Anal Gland Infection - Page 1

Perhaps someone can chime in with what can be done to prevent chronic anal sac infections.

My GSD Ahrtos who will turn two years old tomorrow (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY) has been having a ongoing problem for the past 3 months with his sacs becoming infected.

After expressing his sacs and finding blood in the fluid the vet puts him on cipro.
After the regiment of antibiotics is finished and the infection is cleared up he is fine for the next few weeks with the infection returning once again. Other than this issue he is a very healthy active dog.

Any suggestions for helping to prevent this would be greatly appreciated.

Chronic anal gland issues can sometimes be related to food allergies. First before trying a food allergy trial, I would consider trying to add in something to bulk up your dogs stool to help him express them himself during defecation. Please talk to your vet about adding in canned pumpkin or another high fiber supplement to the food. You can ask your vet to show you how to express the glands yourself at home to keep them empty. If that does not work, consider a hypoallergenic diet trial. This would need to be done for at least 12 weeks to be certain. Is your vet flushing out the glands when they are infected? Flushing the gland and infusing an antibiotic directly into the gland is very helpful in ridding the infection. Hope this was helpful.   NexNNNnnns==eoihoifdsoiaew

     Make sure your feeding produces hard firm stools, then there will not be the anal gland       problems,because correct stools empty naturally the glands each time a motion is passed.
In other words if the feeding regime is correct then anal gland problems do not normally occur

hormonal issues also can play a role in anal gland infections, however most of these infections are produced by groomers who squeeze the anal glands as part of a "beauty regime". As a general rule, don't let anybody squeeze your dog's anal glands. It's an antiquated regime that most vets don't do anymore.
I would stay away from any bones, ground bones or other food that causes your dog constipation or is otherwise more difficult to digest.

I agree with the suggestions that have been offered...have the vet flush and infuse the anal gland with the antibiotic to treat it directly, rather than giving systemic antibiotics. You should have your vet check to see if a second infusion is needed within a week or so to make sure they are clear.  You should also consider give probiotics (lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains) to restore the good bacteria that's already been destroyed by the Cipro or you could be looking at SIBO down the road.  The friendly flora will also help keep the pathogenic bacteria in check, so less of them to infect the anal glands in the first place.  Firm up the stools to properly empty anal sacs and you should see a marked improvement.  Good luck.

Please google:  

Mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII) 

 
If not (?) maybe you need to find another vet to help you find out what is really is? Change food like others have also claimed?


I wish you well with your dog  :)

this is just a shot in the dark no need to have anybody get all silly on me with this one...
thanks

Raw Feed = Problem Solved!!

Species Specific Diet = Daaaaaaaaaa

   Betta Wolf in total agreement,feeding raw as you say problem solved!!!

Just want to give you my experience with the chronic anal sac issues in case it might be a help for you..Ihad this issue with my ursus son , beginning when he was about 16 months old..My vet did the same thing as yours...he expressed, flushed, and then put my guy on Cipro as well as metronidazole..We repeated this proces several times..My dog's anal sacs repeatedly became infected..We tried going to different food, including grain free and finally a raw diet, which in the case of my guy actually worsened his situation, although I don't kow WHY!  It is very true that soft stools contribute to the problem because the stools do not have enough firmness to express the sacs, ye even  when my dog was NOT having an issue with sioft stool, his condition did not improve..After dealing with this for more than one year(which is  as long as I could stand watching my poor dog go through this) I consulted with another vet at a specialty hospital, as well as with a surgeon..
The choices given to me after having exhausted nutritional changes were 1) removal of the glands or 2) medicating with
cyclosporine(an immunosuppressant drug)..Of course there were drawbacks to both choices...surgery is risky because one wrong mov can leave the dog fecally incontinent(although I am not sure how much this happens..) Use of immuno supp drugs was not something that appealed to me either due to possible long term complications...Ultimately I chose the surgery, but opted to go with a top notch surgeon who has done very complex soft tissue surgeries successfully for years..It's a painful recovery from this surgery, but I am happy to report that my guy recovered successfully and there were no more issues...The big problem with chronic anal sac issues is that they can lead to the development of perianal fistulae--which are tracts which open through the skin near the anus, and provide drainage from the chronically infected area...my guy was beginning to develop the start of these tracts, and these fistulae can become infected as well, and cause  even more difficulties..Also beware of rupture of the anal sac...
Just wanted to tell my experience..I tried every non-invasive method to get this under control--but ultimately chose the surgery..Even directly instilling the sacs did not help..everyone makes his/her own decision depending upon how they view the options, and I am certainly no expert...Hope this helps...if you have any questions please feel free to email me at RockSD717@aol.com..
Good Luck! I hope things improve!!!!!

Best!! Sue