Question:
We have a 3-year-old toy fox terrier named Dinkie Doodle who is 15 pounds overweight.He also has anal sac problems. It starts with a loud yelp, then he rubs his hind-end on the rug in a circular motion, and then he walks back and forth, constantly, with his rear-end curved under. This happens at least once or twice a day, some days even more. It's driving us crazy.We took him to the vet, and they tell us we can have his anal glands squeezed or washed out, or have them removed as a last resort. What should we do?.
L.P., Belleville, MI Sep 05, 2004
Answer:
Many dogs develop chronic anal gland inflammation. These glands are located on each side of the dog's anus. They secrete a smelly paste into a sac that normally empties when the dog passes a stool. The duct from the sac to the exterior may get blocked, causing the glands to become infected and hyperactive.Impacted and inflamed anal glands can be extremely painful. Signs include scooting, where the dog -- like yours -- rubs his rear-end on the ground, and aversion to being petted around the lower back. Cats with this condition can become "un-housebroken."Feeding your dog a high-fiber diet to decrease the bulk or giving him a daily tablespoon of Metamucil may help prevent recurrence. But first the anal glands need to be squeezed and the sacs emptied out. The dog should be checked again after a week, the sacs should be irrigated, and a local steroid and antibiotic medication should be injected into each sac every few days for a couple of weeks. If such non-surgical treatment does not work -- although it usually
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