Anal Gland Problem?

[rmcbrair]

Through the course of the day yesterday, I noticed Emma was licking her rear a lot. Later, I noticed that the area was swollen and irritated, so I did a couple warm compresses and one again this morning. By late morning, the area looked open and bloody, so I took her to the vet this afternoon. She expressed her anal glands, which were full (whoo-weeee!, never smelled that before!). She said she wasn't sure what was really causing it since there didn't seem to be an infection. She said they would do steroids and antibiotics only if it gets worse and advised against compresses or any other moisture now that there's an open sore in the area. You can tell her little butt is hurting her. :( Any similar experiences? Advice?

 

[SandyHG55654]

No similar experiences or advice. I just wanted to say EWWWW! That had to be bad for both of you! Poor puppy! I always thought it was little dogs that had that problem. I guess not. Hope your dog feels better though!

 

[jaimie]

The vet wasn't worried about it being ruptured? What kind of open sore? Poor thing, not sure what to say. They at least put her on antibiotics right? OUCH! My Brandy kept licking herself ALL night one night-she was driving me crazy! So, we went to the vet & only ONE was full but no blood or anything. You may need to make sure her poo isn't too runny, normally they empty out their own sacs while going potty. We think that is what Brandy's problem was.

Hope your baby's bottom feels better soon!

 

[Shakira's Ma]

I actually had the same experience not very long ago with ShaKira, she was bleeding and when I took her to the vets to have her anal sacs expressed they found a sore on her as well. The vet thought that it was from scooting on the carpet and somewhat developed a rug burn on her little bottom, she was miserable for about a week. Hers became swollen as well and very irritated looking. Our poor babies, this must really hurt them. ShaKira was placed on antibiotics to help clear up the infection that she had developed from the scooting that developed the sore. I hope that your baby is feeling fine real soon.

 

[rmcbrair]

The vet wasn't worried about it being ruptured? What kind of open sore? Poor thing, not sure what to say. They at least put her on antibiotics right? OUCH! My Brandy kept licking herself ALL night one night-she was driving me crazy! So, we went to the vet & only ONE was full but no blood or anything. You may need to make sure her poo isn't too runny, normally they empty out their own sacs while going potty. We think that is what Brandy's problem was.

Hope your baby's bottom feels better soon!

Her poo has been looking normal, although it was a little soft-looking today, but I will consider adding more fiber to her daily diet as a future preventative.

I didn't notice her scooting at all, but she was licking a lot. I've been telling her "no," and she's been listening pretty well. The Elizabethan collar the vet gave us today is a no-go. She's just too confused by it.

But, NO, the vet did not prescribe an antibiotic, and that worried me a little with there being an open sore - obviously, an open sore in that area would be very susceptible to infection. I even questioned her about it, and she didn't think it necessary. I will probably call them tomorrow, because I'm still not comfortable with that decision. I just wish there was a way I could make her more comfortable during the healing process.

 

[rmcbrair]

Sore

Jaimie, forgot to answer about the sore - it's swollen, quite red with a small bloody-ish area above the anus. All of the affected area is over or at the top area of the anus - the lower portion looks normal.

Thanks, ShaKira's Ma - as you can see from the previous post, I think Emma should have antibiotics too.

 

[Net45582]

Anal gland problems are not uncommon in all life stages. Some dogs are more prone to the problems also. The vet is probably thinking about letting it drain and heal on its own and doesn't want to prescribe a drug when it isn't needed . If the sore stops draining and starts to swell and get red ,then I would definitely get back to the vet for a look see. Antibiotics will only fight an infection if present...keep us posted.

 

[gmacleod]

Sounds like she had an abcess. Here's a short veterinary article on anal glands and the various problems that can occur that might be some use to you: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=510

 

[rmcbrair]

Abcess

Sounds like she had an abcess. Here's a short veterinary article on anal glands and the various problems that can occur that might be some use to you: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=510

Thank you for the link - I had actually checked it out last night since you had posted it for another anal gland question. Also checked out vetinfo.com, but that wasn't too helpful since all I could find that was related was in the form of Q&A. Abcess was also my impression, but it's hard to say without sample pictures. I was a bit baffled by the vet's vagueness - she said she didn't know the cause. I don't know this vet since she is filling in for Emma's regular vet who's on vacation right now. My main concern, of course, is infection since it sounds like it can be pretty stubborn once it takes hold in that area. The swelling and redness are still quite prevalent, and this morning there appears to be a small amount of whitish drainage, which to me is a red flag for infection. I'm going to contact our usual vet's partner today and see if she has any different impression of the problem.

 

[Albie]

Lacy has had anal gland problems in the past. The most recent time was in December, and her anal glands were imacted and one of them abcessed. The impacted anal gland was red and swollen, split open and drained a bloody fluid. We used an ointment called Animax directly on the abcessed anal gland (we actually squeezed the ointment directly into the split open sore) and she was on an oral antibiotic. Our vet suggested we add one teaspoon of plain, unflavored Metamucil to Lacy's meals for extra fiber. We have been doing this since December and so far so good. When we were dealing with the abcess and impacted anal gland, Lacy needed to be seen by the vet several times so that she could express her anal glands during the healing process. You may want to check if you need to do any follow up.