Has anyone used this???
My Am cocker has to have his anal glands emptied every 3-6 weeks :( And they have been infected before now.
The nurse who cleaned out his anal glands suggested using this to try and firm him up. But it was £16 and their card machine was down so i couldnt pay for it as didnt have enough cash on me so didnt get it.
She said it may firm him up and sort out his anal glands. Although he isnt that soft anyway.
Lea :)

Have you tried just adding bran.  A darn sight cheaper and available in any supermarket :)
If you can, I would try not to empty the glands as often as this I think it actually stimulates production rather like fiddling with ears produces more wax.

It makes them slacker as well so less likely to empty on their own.

this time (4 weeks after being emptied last time) one was clear the other was FULL :(
One time when I did leave it for 3 months they ended up infected and he went on anti biotics :( And i felt so guilty :(
Will get some bran and try that. How much should I give??
Lea :)

A teaspoon for a small dog, maybe a tablespoon for a large one.  Trial and error really :)

Perhaps, if they have an intolerance I know with people that have IBS it can go either way.  Generally, though, fibre will bulk out the motions.

Isabel I meant emptying them frequently makes them slacker, not adding fibre. :)

So for an American Cocker I should try a desert spoon to start ;)
Ok will get some tomorrow.....
Second question.........
Which aisle in the supermarket should i look for just plain Bran ;) ;) LOL
Lea :)

Around the flour usually but maybe on one of those trendy "good for you" aisles that they are all bandwaggoning :p
I'd start with just a teaspoon until you see if his digestion approves :)

PML @ Isabel, oh so true SO TRUE!!!!!!!!
Will look near the flour first then head for the 'bandwagon' aisle!!!!!!
LOL
Lea :)

hi Lea, im having the same problem with my Tyko, every 3-6 weeks , she has her nose up her butt & jerks & cries, its awful, the vet just empties them & says its not serious , he wont even teach me how to do it as he says i could hurt her the good thing is that the vet doesnt charge me for emptying :) im gonna try the bran too, (on tyko, not me ) lets hope it works

Oh, I see :)

You can also get it in health food shops (can be cheaper than the supermarket)
I once had a dog who ate 1lb of bran when she got into the cupboard where I kept the dog food.
Poos the size of mountains :D :D :D

My boy is currently recovering from an anal gland abscess which was extremely painful for him.  He's on antibiotics - although getting the tablets down him is proving really difficult :rolleyes: - and he has to go back to the vets in a couple of weeks to have his glands flushed out (under anaesthetic).  I am wondering whether to go the whole hog and ask the vet to remove the glands completely.  I have read that they don't really serve a useful purpose in the domesticated dog  
If I just have them flushed out the problem might recur and we'll have to go through all this again. He is fed on Nutro and his poos have always been solid so I'm not sure why his glands cause him trouble. 
I would welcome any advice/suggestions.

Lea, I use this for my working cocker as I tried every different food combination / addition I could think of to his food and this was the only thing that really works as a preventative measure - I can now go far longer inbetween trips to the vet for anal gland emptying than before adding profibre to his food.  It can be found cheaper at http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk if you decided at any point you wanted to try it.

Tyby, I've been having troubles with Sam's anal glands for a good few years now and my vet only once mentioned removal of the anal glands and that was only in the context that it was an option but certainly as far as he was concerned, it would only be the last resort.  For me, making trips to the vets every 4 months (give or take) to have them emptied is no real problem and Sam doesn't seem bothered by it until it's clear they need emptied, so our routine works.  Sam's stools are always generally solid also: the vet just explains his problems as just one of those things-he simply doesn't empty them fully himself.  Have you had problems with your boy's anal glands prior to this?  If so, then I'd probably suggest being guided by your vet as to your dog's condition and the pros and cons of removal (there is a risk of faecal incontinence I believe) else wait and see if this proves to be a recurring condition before rushing into surgery.

Hope that helps :)
-Kay

Just wanted to add that I tried Protexin Profiber and it had the opposite effect - really runny poo requiring me to clean up my dog afterwards.   I was glad I started at only 1/2 the recommended amount!    Oh well, at least it served to remind me that I used to need to clean her up once or twice a week before I switched over to Naturediet.

I now give my dog a level desertspoonful of bran (she's a Cairn) and it works fine.  

If you do a search on Cairnmania you'll find I asked what fiber to add to my dog's food recently - there were a lot of good suggestions.

Stacey

Thanks, Kay.  Since posting I've also read about the risk of faecal incontinence so I don't really want to risk that

Buddy is now 4 and I think he's only had to have his glands emptied once before. The worrying thing this time was that his only symptoms were not eating and being very depressed - no scooting or biting his bum at all.  It wasn't until the abscess burst that we knew what was wrong with him.  Perhaps the flushing out will do the trick.

You say his poos have always been solid, do you mean hard?  Large, bulky rather than small and hard poos (luvly subject :p) seem to do a much better job at emptying the glands.  The glands sit outside the anus, remember, so you have to stretch out to them to squeeze them at all, if you follow me :)
My cocker had impacted glands leading to an infection once many years ago when I had adopted a lower output food on the basis of the selling point of less clearing up.  Since reverting to a higher fibre food it has never recured and I also realised shovelling up a bulky formed stool is just as easy as a small hard one :)

Thanks Isabel - I'm beginning to get the picture :)
Actually since I've started adding bran to his food I've noticed that his poos now seem bulkier.  Hopefully this might help prevent any more problems :)

Just tagging onto this link. Does anyone know if you can buy oat bran, as my girl has reactions to wheat?
If so does anyone know whereabouts I can get it. I think I'm going to give it a go with her :-)
Thanks Anne

I'd try a health food shop but I suppose it just might be in the "healthy" aisle of a decent sized supermarket.

Hi Anndee,

I've seen oat bran in the supermarket - try the organic section if your store has one.  You can also try any of the stores that sell health foods and vitamins, like Holland and Barrett.

You can also try Psyllium Husk powder (Metamucil is a branded version), which you can also buy in H&B or Boots.  Dosage is about 1/4 teaspoon per 20 lbs of dog.  (Psyllium husk is an ingredient in several brands of dog food and in Dorwest Keeper's mix, fyi.)

Green beens and pumpkin are also really good sources of fiber.