Anal glands :(

[ACAkeyla]

Well…this is a pretty gross subject but I have to ask about anal glands in my B. I read all the posts about the topic on the forum but still have a few questions. First question how will I know when the fluid is out of the glands? I bought some canned pumpkin today because I read that it will harden stools given in small amounts. Second question will it hurt my B to have the anal glands taken care of by the vet? This is a subject I know nothing about so any kind of advice will help.
Thanks!

[ibi_n_sane]

HI
my oldest basenji also had problems with her anal glands, eventhough her stools were quite hard. When we went to the vet, she learned us how to "push them" ourselves, I never managed but my mom did it hahaha
However, when she got older the problem disappeared !

the fluid out of these anal glands is very smelly, it has this typical odour that you will recognize when you smell it ( try not to vomit ), is also has a weird colour, brownish reddish something.

may i ask you why do you think your dog has problems with his anal glands?
to remove these glands it is a surgery with a lot of possible side effects like urinary incontinence , I would not do that unless it is life threatening or something and they have to take them out

[ACAkeyla]

Well I noticed a very different smell coming from her. It took me a day to figure out where the smell was coming from and that was her butt. Also, she was licking that area too. I put two and two together and realized it was her anal glands. So, will the pumpkin help with this problem?

[Basenjimamma]

I have heard that pumpkin does wonders to anal gland problems, so I would definitely give it a go. If it persists she might need to have them expelled by a Vet, and they could if you could bear it, show you how it is done, so you could do it yourself.

[renaultf1]

I have heard that the more you express the glands, the more they have to have it done. Don't know for sure if that is fact or fiction. Diet seems to do the trick with my kids…grain free...never had to add pumpkin. But I have also heard that if you add pumpkin you only need a small amount. Oh, and be sure it is 100% pumpkin - and not pumpkin pie filling (which has sugar).

[tanza]

While I have heard that also, that the more you express the glands the more you might have to have it done. I have not found that to be true, at least not with any of mine.

Diet will help … but you might find that you need to have them expressed and then change the diet to help. If you have never seen an infected anal gland then you are in for a gross sight.... IMO

[nobarkus]

Mine was having problems with his being full because the stools were too loose. After adding pumpkin it firmed them up and it took care of the problem. You can use sweet potatoes/yams too. I used to steam them and then store in the frig for the older Basenji that I just lost in April. When she was a puppy (1994) she had anal gland fullness problems too then it disappeared after a while.

[Shaye's Mom]

I agree with everyone that a little pumpkin helps - and the sweet potatoes as well. Also, a little cottage cheese mixed with their kibble seems to help keep it firm. When Shaye had a problem with diahrrea a while back, we boiled a half pound of hamburger, drained it well and put it in paper towel to get rid of the rest of the fat, and mixed it with two cups of steamed rice and fed that to her for a few days with cottage cheese mixed in (about a teaspoon) - firmed her up in two days - then mixed that mixture with her kibble for a few days, eventually getting back to the plain kibble, with a little pumpkin or cottage cheese - when they have to push it out because it's firmer, it makes the anal glands do what they're supposed to do and keeps the stinkies away pretty much.

[ibi_n_sane]

when she rides sled ( litterly translated from dutch so I hope you understand haha ) so rubbing her ass on your carpet, and when she scratches/ bites a lot in her " anal" area or on her back right befor her tail, then she really is bothered by her anal glands, but when she has this just once in quite a time it is perfectly normal and you dont have to worry about it.
As far as her stools concerning, you can see if they have the right substance for yourself
I have never heard of pumpkin helping, but it never hurts to try as a lot of people say it helps, so I will try that the next time I think one of my dogs has analglands problems

[tanza]

Using pumpkin is something that we usually add everyday… not just when there could be a problem. Sometimes by that point you really do need to have them expressed

[BasenjiDiva]

We had to have Cory and Jayden's anal glands emptied yesterday. We've tried pumpkin before and it didn't seem to make a difference…at least not for Cory. Now I wonder if I was giving them too much.

So: What is " a little" pumpkin? a cooking teaspoon? Tablespoon?

Also: We feed them twice a day. Add it to one or both meals?

Thanks!
Pat

[MaxBooBooBear]

Max had to have his glands expressed regularly for years after about the age of 7. It doesn't hurt when it's done properly–that's why I had my vet do it because Max's glands were positioned a little abnormaly which made them harder to express.

[Basenjimamma]

I would give iot to them at both feeds and maybe start with a teaspoon, and if it doesn't seem to work great up the serving size to tablespoon. I think if I remember right, that it goes three teaspoons to 1 tablespoon, so if you want you could add a teaspoon until you are ath the tablespoon size..makes sense I hope