My dog's chronic anal gland issues: Is it time to say goodbye?

Poor Marius! I'm sorry he has been through so much recently! I think you should consider a trial or a prescription diet for food allergy first as many anal gland issues are related to food allergies. A diet like Royal Canin Ultamino would be a possible choice. However, if he still is having anal gland issues despite the prescription diet then surgical removal of the anal glands is probably the best choice. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best to you and Marius!

Hello, sorry to hear about Bear. It sounds like his anal glands are impacted and need to be expressed. This can be a major concern if the anal gland becomes infected and leads to an abscess. You may need to take him to a veterinarian sooner if he develops any pus like discharge or pain around his anus. I would recommend having him evaluated sooner if possible as he may continue to leave the foul odor around your house and also be uncomfortable with his anal gland impaction. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I'm sorry Ben has an anal tumor! Your vet is right that he will be pain, even if he doesn't act like it. Dogs can be very stoic about pain, and he is also showing you he is in pain from his arthritis based on the fact that he moves around slowly and can't get up stairs well. It's a hard choice to make as to when it's time to say goodbye to a beloved pet. I work for a home euthanasia company, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I recommend making a list of five things Ben loved to do. When he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has declined to a point when humane euthanasia should be considered. Also consider his quality of life if he starts having trouble passing feces due to the size and location of the tumor. In the meantime, I would discuss giving him pain meds with your vet. This may improve his quality of life in terms of getting around and help with the pain from the tumor. If you'd like to discuss things further with me, you can request a consult for more in-depth help. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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.

You may speak with your veterinarian about a diet trial with a hydrolyzed protein diet for 12 weeks. This will tell you if an allergy is present. If you can;t control it with food, you may look into surgery to remove the glands. I hope this helps.

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.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that Santeri is so sick! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I suggest making a list of five things Santeri loved to do. If he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has decreased to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It's always a hard decision to make, but if he has a poor quality of life, letting him go peacefully would be a great kindness. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope my answer helps and I'm sorry you are facing this issue :-(