Hi! Been a while but I finally decided to post this question to you all! So, Lucius has been having some anal gland issues, which he used to go to get them expressed every three or so months. Our vet said if we could keep him to three months or more he would be ok to express them however in the last few months he's been going down every two months with the symptoms of full anal glands. He chews his back end a lot, will leap up from when hes sleeping to a bad smell of his anal glands leaking. Even when he wags his tail (which he does all the time! Even in his sleep!) his anal glands will leak when full. Our vet is concerned because they are in the wrong position, one is very far in and the other is far in and off to the side a bit which means the vet basically has to go into the anus to express the glands unlike other dogs which can be expressed from outside the anus. Needless to say Lucius is very uncomfortable when the glands are being expressed and is usually pretty good but the last time he had them done he was in a lot of pain. Our vet has expressed his worry that Lucius will not tolerate it for much longer and that if it becomes more frequent we may need to consider having the glands removed by surgery. He told us some of the complications including incontinence and that is a big worry for us! Any opinions on the anal gland removal? Is it normally successful and has anyone's dog had this surgery? Thanks
Also forgot to mention a few days after he had his glands expressed he was rushed into the vet with severe vomiting, no diarrhoea, and refusing to drink water. Vet said it might be stress because he hasnt eaten anything he wasnt supposed to and he doesnt pick up anything on his walks either, but he wasnt certain. Could this be related?
Poor Lucius - I'm sorry he's feeling unwell with this. We've never had problems with this until recently when we've had to have Luna's glands expressed every few months as they've been leaking. We feed Luna part wet and part dry food, and her poos have never been really solid. The vet said that often soft poos can mean the anal glands are not emptied as they should. She recommended that we increase the fibre in her diet which we've been doing for the past month. Fingers crossed it seems to be helping. We just crumble a Ryvita into her food in the morning, and then give her carrot/parsnip peelings chopped and mixed into her food in the evening. Sounds like there might be something else going on for Lucius if your vet is concerned about their position, but perhaps a little more fibre in his diet might be worth a try? Maybe see what your vet thinks.
Hello! I was wondering if you decided to remove Lucius anal glands? We have been having problems for a long time with our Maggie Mae's rear end. We thought we got the last episode cleared up in March until last night when it ruptured again. She is suggesting the removal of her anal glands, now. Maggie is 11 and has been on prednisone for a very long time. Not sure what to do. I hope your pup is doing better. Any advice would be welcomed. Thank you! Mary
Hello At the moment he has not had his glands removed however our vet has been keeping a close eye on him and how often he is coming in. Our vets said if it becomes too regular he will advise removing them or if Lucius is in pain with them but otherwise said to leave them be for now. Hope this helps!
Thank you for your response. I'm glad your pup is doing good. I think we are going to have to do some research on this. I want to make sure we are not doing more harm to her. Thanks again! Mary
