Looking for anecdotal anal gland surgery info

[nana911]

Baxter has an infected anal gland. He has always had hiney issues..i.e. always needed expressed, always dragging butt, always running just as soon as he finishes pooping. Anyway, we have to be very vigilant and I was getting just a bit weary, so I asked what removal surgery was and what the percentage was on incontinence resulting.

Surgery is 1300-1500 with a 20% rate of incontinence. They suggest removing one gland at a time to lower the fail rate. Of course that could double the cost.

I'm wondering if anyone has had this done, what your cost was, and did it result in incontinence. Or do you know anyone with this experience. What I'm looking at, does not look worth it. I think that is a lot of money to make him wear diapers. And I don't think he is that uncomfortable....yet.

[megansmomma]

I don't remember who it was but I am positive that I read someone who's pup had the surgery and did really well. When I had my foster Truman he had anal gland issues but surgery just was not an option for him due to his age. From what I remember it is a very big surgery. Did you try doing a YT search? I hope that you get some good answers about your Baxter and his anal gland problems.

[nana911]

Thank you for responding... I've been doing some searches on YT. Checking on google doesn't really give me much but stats. I want something more personal.

[Shorkielover]

Mocha just had the anal sacs removal surgery today. He is currently at the vet and will be staying over per the vet's requirements. When speaking with the vet, she said that the surgery went well and he (mocha) has already had a successful and controlled bowel movement. He is on a morphine drip and will remain on antibiotics when he returns home tomorrow. It was a hard decision to make, but I think it will be worth it. My regular vet recommend and wrote a referral to a specialist. Looking forward to less anal gland expressions and vet trips.

[nana911]

Thank you so much... I look forward to hearing that the recovery continues to be a success. I still haven't made a decision. We still deal with Baxters' Butt. I'm waiting on positive input and yours is the first glimmer of hope I've heard. I know I can't pin a positive outcome just on another person's but it helps in the decision making process. Thank you again.

[Ellie May]

It's about $1000 here. No experience with the surgery. Ellie's vet does it (rarely). She has never had the incontinence complication in 18 years.

[Shorkielover]

@Nana911
The surgery and recovery have been successful. The hardest part was watching Mocha trying to function with the ecollar on. He hates it. The first 24-48 hours at home, Mocha was pretty quiet and slept the majority of the time. By the third day he was back to his normal self. The surgery itself took a couple of hours and cost $390 which included all the pre/post testing, meds, IV, ecollar, etc. Mocha only had one bowel movement issue. It would be equivalent to what we experience when we sneeze and dribble, lol. He was barking at some kids and dirbbled. Luckily for us we were outside for our potty break anyways. Other than that one incident every bowel movement has been solid and controlled. I would never tell anyone to have the surgery, it is a tough and scary decision. It was what was best for Mocha. Prior to the surgery I asked A LOT of questions. My suggestion would be ask a lot of questions, have any pre-op blood work done first and then follow your gut instinct. If you have any questions I 'll answer them to the best of my ability.

[gcoronado4]

Originally Posted by nana911

Baxter has an infected anal gland. He has always had hiney issues..i.e. always needed expressed, always dragging butt, always running just as soon as he finishes pooping. Anyway, we have to be very vigilant and I was getting just a bit weary, so I asked what removal surgery was and what the percentage was on incontinence resulting.

Surgery is 1300-1500 with a 20% rate of incontinence. They suggest removing one gland at a time to lower the fail rate. Of course that could double the cost.

I'm wondering if anyone has had this done, what your cost was, and did it result in incontinence. Or do you know anyone with this experience. What I'm looking at, does not look worth it. I think that is a lot of money to make him wear diapers. And I don't think he is that uncomfortable....yet.

I have a question for the OP. How do you know that your dog has infected anal glads? Sometimes my Leo has the fish butt smell but it will only usually last a day at a time. Or, it will go away with his next bowel movement. He only gets smelly every now and then, but definitely more so then my other yorkie. I never see him scoot his butt, but you mentioned something about your dog running after he is finished with his bowel movement? Most time my dog will walk and poop at the same time.. Do you have any suggestions as to what this could mean? Thanks!

[yorkymom1]

I express the anal glands for my dogs regularly during baths so i don't have an issue now but I asked my vet about this the one time i did have an issue. One of my girls had infected anal glands and they had to be lanced. I felt horrible so i learned how to do the expression myself and have done it often to avoid a reoccurence for anyone.
I remember him telling me that the risk of incontinence increases as they get older. Its better to have this done, if needed, when your their younger.

Do you know how to express them yourself? If not maybe someone (i.e. your vet or groomer) can show you and by doing this regularly yourself then you might not need to have this procedure done at all?

[nana911]

Originally Posted by gcoronado4

I have a question for the OP. How do you know that your dog has infected anal glads? Sometimes my Leo has the fish butt smell but it will only usually last a day at a time. Or, it will go away with his next bowel movement. He only gets smelly every now and then, but definitely more so then my other yorkie. I never see him scoot his butt, but you mentioned something about your dog running after he is finished with his bowel movement? Most time my dog will walk and poop at the same time.. Do you have any suggestions as to what this could mean? Thanks!

I mention the running quickly after pooping only because I think it is another sign that they are sensitive. An impacted/infected anal gland is a very painful thing to see and watch. It is red swollen, almost looks bloody even if it hasn't burst.. just horrible for them. Baxter just seems to have hyper sensitive anal glands, I don't know how else to put it. I have a six pack and he is the only one that has these issues. I don't notice any more of an odor from his hiney than the rest of the pack... the walking and pooping is something that I've heard several dogs do. I have a couple that don't necessarily walk but move to several small spots continuously planting tootsie roll seeds all to equal one poop... I have no idea what it means but they are healthy otherwise so I figure, what the heck..... sorry I couldn't be more helpful...

[nana911]

Originally Posted by Shorkielover

@Nana911
The surgery and recovery have been successful. The hardest part was watching Mocha trying to function with the ecollar on. He hates it. The first 24-48 hours at home, Mocha was pretty quiet and slept the majority of the time. By the third day he was back to his normal self. The surgery itself took a couple of hours and cost $390 which included all the pre/post testing, meds, IV, ecollar, etc. Mocha only had one bowel movement issue. It would be equivalent to what we experience when we sneeze and dribble, lol. He was barking at some kids and dirbbled. Luckily for us we were outside for our potty break anyways. Other than that one incident every bowel movement has been solid and controlled. I would never tell anyone to have the surgery, it is a tough and scary decision. It was what was best for Mocha. Prior to the surgery I asked A LOT of questions. My suggestion would be ask a lot of questions, have any pre-op blood work done first and then follow your gut instinct. If you have any questions I 'll answer them to the best of my ability.

Thank you so much for the info. Price very reasonable, though I know it will vary by region. I'm glad you have had a successful outcome. He gets another impaction I think I may have to do it.