Shibas needing anal glands expressed?

tsukitsunetsukitsune
edited July 2008 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Let me start by saying that I had a foster basset hound that needed his anal glands expressed. The vet (that the rescue require I use for him) said she wouldn't do it and I just have a hard time with groomers so I decided to do some research and try it myself.

OH MY GOD was it gross. smell, sound, the works. Gross gross gross.

Anyway - I've been noticing that Hachi has a slight scooting issue and she's been very attentive to her backside, licking, sniffing.. and today I tried to aquaint her with our new dremel and there was a distinct smell coming from her.. and I found a stain under our bed with a smell that I think I can blame her for.. so either she expressed them or they need to be expressed..

I didn't know this was an issue for shibas?! Any thoughts or suggestions for doing this naturally (via foods, etc)?

EDIT: after doing a little online research, I found that adding extra fiber might help naturally express them (like canned pumpkin, apples, carrots).. has anyone ever heard of this helping? We have an extra can of pumpkin.. I might start Hachi with this tomorrow AM.

Comments

  • glacierglacier
    edited November -1
    Sasha's had multiple problems with her anal glands, they got infected and ruptured, later had to be painfully expressed at the vet's. I started to add to her daily dose of carrots (she loves them) and gave her some fiber cereal. this seemed to help keep them clear.
    It sounds like Hachi might have expressed them, or they may be full. do you see any swelling to one side under the tail?
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    I'm hesitant to add pumpkin or fiber cereal b/c I think I read that they slow down digestion and with them eating raw that might not be such a desirable thing.

    How big is Sasha (poundage)?

    I really didn't know this was a shiba issue.
  • tobyshibatobyshiba
    edited November -1
    I had an issue with that, with my previous dog. She was a German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix and she weighed around 80lbs. She would scoot all the time right before we put her down. She had multiple other issues as well, so the anal glands were the least of our worries. We had to take her to our vet all the time and get them expressed, and get her new meds for her hairloss and scabbing to the point where all the issues were too much for us to handle.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    I'm a bit concerned at what degree there is an issue... i don't really see any abnormal swelling, and with raw they have much smaller, harder stools which I would assume helps express the glands naturally?!
  • glacierglacier
    edited November -1
    Sasha is 24 pounds
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Dogs needing anal glands expressed isn't a breed specific issue. Any dog can have trouble. When Lucy was having soft stools, she needed to have them expressed. If Hachi's stool is smaller than it used to be, its possible that she needs some help. Get out the rubber gloves and nose plugs!
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    well I bought those up-to-your-elbows yellow gloves today and I'm going to get down and dirty with some glands...
    faaaaaantastic!

    I kinda figured it wasn't necessarily breed specific, but the basset rescue that handled out foster basset said "anal gland expression is something every basset owner knows well" which made me sort of assume that some breeds are more prone to gland issues, and having shibas without any issues until now.. I was feelin' a bit lucky.
  • zoiegirlzoiegirl
    edited November -1
    Use baby carrots! They'll help her gland express naturally
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    Nemo has had his anal glands expressed a few times. He hasn't needed it since I started feeding him dehydrated sweet potatoes every day.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    thanks natalie! do you cook the carrots first? Or grind them in any way?

    Brandon! I will make that a daily treat for Hachi and see how she improves.

    Last night we expressed her glands. She squealed like a freakin pig so this AM we made a quick trip to the vet to make sure we did it right and there was no impaction/infection - everything looks good, we did it right, she's just an annoying little drama queen.
  • zoiegirlzoiegirl
    edited July 2008
    Just buy a bag of baby carrots no cooking or grinding its not for nutritional value... dogs cant break down the cellular walls of vegetables so they come out basically how they went. The firmness of the carrots in her poo will help the glands express. They make great treats. You can alternate with frozen peas or shredded wheat cereal biscuits.
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2024