Anal Sacs

We have a 6-month old female OES. Three weeks ago we noticed a foul odor from her. It was suggested that the problem may be with her anal sacs. However, after much research we realized that she doesn't exhibit any of the other associated problems -- scooting on her bottom, licking her rectum, or swollen glands -- there's only the odor and only in the evening (starting around 8:00 pm; the rest of the day, there's no odor). She's been on the same high-quality dog food since 6 weeks, gets pumpkin with her food in the morning, yogurt at noon, and vegetables with dinner. She also gets walked three times a day for a total of 4 to 5 miles. Other times during the day she is running in the yard with the kids. She makes four, very hard and solid bm during the day -- first thing in the morning, after breakfast, after dinner, and before bed. After the first time we noticed the odor, we took her to the vet who noticed that one sac was a bit fuller than the other. He emptied it, charged $70, and said that she may have to have it emptied again in 4 months or so. She was odor-free until last night when the odor returned AFTER ONLY THREE WEEKS! It has gotten so bad that we can't have her in the living areas of the house -- she has been confined in the laundry room last night and tonight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we're doing wrong (although from what I've read, we've done everything we should) or what we can do to change the situation.? The vet didn't mention medications or any other course of action. Thanks for the support and information.

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Your vet charged 70 bucks to express anal glands?

Was she maybe impacted??

It is a yuck smell and nasty thought but, you can
express them yourself if she can not do it.

I am guessing your vet probably charged for an office
visit and exam.

If you take her in regular to have it done it will be much
cheaper and she won't smell so stinky!

Good luck and NO it is nothing you are doing wrong!

Hi about 1 year ago my then 5 year old dalmation (Rastus) got smelly. He had been licking but no scooting or any other symptoms and as he gets dermatitis and chews and licks a lot at first we thought the licking was his usual itchies the smell convinced me it wasnt the usual itchies.
Our vet also found a somewhat full right anal sac which he expressed and said you may need to come back in 6 months. I cant remember what it cost but it wasnt cheap. 4 weeks later we were back again and 2 weeks later back again. The 2 options were either surgically remove the gland. (Expensive and there's risk of infection and/or nerve damage which can leave the dog with, occasionally permanent, faecal incontinence. Definitely not good as Rastus is an indoor dog who sleeps on the couch. Or for me to learn to empty an anal sac, my husband the big wimp looked absolutely horrified at the concept. :roll:

So learn I did. Now every 2 to 4 weeks I have to empty the right anal sac. Only EVER the right-go figure. And yes its a bit yukky but it means no more smells and no risk to Rastus although I have to say he's not a fan of the whole procedure but I suspect he'd be less pleased with the surgery option. Sorry a bit long winded but its a solution that's working for us as there was no apparent reason for the problem

I have one that needed to be expressed every 2 weeks for a while... now it's about once a month.

The next time it needs to be done, ask if you can make an appointment with one of the vet techs instead of the vet... ask for pricing before you go in. It's usually cheaper and won't require the office call fee. It was around $25 to express them here so I paid to have a vet tech teach me how to do it instead (I've got 7 dogs). It REALLY isn't that big a deal. Vet techs and groomers do it for the comfort/health of our dogs... owners can learn to do it too.

Also, check into a product called A.O.E (Animal Odor Eliminator). It's GREAT stuff that neutralizes odor of gland secretions. http://www.vetamerica.com/aoe-animal-od ... -8-oz.aspx

Quote:

AOE
Animal Odor Eliminator
(professional strength)
Eliminates, not masks, odors from anal gland secretion, tom cat spray, necrotic tissue, urine, feces, emesis, etc.
Used on animal, accidents, bedding, cages, litter any companion malodor.
Spray directly on the source of the odor. Can also be used as an air freshener.
Ideal for deodorizing cat litter boxes and neutralizing tomcat spray in the home.

THere is a very good video on how to express the glands online. http://www.expertvillage.com/video/8453 ... glands.htm

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