never had a dog need that done since he's started owning the breed in '79. I suppose my girl is just special, LOL.

Anyway, she's currently on Blue Buffalo Puppy (7 months old), and I was thinking of switching her anyway, since she doesn't really seem to like BB that much (tried both flavors, and she hardly ever eats it, and it's not treat-related, since she wouldn't eat while she was being boarded a few weeks ago, and she didn't really get any treats there at all)... But I guess the issue is making sure there's a puppy formula of whatever brand I decide to go with. The vet is just concerned with cutting too many calories if we go for a high-fiber food, since she's so young... 

Should I try Wellness??? I know a store nearby that sells it... They specialize in holistic foods there, including:

- Nature's Variety
- California Natural
- Evo
- Innova
- The Honest Kitchen
- And of course Wellness

Does anyone have experience with any of those foods for puppies, and possibly for the whole anal gland issue??


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## Finkie_Mom

*bump* anyone?


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## Staffordshire

Finkie Mom I have one girl that has issues with her anal glands and it seems she does best on Wellness Core. When she is eating that I never see her scooting. Actually ll of mine do better on that overall. I have had them on TOTW for about 4 weeks and I have seen some scooting again, too much weight gain with all 3 and grass eating again. I am switching back to the Core!


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## Finkie_Mom

Thanks for the advice, Staffordshire!!! Now, does it matter that she's only 7 months old??? I know Wellness has a puppy formula, but it's not Core. Should I just try it anyway, and once she gets up to a year, switch her to Core?


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## Hallie

Yeah the weekly events sucked. Mostly because even though my car has leather seats the smell would linger no matter how much I scrubbed. The last issue I remember her having with her anal glands was a few months ago . Hallie was raised on Wellness puppy and then placed on the adult formulas when she was 6 mo. I'm actually doing the ocean CORE now and she's not too crazy about it. Also, remember you can also supplement fiber rather than looking so hard for a high fiber food. She may grow out of it like Hallie did. Right around 7 months was when it started getting bad and by 1 yr and it went from a weekly thing to monthly. My Chihuahua actually just got an anal gland infection which caused the gland to 'bust'. The vet did a round of strong antibiotics and it's healed up but that was also a very stinky adventure. He needed his glands expressed but wasn't scooting or showing any signs. Goodness, who knew anal glands could be so complicated?


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## Finkie_Mom

Hahaha, I know!!! It really is complicated! Kimma also wasn't scooting or paying any attention to that general vicinity when she was grooming herself (as she does regularaly), so I wasn't sure that was the issue. The vet answered that question for us, though. 

Yeah, the vet said something about canned pumpkin or another source of fiber if it starts to become a constant issue, but I figured that since she doesn't seem to like her current food anyway, I could just switch her to something else, and (hopefully!) solve two issues at once.

So Hallie was put on regular Wellness around 6 months??? Hmmm does that make a difference as far as growth is concerned? I guess I'm not too sure when they should be switched from puppy to adult anyway.... I'm still a dog newbie, hahaha.

Thank you for your advice!!!!


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## Hallie

Wellness is a high quality food and puppy version is just slightly different than the adult. Small breeds, like Hallie, mature much sooner than larger breeds. Hallie was done growing at around 6-9 months, the only thing that's different about her now at 2 is she's wider  that's a work in process. So early on I switched her to adult varieties to give her variety, she's been roatating since she was 6 mo.


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## nightskyyes

Wellness Core, huh? Thoughts on preferred flavor? We've only a few bowls left of TotW, but plenty left to transition to a new food. Anyone know if they sell it at Petsmart or Petco?

Kali's a picky eater- do dogs generally like pumpkin mixed into their food? How much pumpkin, and how regularly?

As always, thanks!!


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## Staffordshire

Mine like the chicken and the fish. All of mine will also eat canned pumpkin right off a spoon. You have the the 100% pumpkin, not the pie filling.


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## Finkie_Mom

Thanks for the help, everyone! I got her the Wellness puppy formula (her breed matures slowly even though they're considered a small/medium breed, so I want to wait until about a year old to switch her to adult food), and a can of pumpkin (not the pie filling, hahaha), just in case. We shall see how it goes, and hopefully we never have gland issues again!!!


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## psyllium

Thank you for the information....Psyllium husk seeds


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