flashfire Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Last night I woke up as my 14month old GR was on the bedroom floor making some disgusting noises. She has a bad habit of biting around the base of her tail (yet to be resolved) however she was biting/licking under her tail. I got out of bed to find out what the problem was, as she was quite frantic about it all so I thought perhaps she had an insect bite or something. Anyway, it was at that point I noticed a foul smell - a pungent stench that hung in the air, and on her mouth.... I can only presume this is the anal sac business that I have tried to pretend doesn't exist? This is the second time in 6months I have noticed her "eating her bum" then stinking of a very foreign odour. I just did a quick google search on it (what will the IT people think when they see ANAL SAC punched into the search engines!!?) and saw that dogs often scoot their bums on the ground to empty the sacs. My GR has never done that. What should I do? Is this perhaps a vet visit issue, or a perfectly normal aspect of dog ownership that no one ever tells you about beforehand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Aaah yes this is one of those choice issues of dog ownership :D One of my girls never scooted but chewed around her tail when her anal glands were bothering her. Your dog may have emptied them herself or they may need further expressing by a vet or groomer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Off to the vet Flash!! More fibre in the diet is helpful for keeping them clear but some dogs seem to get a build up regardless of what you dog. Anal sac fluid always smells somewhat metallic to me. Dead pungent though. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 hmmmm. Thanks Gretel :D I think I will take her to the vet and get him to have a look. I am a big princess when it comes to bad smells (watch me gag!) and would rather pay a consultation fee than deal with it myself. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 Thanks poodlefan! I think I will book her in for a consult. What can I feed her that will give her more fibre? She currently eats a mix of dry food and fresh meat/vege stuff (like BARF patties), as well as plenty of raw meaty bones and other interesting bits of dead animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 My vet recommended psyllium husks. I also have upped the amount of pumpkin I put in the BARF mix. Even roast pumpkin is good - and an old wives tale says it is wonderful for adeepening gold in a coat. :D My dogs eat roast pumpkin very happily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 Roast pumpkin eh? Sounds like a plan! But I will take her to the vet either tonight or tomorrow night anyway. Thanks for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SALTWOOD Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Hi Flashfire, how about stopping the dry food altogether and just feeding raw/all natural. In my experience feeding half natural and half processed food doesn't seem to produce good results. I used to feed the same as you for several years but was 'converted' to a fully natural raw diet by a fellow breeder and my dogs are doing so much better now. More natural fibre in their diet and very few digestion problems. You are almost there, just need to go the final distance and feed totally raw/all natural. Have a look at www.vetsallnatural.com.au which is a really clean and easy way to feed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 ahh anal glands *yum yum* as soon as the dog starts skooting about go get them drained. Finger up the bum usually but its very uncomfortable for your dog to have them so full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 Saltwood - I just ordered a 15kg bag of dry food!! She gets some slightly moistened kibble mixed in with her meat each meal (twice a day) and I have noticed that her poo is very firm and sometimes she strains for a little while. I personally feel she doesn't drink enough water. You can lead a dog to water but you can't make her drink! Thanks for the link - I will check it out. Nekhbet - she doesn't scoot at all... *shrug* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloss344 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Anal sac fluid always smells somewhat metallic to me. Dead pungent though. Yeah doesn't it? There's that underlying metallic smell but also it's like nothing else. I've found adding psyllium to Bob's diet helps the frequent emptying which of course always seems to happen in the house. Bob doesn't scoot and never has. My vet feels that Bob's frequent emptying is related to the fact he's so nervy. A strange noise or upsetting experience and off go the glands. Like a skunk does for protection. I'm so lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SALTWOOD Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 As I said Flashfire, you are almost there - your dogs will thank you for feeding an all natural/raw diet. Go on, take the plunge, you can always cancel your dry dogfood order!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 If this turns out to be an ongoing problem (and it is in some dogs) ask your vet to show you how to empty the glands yourself, it's not hard and it's a lot cheaper than paying for a consultation every couple of months. You will get used to the smell, after years of having dogs I hardly notice it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 (edited) 6pm vet visit tonight.... My dog costs me a lot of money! But she's worth it! I took this pic on the weekend after a splash in the wading pool and a roll in the dirt. Edited January 23, 2007 by flashfire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 (edited) Well, the vet stuck his finger up her bum and said the sacs were both empty... she must have sorted it all out for herself on my bedroom floor last night. He seems to think that all her problems - dermatitis, anal sac stuff, sneezing etc are possibly a food allergy reaction. So, she's going on a controlled elimination diet so I can figure out what to steer clear of. Oh - that 15kg bag of food was on my doorstep when I got home! :lol: I am going to use it, and incorporate it into her diet as it claims to be au naturele and has loads of omega 3 & 6 in it which is good as the vet suggested I give her 2000mg of omega 3 every day. Hopefully she'll stop being so itchy all the time. edited for spelling - it's been a long day! Edited January 23, 2007 by flashfire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Ohhh, I hate when Daegon does that! Kovu has never done it, but Daegon has a few times now...blerk! Smells fishy to me, so gross! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 <He seems to think that all her problems - dermatitis, anal sac stuff, sneezing etc are possibly a food allergy reaction. So, she's going on a controlled elimination diet so I can figure out what to steer clear of. Oh - that 15kg bag of food was on my doorstep when I got home! :lol: I am going to use it, and incorporate it into her diet as it claims to be au naturele and has loads of omega 3 & 6 in it which is good as the vet suggested I give her 2000mg of omega 3 every day. > Flashfire a lot of dogs do much better on no dog food when they have skin and other such troubles. My old girl had all sorts of skin itchies and such and once I started BARF feeding her she was a different dog! It's quite easy to supplement them with the omega oils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hathor Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 For allergies you could try eukanuba fish and potato, or hills z/d - all good diets for allergies, and they are complete as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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