Westley
 

Westley had to go to the vet this morning. Poor little guy has an infected anal gland. I went to give him a bath last night and noticed a raised area near his bottom and upon closer inspection found a red swollen spot, right near his little butthole. He wasn't doing any scooting or licking at it.


They drained it and gave him an antibiotic, and put some antibiotic gel in his bottom (in the gland?) and he seems to be feeling better already.


The vet said this may or may not reoccur.


Is there anyway to reduce the chances of reoccurrence that my YorkieTalk family can give me advice on? I don't want to have to take him to the vet all the time to get it drained- she said removal, would he be okay with it removed? Do they just remove one or both and would he then need help after a bowel movement? Does anyone here have a yorkie with removed anal glands?

Sorry to hear about Westley. Sending best wishes.

I am glad you caught it....Lola had this happen but it was from the stress of having a foster. We have not even had to go and have them expressed since not having anymore fosters...she seems to be clearing them on her own now.

I know you can add fiber to the diet if the vet thinks that may help. sending many well wishes Westley makes a full recovery and you find a solution.

Removal after 1 episode? That sounds a bit drastic to me! Mine had 4 problems (2 surgeries, then impacted but vet was able to express) before my vet even started thinking about removal. I have your vet teach you how to express anal glands, before they become infected and abscess. Adding fiber may help... 4-6 green beans per meal, or pumpkin (canned, not pie mix) about 1-2 teaspoons per meal.

Poor Westley. Hope he is feeling better now that it is drained.

Here is a thread regarding anal gland removal:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...al-glands.html

There was a more recent one in the health section too. A member's pup had them removed and was suffering fecal incontinence.

I have heard fiber helps. I would not consider removal unless it was an ongoing issue and then, I would be taking my pup to a soft tissue surgeon. That is a touchy area for a general vet to operate on. Too many chances for problems/complications.

From PetDiets - VNC putting your pet's health first .. for more than 20 yrs! :

Is there anything they could do perhaps with diet to help the anal glands express more naturally. I have heard that fiber when added to food helps by forcing pressure on the glands. Is this true?


Yes ... often times titrating the fiber content of the diet until you get the best results is successful.



You can experiment with this by feeding FIBER ONE or ALL BRAN breakfast cereal. For the average 30 lb dog, start off with ~1 Tsp/day and increase it by 1 Tsp weekly and see if things improve up to 6 tsp in total.

From what I'm reading and what I see on him, it is actually Anal Sac Abscess.
The swelling, usually on one side, is red at first, then later turns a deep purple. (This is what his looked like) Unlike anal sac infection, the swelling of an abscess cannot be reduced by emptying the sac. An abscess often ruptures through the adjacent skin, producing a draining tract.

Treatment: If the abscess has not ruptured spontaneously, it should be lanced by your veterinarian when it becomes soft and fluidlike. The cavity is flushed repeatedly and the dog is placed on an oral antibiotic. Your veterinarian may ask you to flush the cavity twice a day with a topical antiseptic such as dilute Betadine solution for one to two weeks, and apply warm compresses to the area.


The vet ruptured the abscess to drain it- she told me to put warm compresses on it 2x a day. He has a spot near his bottom that looks like a hole. And it looks horrible!! He is just laying around, acting like he doesn't feel good. The antibiotic they gave is supposedly good for a week. I'm getting him a collar right now to keep him from licking at it or messing with it.

Is there anything I can give him for pain? I don't want him suffering any more than he has to...

Fiber in his diet. I mix what I cook (rice,turkey,peas and carrots) with their kibble twice a day,just a Tbl spoon or two.
I would ask the vet tomarrow about a pain med like medicam.

I'm definitely calling them in the am about it.