Anal glands - wrong position

[Amanda21]

Hi all,

Just wondering whether anyone has come across a dog that their anal glands are sitting slightly out of place?

My little Alfie seems to have his glands sitting at 5 and 7 o'clock, when the usual place is 4 and 8 o'clock. With them sitting slightly lower it seems they aren't expressing naturally, so I'm looking at having them expressed every 3 months. I'm aware that they are delicate little things, so hopefully having them manually expressed isn't going to cause problems. Also, he seems to suddenly move and spin around with his tail clamped down as if they are causing discomfort. It seems to get worse nearer the time when the glands need expressing, but one vet has said that, as they are sitting lower, they could be pressing against a nerve.

So just wondering if anyone has come across this before and whether this behaviour would be down to a nerve?

Thanks!

[zeta1454]

I have never heard of a dog with anal glands in the ‘wrong place’ and a bit confused as to whether the position you describe would have the effect Alfie is experiencing as I would have thought that the pressure needed to express the glands would have been greater when he poos if they are closer together than ‘normal’.

As you say, anal glands are delicate and regular manual expression is likely to cause damage or lead to them not functioning at all.

What food does Alfie have? Frequently anal gland issues are diet related. The food may not contain enough fibre or there may be an allergy or similar issue. Over the past 26 years and 19 dogs we have had issues of that kind only twice with two different dogs - one mini schnauzer who had a single episode of anal gland impaction when she was quite elderly and an affenpinscher who suffered an anal abscess again not a chronic problem. Our dogs are raw fed with meals containing ground raw bone which are excellent for keeping anal glands functioning as they should but even on other diets with sufficient fibre there should not be a problem with the glands expressing.

However, if there really is a physical ‘deformity’ causing an issue, that will require professional veterinary advice but do make sure the vet gives a detailed explanation with evidence for their diagnosis rather than speculation. Too many vets now seem to give random opinions on certain health issues in dogs without actually carrying out any tests or fully explaining how they have reached their conclusion.

I do hope you can resolve Alfie’s problem without the need for veterinary intervention though as it will be better long term for him. Some foods that may help are pumpkin purée (unsweetened) which you can usually buy tinned - adding a teaspoonful to the meals; Dorwest Herbs Tree Barks powder is also good for a variety of digestive type issues and helps to firm up the poo; a probiotic supplement may also help such as YuDigest. Bone broth is also good for dogs digestive and overall health. This company sells ready prepared bone broth with added chia seeds which is another source of fibre:

https://www.boilandbroth.com/product/be ... ogs-500ml/

There is some more information on this link:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/d ... -problems/