I don't think this belongs under health because it isn't regular nor is she in any way off colour (lab joke). But has happened twice that Harley all of a sudden starts licking the sheet or duvet and when we look there is a little brown patch, it isnt very smelly but it come out of her rear end. Let me add some context: Harley has a snuggle with us every morning after she goes out for her morning wee and poo and before we get up for bed, it is usually about an hour or so. But on a Sunday we always sleep in a little. So Harls will go out at her regular time and then come and have an extended snooze with us on the bed. She is NOT the bouncy morning type of lab, in fact I sometimes have to pick her up a little to get her to move and go outside. And then she falls asleep at the security gate and has to be urged along again. Once she is awake she is all tails and games but she is a lazy pup in the morning. Awhile back I let her sleep until she wanted to go out and she couldn't make it outside in time and had to wee in the kitchen. So I am going to rely on my judgment here and not hers. She is occasionally a flatulent pup but nothing serious and also maybe when she has had more treats than normal. So has anyone had anything similar? When she goes next week for the Teef of Terror I will describe and mention it to the vet and see what he says but we don't have any problems with her being incontinent in any way so I am going to say I don't think that is issue. Oh also her behaviour, when it happens, is to immediately begin rapidly trying to clean the area. Shame, poor thing.
Sorry, not experienced this with any of my dogs even when elderly. Definitely speak to the vet as personally I would have some concerns about any leakage as you describe. Her behaviour to start cleaning up the leakage is normal as their desire is to keep their den clean.
That sounds like anal glands, which you can check when you see the vet. Snowie does similar on our WHITE duvet cover! It is pretty revolting but we have lowered our standards immensely since having a dog!! He also immediately tries to lick it up, which then leaves a wet patch on the duvet cover -- not very nice when you're about to go to sleep! The anal glands is not a regular occurrence with Snowie, although it was very frequent a few years ago before we started treatment for epilepsy (might've had a connection: the vet said anal glands fill up more when a dog is anxiously anticipating a seizure, or it could be because of allergies). Re the flatulence, this can be caused by various things she ingests. I believe dogs fed on pellets (with grains) tend to have more flatulence than dogs fed on raw meaty bones and meat, due to the grains in the pellets which cause gas in the gut. However, there are other gas-forming foods like cauliflower and broccoli. Snowie is not a flatulent dog (which we attribute to his being raw fed), but on Friday night the stinks that rose from the ground next to my side of the bed after he'd scavenged on his walk, oh my word, it was deathly! I'm guessing he'd eaten a lot of bread or mielie meal.
Ok, very interesting. I didn't even think of anal glands. She is currently on Royal Canin Maxi Junior and Hill's I/D junior tins just to use for making Kongs etc. For puppy class I do give her treats that I buy at the vet and sometimes her stomach is sensitive to it, so we do know that she has a sensitive tummy. I will chat to the vet. Thanks again for the info.
Anal glands do empty sometimes like that. My old boy would do it on the sofa. An Rory did it once after a visit to the vet which involves thermometer up the bum. My dogs don't tend to suffer from flatulence their diet is good and I use a probiotic for Rory. If they get wind I know that they've eaten something the shouldn't or too much.I'd speak to your vet if you are worried about anything.
Hi no experience of this personally but my sisters previous dog did this and it was anal glands. Flatulence on the other hand - oh my Bailey was a complete smell, noxious windbag when he was tiny - but he came to us on Beta puppy food from the breeder, when we changed to a grain free food (Taste of the Wild) it all seemed to disappear - now he is fed a combination of raw and Taste of the Wild and the only time we need gas masks are if he's had Brussel sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower (he has a little mix from our roast lunch each week as a special treat which has these veggies in), so it could be classed as self-inflicted really
Shame, I have to admit that her flatulence isn't bad. And our oldest cat lets off letting gaseous bombs too. She has actually been really good for a few weeks now. She is going to the vet tonight if the vet we use is on duty. I will post an update when we come home.
Okay, back from the vet. She had her teeth checked and the vet feels we should leave her for another month to see if they fall out by themselves. He checked her out generally and said that she is in good health. He also suspects that the brown discharge was from her anal glands, they were cleaned, but he wants to see if it resolves on its own before we worry. She is still a pup. We also discussed her spaying and various other things. All and all she is a healthy, happy pup and on her way out she met a 7 y.o black lab in the waiting room and the two of them played for about 5 minutes, she even took his toy. Got to love labs. It is like they speak a language of their own.
So pleased all okay and great that your vet has a wait n see approach. My experience was that they want to ply the dog with medication, which we realized later - after moving vets - was so unnecessary for such a young dog. I often wonder if Snowie's later medical woes are due to an original over-dispensing vet. And yes, Labs definitely love each other!!
And going to the vet came with a toy... Although it is a special pleasure going to the vet with her. She is so incredibly friendly, she greets every person, from the general assistants to the receptionist to the vets like they are her best friend. I think the human race could learn alot from labradors.
