Why does my dog need anal gland expression after switching food?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Anal glands are sometimes difficult to determine what causes them to fill up quickly and why they don't empty on their own. What we typically recommend is switching the diet completely to a different brand / formula and adding in supplementation for the anal glands such as Glandex (which can be purchased online). I've known Glandex to reduce the time between anal gland expressions by months and sometimes the diet switch alone makes a big difference. Try this for a few months and if the problem persists after, I would speak with your veterinarian about other options. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I have seen a few dogs like Bella. Many times there will be an underlying cause such as allergies that cause this but not always. I would recommend a food trial with a prescription diet made by Royal Canin called Ultamino. You will feed her ONLY this diet for 2 months. She cannot eat ANYTHING else, no treats, bread crusts...absolutely nothing. At the end of the food trial, if her anal glands are not bothering her, then you know its a food allergy. If they are still bothering her, then its not a food allergy. If you haven't tried this yet, its worthwhile. Sometimes a short dose of anti-inflammatory or steroids can also help wth residual inflammation. Her doctor can prescribe these medications if they seem warranted. Best of luck with Bella!

I am so sorry Bella is having issues with her anal glands. You can always add some canned pumpkin to Bella's food to see if that helps bulk up her stool a little bit so she can express her anal glands easier. Some dogs do need frequent expressions every 1-2 weeks. I would discuss doing an anal gland infusion with antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory to help with some inflammation in her anal glands. She may or may not need to be sedated for the infusion. Some dogs can tolerate it very well while others (typically when there is an infection) cannot tolerate it well and will need to be sedated. I hope her anal gland issues resolve soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. I am sorry to hear about Oliver's problem. How quickly the anal sacs refill truly depends on the dog. Some dogs need their anal sacs expressed every month, others once a year. If your dog has been having problems with anal sacs, your vet may want to recheck them a month or two after having them expressed. They can then make a recommendation on how soon to come again based on how full they are at the recheck appointment. often we will recommend a diet higher in fiber for dogs with this problem or add fiber to the diet in the form of canned pumpkin or psyllium. I would ask your vet which they recommend for your dog as every pet is unique and they know your dog best!

Every pet is different and some pets may need their glands expressed every few weeks. Most however will be less frequent. This can be a problem in any dog but it is more common in small dogs. There is a supplement called glandex which many pets respond well to. You may also try feeding him a higher fiber diet. Lastly, sometimes frequent anal gland issues can be a sign of allergies. You may talk with your veterinarian about ways to diagnose an allergy and if this seems to be indicated. Surgery is also an option to remove the anal glands. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

You can try to change to a different food to see if a different protein source can help. You may need to talk about other allergy medicines such as Apoquel or Cytopoint which can help with allergies too. If there is thick material in the glands increasing fiber with green beans or canned pumpkin can help make it easier to express. Getting the glands removed is less traumatic than getting them expressed monthly as it requires one surgery and a stay as opposed to monthly visits. That glandex may take 4-6 weeks to see improvement.

No one knows for certain what causes recurrent anal gland inflammation and irritation - sometimes allergies seem to play a role, and certain dog breeds seem to have more issues than others. There are some supplements that you can try, and sometimes adding fiber to the diet can help as well. If Pixie is not on a regular schedule to have her glands expressed that might help. If the problem is severe with recurrent anal gland infections surgery to remove the anal glands is sometimes recommended.