Anal Gland - How to reduce the stank?

[CWNSF]

My 2 bassets will get “glandy” on a semi-regular basis. If you’re not familiar with the smell (lucky you!) it smells just like the chopped clams they use for bait on deep sea fishing boats. Usually a good poop clears it up but man-oh-man they were both super glandy for bedtime last night! :disgust: :dead:

Any tips to reduce the general tendency to “back-up”? Both are at perfect/slightly under weights for their body type (per my vet) and generally have good poop consistency (not too firm, not too loose, etc). The older basset has a vet appointment next week so I was also planning on asking them then if they have any suggestions.

[trubandloki]

@CWNSF

If you’re not familiar with the smell (lucky you!) it smells just like the chopped clams they use for bait on deep sea fishing boats.

This made be giggle because I had to wonder if you thought more people might know what chopped clams used for deep sea fishing smell like than know what anal glands smell like. :lol:

[CWNSF]

@trubandloki - good point :lol: I mean, just imagine what raw clams smell like after a couple hours in the sun.

I naturally associate it with deep sea fishing as I’ll go out with a group of friends 2-3 times a year. It was my husband’s first trip when I put together that the bait smell was a dead ringer for anal glands. Unfortunately, he had been seasick all morning and had just come out to maybe resume fishing when I made that declaration…he didn’t end up fishing until the very end of the day. My bad :uhoh::o

[ParadoxFarm]

My vet recommended feeding a few green beans every day.

[TKR]

You have to “express” the glands and there is a technique. Many dog groomers will do it for you or have your vet or vet tech show you how.

[anon6003733]

Sympathies! We added pumpkin and a few flakes of quick oats mixed in with our dog’s one main wet meal a day and it cleared right up.

[Mara]

@TKR

You have to “express” the glands and there is a technique. Many dog groomers will do it for you or have your vet or vet tech show you how.

Best $10 I ever spent, back when I had a cocker spaniel who needed expressing from time to time.

There are YouTube tutorials. If you look these up, I highly recommend deleting your browser history immediately afterwards!

[S1969]

Well, you need to prevent them from being “glandy.”

I won’t recommend expressing your dogs glands yourself, nor having a groomer do it, because you can be too rough and hurt them, and that is one of the contributing factors to dogs that have reoccurring gland issues.

They shouldn’t need regular expressing - if they do, then something is wrong - either with the diet, or the dog’s anatomy. Some dogs have defective glands, and/or older dogs sometimes have age related issues - in some cases they literally need their anal glands surgically repaired/removed.

The first tip is to try to bulk up their food so that their anal glands are expressed normally when they defecate. That is the way they are supposed to work. So canned pumpkin, or bran (rice or wheat) added to their food may help. If their glands are already full/impacted, they may need a vet to intervene and/or may be infected. In which case it will hurt to express it so I would leave it to a pro. You can actually buy an additive that is designed for this specifically - one is called Glandex https://www.glandex.com/pages/about-…anal%20glands.

I’m not sure how different it is than just adding bran, but worth checking out.

[Jarpur]

I had an elderly dog which needed to go in periodically to have the veterinarian express the anal glands, when he reached an advanced age - at times, it was required every few weeks.

The vet told me that diet, such as green beans or pumpkin, wouldn’t make a difference for him, as it was not unexpected at his time of life. She said this problem is more common in old male dogs.

Perhaps this is the issue with your older dog. However, my dog was not at all stinky.

[Equibrit]

I found a neat way to up the fiber for a dog that just would not produce firm stools, it is this;http://www.bulkfoods.com/wholesale-f…-5-pounds.html
sprinkled on her food. She also gets Diamond Naturals and canned mixture.
You can also use Sweet Potato or pumpkin flour. (the chickpea is the most economical.)
You might find this handy too; https://www.prebiotin.com/prebiotin-…tent-of-foods/

Read all about it; https://www.k9ofmine.com/best-high-fiber-dog-food/

[CWNSF]

@S1969 - I’ve heard that about expressing the glands (as potentially damaging) so I appreciate the Glandex suggestion.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! My older guy has a vet appointment tomorrow so I’ll review the different suggestions with her. Both have always eventually expressed their glands naturally but I’d like to be more proactive (with their diet it sounds like) so they have less of a chance to get backed-up. The hounds are very snuggly and cuddle with us on the couch, sleep on the bed at night etc. which becomes very unpleasant on glandy days!

