Hi, just wondered if anyone had any advice.  During our walk last night my cavi dog (18 mths old) had trouble going to the loo (seemed constipated).  This morning his "back end" is covered in "poo"!!  He's a very clean boy normally.  Whilst bathing him this a.m. - seemed like his anal glands had emptied themselves?????  Any advice anyone.  (He seems really happy now that he's had a bath and has been cleaned up). 

Lucky you. Gabi has to go to the vets monthly to have hers emptied as they do not do it by themselves.

Feeding you dog a more appropriate diet, ie one that makes the dog produce smaller, harder stools, rather than the frequent and HUGE soft ones many commercial diets do, will mean your dogs anal glands should NEVER need emptying by a vet!

Em

I beg to differ, I have found foods that produce small, hard stools create constipation problems for my dogs and do not help them empty their glands.  In my experience what is needed is the bulky stools produced by a diet with a decent amount of fibre.  Bran can be added if the preferred food does not carry enough fibre.

My youngest dog had anal gland problem a couple years ago,i give her a high fibre breakfast such as fibre cereal flakes and highly seeded toast which helps her and she has been fine since thank goodness( she has dry good quality kibble as main food).

Not very nice smell that lol
I dont take mine to vets for hers, they taught me how to do it myself yuk.
I just check hers every week.
Bless her shes very good at me fussing.
I have this routine with her, and i say let me see your baddies lol.
Ears
Teeth
glands
Toes and nails.
Check her fur.
Reading that back then, was just thinking poor thing lol

One of my dogs has a slight anal gland problem,when i feel theyre getting to full,i give her a few extra bones,this manages to express them perfectly.

I've tried emptying them myself,but i'm too scared i'll squeeze too hard and i'll burst them or something :(

>Feeding you dog a more appropriate diet, ie one that makes the dog produce smaller, harder stools, rather than the frequent and HUGE soft ones many commercial diets do, will mean your dogs anal glands should NEVER need emptying by a vet!

Ah and yet I can assure you that they do...

Funny how none of my dogs have ever needed theirs emptying since they started on a raw diet then innit. And they are all very different dogs as well!

Em

I have four fed on exactly the same diet. Only one has glands that need emptying. Dogs are all made differently.
:)

I agree with JG - I feed my dogs a raw diet and 2 days ago I had to empty Seth's extremely pungent anal glands for the first time - he is a 19 month dobe - this is only the second dobe I have owned that ever needed their anal glands expressed. Hopefully it won't be a regular occurance :(

Angela