My dog needs Benefiber for anal glands. How should I give it?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Miralax and Benefiber are quite different from each other. I would not use Miralax if she is having diarrhea as you no longer need a laxative. Benefiber would be my recommendation to help bulk up the stool since she is experiencing diarrhea now. Glandex is fine to continue long term as it is a good source of fiber. You can also use Vetasyl capsules for cats (protein in capsule form). If using Benefiber, I would use ~1/2 tsp added to the food. You can also use Laxatone to help keep stools soft and help prevent constipation. I hope this helps!

If your kitty will eat her food when you add benefiber, it likely will help. The diarrhea could be a side effect of the antibiotic, so you may want to check with your vet about whether the antibiotic should be stopped or changed or the course finished anyway.

Sometimes increasing the fiber in the diet can help the anal glands express on their own, so supplementing the diet with Metamucil could help. I typically recommend starting at 1/2 to 1 tsp of unflavored Metamucil per day.

Sorry, should have been more clear. You’ll pick these items up at your local grocery store or supermarket. Regular human benefiber (odorless, tasteless fiber powder). And any zinc-oxide baby diaper cream like Desitin is fine. Best wishes!

Hello, sorry to hear about Prince. The dose is 2 tablespoonfuls per day per dog which can be given in a single dose or divided into 2-3 fractions per day. However, metamucil will cause bulkier stools and should be given with an easily digestible diet such as Hill i/D or royal cannin GI low fat. I recommend consulting with your veterinarian prior to starting the metamucil to ensure Prince is a good candidate for it. Hope this helps and best of luck

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can mix it with a little water to add to the food. Or mix it well in canned food. ideally it should be one the food. I can't imagine it changes how it works if you put it in a syringe with water if you immediately administer it. If it sits in water it may not be effective. I would first try it mixed in food or canned food. Use the water and syringe if that fails. I hope this helps!

Metamucil may help some but I would keep her dose very small like around 1 teaspoon twice a day. You could also try to just add a small amount of canned plain pumpkin instead of the Metamucil. I would also consider trying to add in a probiotic and a sensitive stomach diet. I like a few different types of probiotics - propectalin, vetriscience probiotic chews, purina pro plan fortiflora or proviable. If you decide to switch her food, I would transition her from the old food to the new food very slowly over a 2 weeks period. If you haven't had her examined by a vet I would strongly recommend to have her looked at. There are a lot of things that can also cause loose stools like parasites, food sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial infections, giardia, and much more. Your vet will start with checking a fecal sample. I hope this helps!