Huntia Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Hi. I have a 16 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback, who until late August this year had excellent health. It was in late August that he was diagnosed with severley inflamed/impacted and infected anal glands. He never scooted, just sniffed his bottom, so it wasn't until there was a small trickle of blood coming from his bottom that I realised that there was a problem. Since than he has had 2 lots of anti inflammatories and 3 courses of antibiotics, the last course went for 2 weeks. His anal sacs have improved to the point were the right one had gone down and was secreting normally, but the left was still inflamed, not as bad, but still a problem. The vet on his last visit was talking about removing his anal glands. I would like to try all avenues before I let a vet do this. Just before his last visit to the vet abit over a week ago, I read some posts on previous topics on problems with anal glands. I started to add a cup of cooked brown rice to his dry biscuits (Advance) and 1/2 a 400g tin of canned food, to increase the amount of fibre in his diet, to make the stool size larger. (sorry this is so long and waffly lol) Whilst at the vet I bought another bag of Advance, it is still unopened, and I read the front of the bag and it states that it will make stool sizes smaller. Thus I am looking for a different brand of premium dry food that will help to give my dog larger stools. Can anyone reccommend a dry food that will do this? :D Edited November 1, 2011 by Huntia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 You need something to make his stools firmer, not necessarily larger (unless they are abnormally small). Can he eat bones at all? I have found bones to be very useful for this- lamp flaps are good (but also fatty) and I'm sure other DOLers can recommend some good bones. Also I have found Hills T/D gives many dogs firm stools, not quite sure why, but at least you also get the benefits of dental cleaning as well and the dogs seem to love it. I don't like Advance for my lab as it gives her the runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) I would add psyllium husk to his diet AND feed plenty of baked pumpkin. Sorry, but bones do NOT assist with emptying anal glands. It is fibre that does. In the wild, dogs get that from fur and feather, not from bone. How much exercise does your dog get? Edited October 10, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Anything that increases pressure on the anal glands will assist in emptying. You could also ask you vet to show you how to emmpty them yourself, if it is still a problem and you don't want to go ahead with the surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 I would add psyllium husk to his diet AND feed plenty of baked pumpkin. Sorry, but bones do NOT assist with emptying anal glands. It is fibre that does. In the wild, dogs get that from fur and feather, not from bone. How much exercise does your dog get? I tend to agree about the bones, he gets alot of bones 2-3 times a week ( he is a chronic chewer)His poos have always been quite firm, can be very dry and firm if he has had too many bones. He gets a fair bit of exercise, chasing bunnies in our yard which is 2.5 acres. (there are alot of bunnies). Enough exercise that he is asleep snoring his head off at the moment. He is a show dog so he is in "good show condition". How much Psyllium husk would you add, and would a product like metamucil work, and what dry food to add it too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Anything that increases pressure on the anal glands will assist in emptying. You could also ask you vet to show you how to emmpty them yourself, if it is still a problem and you don't want to go ahead with the surgery. Thanks Aussielover, I have thought of that too, and intend to ask next time we go in. I ducked in to return something at the vets at the end of last week and one of the other vets cornered me and suggested that we sedate him and inject the antibiotics straight into the anal sacs, as a treatment option. I am really hoping that I can achieve some relief for him through the dietary angle. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squinter Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Definitely a high fibre food. There is a lot more bulk in the weight loss and weight control foods so even though your dog is in great condition I would be inclined to try a weight control food for the fibre load. It could get more expensive though as you would need to feed more to keep the weight on him I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Definitely a high fibre food. There is a lot more bulk in the weight loss and weight control foods so even though your dog is in great condition I would be inclined to try a weight control food for the fibre load. It could get more expensive though as you would need to feed more to keep the weight on him I suppose. Hi Squinter, At the moment he gets 1 1/2 - 2 cups of dry food per day of Advance. How much do you need to feed of the weight control food, and how would it compare cost wise to Advance Adult all breeds? Would it be worth trying to swap the unopened bag of the Advance All breed for an Advance weight control? Edited October 10, 2011 by Huntia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I agree you should try to control it with diet, or you can learn how to empty them yourself if he will let you, but you must get the Vet to show you. It sounds drastic - surgical removal - but for some dogs with chronic problems it's the best thing you can ever do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) I agree you should try to control it with diet, or you can learn how to empty them yourself if he will let you, but you must get the Vet to show you. It sounds drastic - surgical removal - but for some dogs with chronic problems it's the best thing you can ever do. Thanks for the advice. The poor boy has found manual emptying very painful, thus far. The screams, yes they are screams, of pain from him are quite horrible.