I don't think Aspen's anal glands expel fully each time he poos. He will have a really fishy smelling bum, will lick his butt, and sometimes leaves liquid from his butt...I know it sounds nasty but I'm wondering if it his diet or something else causing this? He has solid poops mostly. He doesn't scoot his butt either. He is currently eating grain-free kibble and doesn't really eat much for treats other than apples and carrots and I use kibble for training. Has anyone else had this problem? Does he need a diet change? He poops regularly, about twice a day.
Have a chat and check up with the vet to rule anything else out. A diet change could be indicated particularly as you say 'he has solid poops mostly' which means that not all poops are solid which is what you should be aiming for.
It might be worth thinking about switching to raw, or incorporating some raw food into Aspen's diet, as the added roughage and bone will squeeze his anal glands clear as it passes through. Sorry about the graphic information...
@Karen with how stinky his butt is and how icky it can be, your info doesn't phase me, haha! But thank you, I was reading up on raw food last night, and I have raw fed Aspen chicken a couple times but more so as a treat. so I will keep that in mind.
@Jojo83 Ah yes I will have to talk to the vet! And I wasn't sure if ALL poos were supposed to be solid or not, they are never runny like diarrhea consistency, but I can see that some of them are probably too soft to expel his anal glands.
Hmmm... I only know from my personal experience, that when my dogs have been eating bones they have very solid, dry movements, and it is harder work for them to poop it out!
I only feed kibble and have no problems producing solud poop. Sorry @Karen , and I really don't mean to be rude, but personal/anecdotal experience is not evidence of something working or not.
I never said it was. I merely suggested that raw feeding might be worth a try, as I, personally, have found that feeding raw food including bones can help with dogs who have anal gland issues.
@alschwahn I think some dogs do just have issues with anal glands, and if they have them it s often for life. Monty produces solid poos nearly all of the time, but still his anal glands don't seem to empty properly. I get the nurse to check and empty them every 3 or 4 months, sometimes they are full, sometimes not. However if we do nothing, they will empty themselves, normally in the worst place like on the bed or sofa, and the smell is just disgusting. The first time, one had got slightly infected so that was a more expensive all day trip to the vets where he had them thoroughly checked and internal antibiotics. Monty doesn't scoot either, but If his poos do look a bit loose I add a few bran flakes to his kibble.
Swapping to feeding raw worked for us too - Bailey used to have a solid poo in the mornings but they got softer through the day when he was kibble fed. We now have nice kickable poo's all day long with feeding raw and meaty bones. And believe me that is a sentence I never dreamed I would say
I've got this issue with our dog. She always has solid poops and attempts at expressing have proved futile. Vet hasn't found anything wrong either. I think I'll start giving her (and all of the doggies even though she's the only one with this issue) raw carrots and apple slices and see if they work some magic.
It would really help if we could refrain from mis-interpreting members comments, it can get a bit confusing! As well as sending threads of at a tangent Of course, if not sure please do ask for clarification regarding a post, before typing a specific response. For example: I am sure misinterpretation of the above wasn't intended @Jojo83 however, there really wasn't any inference that raw is better than dry kibble from the original post. It is true however that adding fibre to the diet is one of the methods that vets suggest to help alleviate and prevent the problems associated with anal glands. Of course, as has been mentioned (and you quite rightly suggested) a visit to the vet would be a good idea just to get the anal glands checked out.
Definitely my experience. Nothing like bone in the diet for producing a solid poop! Obi has always had much more solid poops on raw meaty bone meals then when on kibble meals. He has mainly raw at home but mainly kibble when we go away from home, so we regularly get the chance to observe cause and effect relationships in our own one subject repeated measures longitudinal study.
