anal glands need emptied in only 2 weeks!!!

LoveLilly · 11-07-2006, 12:54 PM

So my 5 month old papillon had her anal glands emptied when she was 3 months old, then 4 1/2 months old (they were really full) and now only 2 weeks later she is scooting again and has the bad fishy smell to tell me its time again. Seems quite odd only 2 weeks and she needs it again. Why won't they expel on their own?? Isn't it bad to keep having this done?? I ask my vet and he just says every dog is different.

Curbside Prophet · 11-07-2006, 01:03 PM

Elsa had a similar problem, however and coincidentally, Elsa need to be expressed was minimized when we changed her food (Nutro to Eagle Pack). Elsa never scooted, she simply looked at her bum like it was foreign to her. But what once was a weekly occurance is now maybe once every few months. I'm not sure if switching foods is what helped, but it may be something you'll want to consider.

LoveLilly · 11-07-2006, 01:05 PM

The new food you switched to, is it a high fiber diet? How is it different from what she was eating. I ask b/c I did read where changing to a high fiber diet might help - the thinking being that larger stool samples result helping the glands better release under the pressure.

Curbside Prophet · 11-07-2006, 01:24 PM

No, Eagle Pack is considered a balanced diet...it has less than 5% fiber. I believe high fiber diets have more than that.