Dog anal glands: How much pumpkin and how often should I feed it?

Pumpkin is good because it adds fiber to the diet leading to regular defecation, and when a dog has regular stools, that helps express the anal sacs. In fact, pumpkin is recommended to give to dogs when they are constipated. For her digestive health and anal sacs, pumpkin would be the best to give her, but as a treat, you can switch out to another tablespoon of veggies every now and then :-)

[Pumpkin](https://www.petcoach.co/article/health-benefits-of-pumpkin-for-pets) is a "super food" of the canine world. [Pumpkin](https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/pumpkin) contains soluble fiber and beta-carotene and can do wonders for both constipation and diarrhea. However, if your dog is lethargic, not eating, vomiting has diarrhea or is straining and not passing any stool, you need to seek veterinary attention immediately. That being said, the recommended amount of [pumpkin to give a dog](https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/pumpkin/) is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight of plain, canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) or fresh, steamed pumpkin. Given once or twice daily, this can aid in defecation. Always have fresh water available. Mix in some warm water in the food to increase intake which can also help prevent constipation. If the constipation persists for more than 24 hours, you should see your veterinarian.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Many vets recommend the canned pumpkin to continue on emperically-so just every now and then if she is now well maintained, while others ok it to be discontinued entirely. In my personal clients, I will often tell them it is ok to skip every day addition of this and go to about once a week to see if that will help maintain. However-if Chloe has had trouble with her glands, I always recommend having them checked by your veterinarian every 3-4 weeks to avoid any potential rupture, etc. Your doctor will palpate the glands for any sign of scar tissue (old ruptures), as well as abnormal consistency etc of the glandular material to assess any further problems. I hope this helps, and I'm very glad that Chloe is doing much better!

Given that she already gets two tablespoons of pumpkin, adding more produce would be over doing it, but you could occasionally give her one tablespoon of pumpkin and one tablespoon of carrots or beets.

Psyllium is ok to give but as both pumpkin and psyllium are high in soluble fibre it may not add much additional benefit. Generally in persistent anal gland cases, a mixture of soluble and insoluble fibres (bran/whole grains) are recommended

Pumpkin is great for forming stool and as part of a bland diet. I do think that it does help in a bland diet speaking from personal experience with my own pet. Typically, for a dog Smokey's size, I would recommend adding 1 tsp to each meal. 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 contacting Pet Coach with your question about Dayday. This is a lot of fiber and it may cause constipation or it could cause diarrhea. If you see constipation, do not give him pumpkin puree for a few days, and add water to his dry food to get more moisture in his diet. If he does have diarrhea, withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. Best of luck, I hope this helps!