Further to posts about my dog having 'bum trouble' it seems he is suffering from recurring full anal glands. I am averaging a visit to the vets to get them squeezed every couple weeks. Although the glands are not infected they are getting very full up and uncomfortable for poor Fred which in turn gets him down.
The  locum vet today said i had several options:
* Get the groomer to squeeze them - not an option as i groom Freddie myself and even if a groomer did it, Fred would only visit them for a clip every 6-8 weeks which would be too long for his glands
* Do it myself - although Vet said it is very unpleasant and as it is painful for the dog it alters the relationship you have and makes the dog see you as the 'baddie' somewhat
* Have the glands removed in surgery. Possible complications: infection after surgery, long healing/convalesing process (10-14 days), and minimal but possible risk of cutting anal muscles rendering Fred incontinent

So, am booked in for a weeks time for my usual vet to see how he is doing and to weigh up my options. I dont know too much about the anal gland removal and would like to hear from anyone who has a dog who has had it done, or anyone who can offer any alternatives.

Many thanks.

what do you feed him on ? When I was a kid our Bichon suffered from blocked anal glands and we added bran to his food which helped.

My older girl has problems with her anal glands. I empty them now, and it hasn't affected our relationship and as far as im aware it hasn't hurt her, she certainly hasn't cried whilst i have done it. Altho recently she has been lots better on the raw diet. Its your choice in the end which route you take. I would try empty them before i chose surgery.

I'm not sure I agree with the vet that it'll spoil your relationship with him if you do them yourself. I do my dogs' glands and our relationship is fine - it's no worse for them than having their nails done, and over a lot quicker! It's only unpleasant in that it's a smelly job (I do it outside). It's not painful unless the glands have abcessed.

> it's no worse for them than having their nails done,

so why does my dog squirm and yelp ?? the contents show they are not infected and vet hasnt mentioned any other possible problems eg absesses?

How did you learn to do them yourself?? How often do you do it (roughly)?? and do you do it routinely eg every so many weeks or just when your dog shows signs of the glands bothering them??

Sorry for the questions but i want to have as much information as possible to make my choice :-)  thanks.

I can't suggest any alternatives, but my friends rottie was having his anal glands expressed almost every week (my lab girl was every 2 for a while-i changed her food, and intake of it,and touch wood, no bother since), and he ended up having them removed. The concern was because his tail's been docked ridiculously, and I mean ridiculously, short, that the muscles around his anus and beneath his 'tail' wouldn't be strong enough afterwards. Luckily it wasn't the case, the surgery was a success, and he's none the worse for wear :)

I do my dogs about every month - the vet showed me how to do it externally, which dogs find a lot less uncomfortable than having a finger stuck into their bottom!

My boy has had his done a few times as the vets. They have showed me how to do it and then did it themselves and told me that it was would very difficult on him to do it myself.
They also advised increasing his intake of bran into his diet, which has helped so far and we've not been back since.

My lad had his glands removed last year - I can honestly say that for us it was the best thing we ever did!!

He was having to have his glands emptied up to 3 x per week, we had tried a number of different diets, some worked slightly better than others, but he still had trouble and ws almost constantly 'scooting' on the ground, which left his skin very raw.

Because his glands were having to be emptied so frequently, he had started to dread car trips, trembling and whining when I opened the boot, and he'd become very unhappy about having his back end touched even by me when being stroked/groomed, and had had a couple of bad gland infections.

we talked through the risks with the vet, but in all honesty there wasn't a lot of choice, as 3 x emptying per week for a 5 year old (at the time) terrier, assuming they got no better would be thousands of trips over his lifetime. Cost aside, to put Stitch through that many uncomfortable trips to the vet wasn't something I felt happy with, so we decided the operation was the best way forward.

Luckily there were no complications, no incontinence etc. He had a minor infection & swelling around the wound site a few days after surgery, but a quick course of antibiotics soon sorted that out.

He really is a different dog now, and I'm not exaggerating. He still has his allergies and a very sensitive tummy, but he doesn't scoot, he doesn't dread car journeys and he's actually got a furry bum for about the first time in his life!!

I know there are risks associated with this op, but in my experience, it was well worth doing.

HTH

Claire

Freds Mum,
They are easily emptied when bathing the dog and it doesn't hurt.  I would be very wary of this vet!  Have you tried changing his food and seeing how that works?

I'm limited to what food i can give him as he has an incredibly sensitive tum and allergies.

Thats good to hear that your boys op went well Claire. I know prices vary but do you mind me asking how much it cost??

Have you considered BARF for a while to see if that will help ? 

Have PMd you

My dog had hers removed this year, she was going to the vets every month to have them squeezed.  The last time she went they were badly infected, so I was told she would need an operation to have them cleaned up and packed, at this point I enquired about having them removed as she was needing to have an operation anyway.  Even though the op cost me £650 (fortunately I was insured, though I had to pay the money and then claim it back!) it was worth every penny, she has had no problems since.  Post op she was far better than I expected.  The only incontinence was the day after the op apart from that she was great with no problems. 

I want to add though that prior to her getting the infection in the glands I tried everything I could, I even put bran in her food which made her stools hard but that still didn't stop them getting blocked.  I wouldn't hesitate having them removed and will recommend it for every dog that needs them expressing regularly.  I used to feel really sorry for Bess after 2 weeks of having them squeezed she would be in discomfort, chewing the hair out of her tail as she tried to get to her bottom and then having the discomfort of having them done at the vets.  At least I know she's not in pain any more.

Have set up a new thread - thanks to everyone :-)

Had my bitches anal glands removed many years ago. never had a single problem after the op.