Why do my dog's anal glands fill so fast and need weekly expression?

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!

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. I recommend that she sees her veterinary office to have her glands expressed. Some dogs need to have this done regularly so that glands do not become overly full. I hope this information helps!

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.

I am sorry to hear about your problems with Bell! I have had some owners find the product Glandex to be helpful (though not all) so that is worth a try. Others have found probiotics such as Fortiflora or Prostora, or Omega fatty acid supplements to be helpful.

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.

Anal gland issues are not uncommon and I hate to hear that they are bothering Sadie. Not knowing the history, I'm just giving a brief over view of glands in general. Chronic anal gland irritation is often due to food allergies. If you have not tried a food trial yet, I would try it and see if the gland issues go away. There is a specific prescription diet made by Royal Canin called Ultimino. It will diagnose ALL forms of food allergy. Once you figure out thats the problem, then you can start figuring out what food exactly that Sadie is allergic to. If its not food related, then its likely hereditary that she has unhealthy glands. There is a supplement called Glandex that can be purchased at Petsmart and some dogs do well on it. There's also a surgery to remove the glands for dogs that are constantly plagued. I hope I have answered your questions. Thank you for using Pet Coach.