I have been feeding Burns as an adult food since coming off puppy food - Meg is now nearly 2 years old.  She used to eat it with enthusiasm but then started only eating part of a meal - I was only feeding her one meal a day.  I went back to 2 meals a day.  This also stopped working - she does get a few biscuits in the day too if she needs rewarding.  However she has started picking at her meals and the other day I caught her nosing the bowl as if she wanted to push it away or tip it over.  We have put in left overs on odd occasions so don't know if she thinks she is going to get that every day! 

However she does have problems scooting - I have thought it was down to evacuation problems because she eats grass and - well ......I don't have to go into detail!  I have wiped her bottom when she looks like doing it on my rug because she leaves a smear.  Today she seemed sore but she won't let me get near to look.  The vet told me to put some extra fibre in her food a while ago but her stools are firm - a friend thought she had constipation watching her go the other day.  I wonder if a change of food is needed.  

She is a collie and will eat any cat or fox poo she finds - after putting some behind her ears of course.  She is due to be wormed now this month but has been doing this scooting on occasion ever since she was wormed last.  Sorry long post - would welcome any suggestions.

Christine

Scooting is usually a sign of full anal glands - have they been emptied recently?

That is why the vet told me to add fibre to her diet - she thought the stools weren't firm enough to empty the glands.  However this is not the case.  I thought anal glands were a problem with older dogs?  I could not empty them anyway she won't let me do anything to her at all - she snapped at me today when she seemed sore.  She has been licking though come to think of it.  That is not good seeing that she hates the vets since having her spayed.  I am afraid Meg will have to be sedated - 

Few puppies have anal gland problems, but any adult dog can. It certainly sounds as if a trip to the vet is in order, because she's in such discomfort. :( It should be easily possible without sedation - a muzzle for safety and someone holding her firmly should be all that's needed.

Hi Ceejay,

JG is correct about not needing sedation for having the anal glands emptied by the vet. My boy has just had his done on Friday as I'd noticed him scooting once or twice in the past week. He usually has to be done about once every 10 months or so. The vet did offer to show me how to do it myself (quite simple apparently) but I declined. :-D :-D

He has firm poos, and is fed on a good dry complete, but the vet said that some dogs are just a little more prone to the glands filling than others.

A muzzle should be more than sufficient to enable to vet to perform the procedure, it literally takes few seconds and then its all done.

Claire

It's not just firm poos but bulk that is required to effectively squeeze the glands as they lie outside the rectum so, after getting the glands emptied it would certainly be worth looking at increasing fibre to prevent another fill.

I feel a little happier this morning - popped into the vets as I was out for my walk.  They were very good.  I have done some work on taking her in and giving her treats - she is quite happy to go into the waiting room now.  There was an empty consulting room and the nurse used that to get her used to going in and she showed me the muzzle they use now.  She said they are expert at putting it on quickly and it is quite often a collie that reacts like this - snap reflex I suppose.  So I shall pop in every day and wait for the consulting room and someone to show her the muzzle while we give her plenty of treats. 

Someone I know from agility said that their vet would not treat her dog unless she muzzled it.  I am so glad that my vets are more relaxed about it.  Meg would get so wound up if I made her wear a muzzle for any length of time.  I have been working on desensitising her - got as far as getting her to push her nose in to take a treat.  However if I fiddled to put it on I will have lost it.

Put some weetabix on her food this morning and she ate it straight away - is that enough fibre or is all bran better like someone suggested?