Bess has problems with her glands which usually means a visit to the vets every 6 weeks or so.  However, since the last visit before christmas I've been adding bran to her food, which has made her poo hard, and I had thought that this would stop her from having problems.  But last night again she's started showing the usual signs of them troubling her.  Is there anything else that I do to prevent this from happening again?  I really thought that once her poo had hardened up (it's like pebbles) it would have stopped. 

Oftentimes anal gland trouble is caused by anatomical problems.  Diet may help but it is not going to solve the problem entirely.

If it's just the ways she's built then it's not a difficult thing to learn to do yourself.  Ask your Vet to show you how.

2 of my dogs had to have thiers removed.  They had lovely firm poo but sadly thier anal glands just wouldn't empty themselves.  Eventually with the constant emptying manually by the vet they got thickened and harder to expel causing the dogs discomfort.
Best thing i ever done for those two was getting them removed.

> I really thought that once her poo had hardened up (it's like pebbles)

I think that may be the problem.  In my experience foods that produce small hard poos do not empty the dogs gland very effectively.  The glands are placed outside the anus so, logically, the opening has to be stretched outwards to put pressure on them.  The ideal poo (:-)) will be firm but bulky so I wonder if trying slightly larger quantities of fibre will achieve this.  My dogs generally function better on foods of at least 3% fibre content and would not then need any extra bran.

My Golden Retriever had anal gland problems some years ago, and I was at the vet having them emptied about every 6 weeks. As it got worse the vet recommended 'flushing and packing' which I went along with. Six weeks later he was having them emptied again, so it clearly had not worked. The vet then suggested having them removed and also informed me of the possible problems with this.

It was then that I happened to be reading a leaflet from Dorwest stating that their 'Garlic and Fenugreek' tablets were good for  dogs with anal gland problems. I started him on a treatment dose and gradually reduced to a maintenance dose. It was hugely successful and he NEVER needed them emptied again.

I think it's worth a try and  I often suggest this to people who mention anal gland problems.

Thanks for all of your comments, does anyone know if having the glands removed is covered by pet insurance, I'm insured by the pdsa.

I would imagine so, if your dog as had ongoing treatment for them, best check!

Mine was but check with your insurance company.

Thanks for that will get in touch with dorwest and see what I can get