Anal gland surgery: Is a drainage tube normal? How to ease anxiety?

I wouldn’t be too worried about a lack of drainage unless you’re also noticing significant swelling around the surgery site. Neosporin is probably okay to use but it would be best to check with your vet first before applying it. It can take some dogs 3 days or more to have a bowel movement after surgery, but if Bubba seems to be straining to defecate you should see your vet. If his appetite does not improve in the next day or two you should also contact your vet.

Hello. Most anal gland infections heal up quite nicely with medications & keeping the area clean. Unless there is a special circumstance involving Tia's glands, such as the area is just not healing, additional flushing & treatment is usually not necessary. See how she does after a week on antibiotics & if she is doing well, just continue the antibiotics. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Anal gland fistulas are usually very painful. I would recommend going back and asking for several days worth of pain medication (do NOT give human ibuprofen or acetominophen as those can be deadly to dogs), and an Elizabethan collar if you don’t already have one one to prevent licking. Feeding just boiled rice and chicken for 2-3 days is an option (unless Mojo has a chicken allergy) to feed a low residue diet that will be less painful to poop out. Good luck!

Lobito is so cute! It sounds like he had an infected anal sac that opened up, and you did exactly the right thing by taking him into the vet. Antibiotics should help clear up the infection, and there is a chance the anal sac can heal on it's own. Without seeing it in person, I can't say for certain, but definitely keep an eye on it and if it doesn't appear to be healing over the next week, have him seen by a vet again as then surgery may be needed to close it completely. Good luck, I hope this helps!

It certainly looks uncomfortable. Poor Cooper! The amount of drainage depends on how big the abscess was originally. You can apply a warm compress to encourage drainage and to provide relief. Ask your veterinarian if Cooper could benefit from some pain management for more relief.

Hello. I’m sorry you are having some issues. The injections that he received on surgery day were an antibiotic dose and a drug to partially reverse some of the sedatives he received. They are metabolized quickly and will not have any effect in his current treatments. The ointment is ok to use and may help to soothe the area , especially if he is also having diarrhea - which can irritate the anal tissue. Keep monitoring the area closely and contact your vet again if the situation gets worse.

Thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry that Oscar had this issue. You can put Neosporin on it if you would like. Typically after lancing, anal glands heal up very quickly and easily. The Neosporin will not hurt anything though so it is fine to use. If you do use it, I would get the "plus" version that contains pramoxine which is a topical pain reliever. Warm packing is not necessary, but again, you can sure do that for 5 minutes twice a day for the first few days. It may make him feel a bit better. I don't personally think Glandex works that well. Canned pumpkin is fine to do and for a small dog 1/8 to 1/4 cup once or twice a day is sufficient. Hope this helps! If you have more questions you are welcome to post again. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Neosporin-Plus-Pain-Relief-Maximum-Strength-First-Aid-Antibiotic-Cream-0-5-oz-Pack-of-2/45023946