(although I am sure if we can get the level of inflamation down he would let me do it with out to many problems). Other than the sniffing (and going around in circles while he does it) it doesn't seem to worry him though. I just had a look at the nutrition panels for Advance Adult and Advance weight control, and there is only 1% difference in the amount of fibre (5.5 g/400kcal for Adult and 7.3g/400 kcal for the weight control) is this enough to make a difference? Edited October 10, 2011 by Huntia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Squinter, a 16 month old dog should not be on weight control. Its not high enough in protein and fat, you can always add fibre into a diet through things like bran, whole prey animals etc. Be careful reccomending things like this to people you can make their animals ill or underweight. Why dont you just try a home made diet www.vetsallnatural.com.au would be a start if you have never fed a totally raw diet before. Edited October 10, 2011 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 let him eat the whole rabbits! I second psyllium husk . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 One more thing: roadwork Regular repetitive exercise will also help stimulate the gut and the anal sacs. What are his hip/pelvis like. A good chiropractor may also help. Dogs that are experiencing skeletal issues in the pelvic region can often have anal sac issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 let him eat the whole rabbits! I second psyllium husk . hmmm he has caught 2 of the bunnies so far ( I suspect they were very unlucky to be caught bunnies lol), but I took them off him as he was just playing with them. There was no blood on them, he shakes them and snaps their necks I guess. How much psyllium husk should I add to the food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 One more thing: roadwork Regular repetitive exercise will also help stimulate the gut and the anal sacs. What are his hip/pelvis like. A good chiropractor may also help. Dogs that are experiencing skeletal issues in the pelvic region can often have anal sac issues. His movement in the ring is ok, so I am not sure if he has a problem with his hips and pelvis. But definitely something I will look into. And Road work, I think I would even benefit from more of that. Can it be off lead or should it be on lead? We live on a farm, so most of our walks are off lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squinter Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Squinter, a 16 month old dog should not be on weight control. Its not high enough in protein and fat, you can always add fibre into a diet through things like bran, whole prey animals etc. Be careful reccomending things like this to people you can make their animals ill or underweight. Actually there is nothing wrong with a 16 month old dog being on weight control food. The reduction in fat and protein per weight of dry food is why I recommended the food intake be increased. I'm not recommending it for weight loss, but for the high level of insoluble fibre load that premium weight loss foods have in them which will aid in managing the anal gland issue. I would really NOT recommend trying to empty them while they are inflammed and irritated, you will just end up with dog that is terrified of anyone touching his poor little bum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 A breed predisposed to things like bloat should not be fed large quantities of food if can be avoided. Like I said you can ADD fibre into the dogs diet quiet easily instead of feeding him a food that requires twice to 3 times the amount per meal. The vets all natural diets are still an option or email Dr Syme and ask about a modified version which will benefit the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squinter Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Thus I am looking for a different brand of premium dry food that will help to give my dog larger stools. Can anyone reccommend a dry food that will do this? She said she was looking for a premium dry food. I answered based on that. Vets all Natural is not a premium dog food, and not a dry food either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 sometimes thinking outside the dry food box can be your saviour. The only way to know what will work is to systematically try foods a couple of weeks at a time or speak to a specialist veterinarian. Advance is not the best food out there. How do you say VAN is not a premium dog food? It is totally preservative, colour and additive free. It is a complete diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 sometimes thinking outside the dry food box can be your saviour. The only way to know what will work is to systematically try foods a couple of weeks at a time or speak to a specialist veterinarian. Advance is not the best food out there. How do you say VAN is not a premium dog food? It is totally preservative, colour and additive free. It is a complete diet. VAN has a ton of indigestible fibre. Could be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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