Thanks again!

[Angela_Freda]

I buy glandex from Amazon

My present Beagle/Bassett seems to have anal gland stank when nervous/excited, ie car rides.:dead:
Any ideas why that would be?

[CWNSF]

@Angela Freda - that’s odd! No idea why that could be - I wouldn’t think it could be caused by changes in mood but obviously is. Hopefully you don’t have to bring him/her on many car rides.

Update after our vet visit - the vet said his anal glands were each the size of cherries so she expressed them and said the liquid was all normal looking. She recommended to start adding pumpkin to his food and if that doesn’t help, we’ll pursue other solutions. He definitely seemed much perkier after the appointment!

[Angela_Freda]

@CWNSF

@Angela Freda - that’s odd! No idea why that could be - I wouldn’t think it could be caused by changes in mood but obviously is. Hopefully you don’t have to bring him/her on many car rides.

Update after our vet visit - the vet said his anal glands were each the size of cherries so she expressed them and said the liquid was all normal looking. She recommended to start adding pumpkin to his food and if that doesn’t help, we’ll pursue other solutions. He definitely seemed much perkier after the appointment!

Alas she loves going places, like the park.
its not every time, but a few times of that stuff on car upholstery is too many!
:concern:

[S1969]

@Angela Freda

Alas she loves going places, like the park.
its not every time, but a few times of that stuff on car upholstery is too many!
:concern:

It’s some kind of stress response; my last dog would clench his anus if you tried to groom under his tail and he sometimes he would squirt anal fluid. Ugh. My vet said it’s not uncommon when they try to take a dog’s temperature. So, probably some sort of anxiety butt clenching thing.

[S1969]

@CWNSF

@Angela Freda - that’s odd! No idea why that could be - I wouldn’t think it could be caused by changes in mood but obviously is. Hopefully you don’t have to bring him/her on many car rides.

Update after our vet visit - the vet said his anal glands were each the size of cherries so she expressed them and said the liquid was all normal looking. She recommended to start adding pumpkin to his food and if that doesn’t help, we’ll pursue other solutions. He definitely seemed much perkier after the appointment!

Aww poor guy. That must feel better now! Definitely try the pumpkin and see how it works. Different things seem to work for different dogs, so keep a close eye on him and if he seems to be licking or smelling bad…call the vet or change up the fiber.

[Kyrabee]

I had to express the anal glands on my Mom’s cocker spaniel about every 6-12 weeks. Diet changes including pumpkin and fiber didn’t help. The fluid was always just good old smellay anal gland fluid…no sign of infection or obstruction…it came right out. She lived to 13 1/2 with this regimen. I take it Cockers are more prone to anal gland issues?

Susan

[Angela_Freda]

@S1969

It’s some kind of stress response; my last dog would clench his anus if you tried to groom under his tail and he sometimes he would squirt anal fluid. Ugh. My vet said it’s not uncommon when they try to take a dog’s temperature. So, probably some sort of anxiety butt clenching thing.

Thanks. Poor pup, she loves to go anywhere we go and we love to take her.
She has ‘magic carpets’ to sit on in each vehicle.

[CWNSF]

@S1969

Aww poor guy. That must feel better now! Definitely try the pumpkin and see how it works. Different things seem to work for different dogs, so keep a close eye on him and if he seems to be licking or smelling bad…call the vet or change up the fiber.

Yes, we’re keeping an eye on him as pumpkin is not his only change. He was mainly at the vets to get his 4dx test redone as it’s been ~6 months since he came up from Puerto Rico and apparently it can take 6 months for the parasites to develop enough to be found by the test. He ended up testing positive for ehrlichia, so in addition to the pumpkin for his bumkin his also on a round of doxycycline for the ehrlichia. 2 days in and he seems to be fine with both so I’m happy for that.