Skip to content

Anal Gland Issues and Diet

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Zahra's stool seems to be nice round solid poo, same for Chase just bigger size poo.

    I feel bad for them because I am sure it probably doesn't feel good if they are impacted by they are not scooting. They only lick after the have excreted it on DH. :(

    Do you think because I am feeding EVO that might be the problem since it is grainless?

    I thought I picked them out the best food.

  • @ChaseandZahrasmom:

    Zahra's stool seems to be nice round solid poo, same for Chase just bigger size poo.

    I feel bad for them because I am sure it probably doesn't feel good if they are impacted by they are not scooting. They only lick after the have excreted it on DH. :(

    Do you think because I am feeding EVO that might be the problem since it is grainless?

    I thought I picked them out the best food.

    I doubt it… remember grain is really not a nature part of a dogs diet.... and you may just need to learn how to express the glands yourself... I do it for mine... and while not pleasant.. it is not a big deal...

  • My vet recommended the pumpkin (which seemed to work because the problem eventually went away :) ) or sweet potatoes. He also likes to eat cooked rutabagas (I found that out be accident when I spilled some on the floor at dinner one day). He doesn't touch fruits or raw carrots however. I read someplace that cooked oatmeal can work but I don't know if that's true or not and can't remember where I read that.

  • I use Innova Evo small bites (not the red meat version) and mix it with the Natural Balance Sweet Potatoe and Fish and Caesar's anal glands are better. I was getting them expressed every month and now he seems to need it every 3 months.

  • We have been feeding nutro natural choice in the green bag and no rawhide treats ever, and she has been doing much better. Rarely does she have problems at all!

    Jordan and Piggy

  • Ahhh the famous "stink stamp"
    Man oah man what a smell and such a mess. Sometimes I wish their tails did not curl up…that way it would cover the back end and my furniture wouldn't stink :/
    The worst is when you sit right on the ick and you don't even know it...after a while you get up and start walking around and you smell it but can't figure out where its coming from...hahahaha that drives me crazy!!!!!

  • I've noticed that Zip was much more excited about the pumpkin in the beginning. I don't usually mix it in (not sure why? hmm). So it's avoidable and she often leaves it in her bowl. Now, ground flax seed on the other hand goes practically unnoticed and mixes in quite well with her innova kibble and tbsp of canned evo. And I don't think it has much taste. So another sneaky way to up the fiber. I recommend it.

  • Nicki, how much ground flax seed do you put in their food? I never heard about using that and often we have that problem with Savannah. I noticed that if she doesn't poop at least twice a day, we can expect a little stinky butt. As precaution if she only gets walked once a day, we now automatically bring out her "stinky" towel and put it on the bed and one on the sofa where she sits with us.

    I'd like to try the ground flax seed. Please let me know. Thanks.

  • The only thing I would caution in using the flax seed is that it is a grain. I know my allergic-to-everything-Boxenji has a problem with it. Almost all dog food has it in. I have to minimize the amount. You should also be able to find ground flax seed in the health food store.

  • Laura,

    I probably put in at least a tablespoon. I don't really measure it .I just stick my hand in the bag grab some with all my fingers and sprinkle it in her bowl and then mix it in. It's much more than I can pinch between 2 fingertips, but not a handful or anything. I try not to put so much that it won't all stick to the canned food. Otherwise it just ends up on the bottom of her bowl. I hope that helps!

  • Thanks. I'll give it a try to see if it helps. My dogs don't like pumpkin and will just lick it and eat around it. They do like yams with whip cream but I haven't been able to find it in a can. I'll give the flax seed a try. Thanks!

  • We have also used fish oil (1/2 gel cap 2x/wk) and flax seed oil in the same dosing. I don't know if it has made a difference with the anal issue but it sure helps her coat and skin! Totally worth the money and effort.

Suggested Topics

  • Digestive issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    712 Views
    No one has replied
  • Age issues or behavioral issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    agilebasenjiA
    @Patty: Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog. My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that. Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on. I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues. My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.
  • Anal Gland Secretions

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    Chealsie508C
    Good post, reminds me that this can really be a problem that the vet needs to assess. I was just talking to my friend that the last week or two Oakley has been expressing his glands up to 8 times a day… He has never had his expressed but I started thinking this is likely an impacted gland therefore off to the vets we go this week.
  • Overactive Anal Glands

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    12k Views
    bewlerB
    @Schouiffy: So this will need to be a daily imput of pumpkin or sweet potato ? I just use about one teaspoon of canned pumpkin every morning.
  • Perianal Glands

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    2k Views
    KipawaK
    @moshun111: Don't try to do it yourself if you don't know what you are doing; you can injure his rectum. Have a vet or groomer show you a few times until you can do it on your own. Gosh, if this is a bot/spammer/etc. they sure are getting clever.
  • Eye issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    2
    0 Votes
    2 Posts
    2k Views
    wizardW
    If she's loosing hair then it sounds like it might be something more than just stress-of-an-intruder. The stray could have brought something nasty along. Maybe there's mites or something. I would take both to the vet.