Stinky Little Rump

Basenji Talk

  • it is the best money spent, never doing that….


  • We've had the "butt stink" problem with all three of our Basenjis. After many trips to the vet and trying everything possible, including steroid injections, the vet and I decided that removal of the anal glands was the best course to take. Our latest B, Jess, had her's removed by our present vet who used laser surgery and this proved to be the best way to do it. The healing was much faster. There are no scars and she is much more comfortable and much, much better smelling.


  • Wow…. while I know people that have had the anal glands removed as a last resort, I am really surprised to find that you had 3 b's that all needed it? Are they related?


  • No our three Bs weren't related, but believe me they all smelled alke :(

    Number 1 and number 3 had glands that became infected and were treated with antibiotics until it was safe to remove them.

    Although it's not a simple surgery, they all three came through it just fine and everyone, including them, were a lot happier.


  • @AndyBoy:

    No our three Bs weren't related, but believe me they all smelled alke :(

    Number 1 and number 3 had glands that became infected and were treated with antibiotics until it was safe to remove them.

    Although it's not a simple surgery, they all three came through it just fine and everyone, including them, were a lot happier.

    I still find that amazing.. I have had ones with infected glands and they have heal and were never a problem again without any surgery… Like I said, I do know people that have had them removed, but never 3 in one house... And your right it is not a simple surgery and many times it goes wrong.. which is why it is usually never recommended except in extreme cases


  • I would say the smell is combo of rotten tuna, and rotten running shoes:D
    I've gotten a small spot of it on my clothes before, and my first impulse was to burn the clothes!!! I think if they have a good diet, and are "regular" this takes care of the glands naturally. I did have to take my boy to the vet once when he was about a year old. After that no more problems, that I've noticed.


  • That's possible since my B had some fun this weekend at a barbeque so that's probably the cause of the stinkiness


  • Last week we took our little stinker to the vet for his final puppy shots. I told the vet about Chance's smelly back end. He showed me how swollen anal glands feel. He said that normal ones are tiny but his felt like jelly beans which ment that they needed to be expressed. He told me it is kind of like milking a cow backwards. Your supposed to take your thumb and index finger and squeeze the jelly beans (anal sacks) and as you are squeezing you push in a little and up towards the rectum. You need to make sure you have a tissue and a nose plug cuz this stuff smells gross! My toes curled when I got a whif of it.
    Now the vet actually did it but I watched. I will be doing this soon and hopefully I have it figured out right.
    *** for the people who do this…am I explaining it right???


  • You are explaining it correctly, however hopefully you will not have to do it that often…


  • pumpkin is a great way to add fiber to their diet to help- my basenjis love it and it is what my vet recommended to help


  • Yes, pumpkin does help…. but be sure to use the pure canned, not the kind pre-mixed for pies


  • also…too much pumpkin can be a really bad thing. Our cat needed it when he had health problems and I over-fed him some...it caused his stool to become too soft so it was leaking from his back end! eewww


  • Wow, really??? I have never had that happen from Pumpkin, but then you did say that "it was too much"…. and no experience with cats... gggg
    You can also feed sweet potatoes or Yams... mine love them... and in a pinch, canned yams work too...


  • I have used the same vet Vanessa uses for years. When my last B (Max) was about 8, his glands stopped working normally. They were also oddly positioned, which may have had something to do with it. Instead of the risk of surgery, I ended up taking him in every two weeks for about 7 years and had them expressed. Max had to be put on antibiotics a few times over the years; but for the most part, the two week expressions kept infection away. I recently adopted two basenjis, and the female had an impacted gland and then her glands kept filling up. She is on antibiotics right now, and we haven't had a problem with her glands. I'm hoping they will get back to normal. She is only 3, and I would hate to have to take her in every two weeks for the rest of her life! I would also hate to take the risk of surgery….it's a somewhat difficult surgery--for both the vet to get it perfect so there are no problems after and the dog (especially the recuperation). It's interesting--every basenji my vet has treated has had some problems with anal glands.


  • I would have to think that maybe you need to add more fiber in the diet? Or have you tried that? And that is interesting the your basenjis have had problems woth anl glands… What are you feeding and have you always fed that?


  • @tanza:

    I would have to think that maybe you need to add more fiber in the diet? Or have you tried that? And that is interesting the your basenjis have had problems woth anl glands… What are you feeding and have you always fed that?

    Max also had inflammatory bowel disease which may have contributed to the anal gland problem. He was on Eukanuba Low Residue which helped the IFB. I did try adding fiber (pumpkin and metamucil–not together), but it didn't help and sometimes seemed to make the IFB worse. I have kept Zoey and Tyler on the same food they were on the past two years at the Basenji Rescue in Southern CA--Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dry with a little
    Nature's Recipie Lamb and Rice canned. I started adding fiber a couple of weeks ago to see if that will help. I haven't had a problem with Tyler's glands.


  • Yes, IBD would most likely contribute to the problem….


  • And hopefully just that one time with Zoey will be it…. and she will not have more problems...


  • @tanza:

    And hopefully just that one time with Zoey will be it…. and she will not have more problems...

    That's what I am hoping, too :)

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