Desperate For Advice - Anal Issues

[Guest BubbaMom]

Hi All! I adopted my greyhound, Bubba, in Dec 2016. Since around October 2017, he has been excessively licking his bottom when I'm not watching him or at work. I took him to a few different vets and heard everything from possible growth to just sore from licking. They expressed his anal glands and said they needed to be expressed at the time but I am growing tired of these large vet bills. He is now on Hill's prescription I/D digestive care food, a dollop of canned pumpkin and I give him pumpkin ginger chews as treats now instead of milkbones. His poop is fine and he has a normal appetite, sometimes skips a meal here and there but usually scarfs down at least two cups a day. Nothing has changed since October- what could this be?? I looked under his tail tonight and the lump was licked red and had a bit of bruising on it. It's a small lump perfectly above his anus and at the base of the tail. There was a slight fishy smell and it looked like yellow (leftover poo/discharge?) something around his anus.

 

Also, at the beginning of January, he has started peeing in the house. He has been very housebroken and I am gone almost 9 hours each day and he never had accidents. We have a set schedule that has worked for him. They are very small spots and sometimes multiple spots. Today when I got home, there were many small spots on the carpet. I took him to the vet for a possible UTI and the lab results/urinalysis was fine. She said we could X-ray for kidney stones but I have spent over $1000 on vet bills already to figure out what might be wrong. I'm absolutely desperate between these two issues. He is my best friend in the world and all I really have; I will do anything to help him get better but I'm at a loss right now. Any advice is so appreciated.

[greysmom]

I'm sorry you haven't gotten any help from the vets you've visited. It sounds like he has some sort of infection to me - either of the glands themselves, or some surrounding tissue. Sometimes the glands can rupture into the surrounding area and cause huge problems.

 

Have you had a trial of antibiotics at all?? Any meds? Any treatment other than increasing his fiber intake? It might be time to seek out a specialist - dermatology or internist - to see if you can get a diagnosis and some real answers.

[Guest BubbaMom]

Thank you for the advice! I have not been given any meds but I will definitely look into an internist. I've been looking for a vet that will do a full check on him- I can be a bit neurotic on his health.

[Newtogreys]

Our 3 1/2 year old grey went through the exact same thing with the anal issues and it was finally diagnosed as food allergies. Apparently food allergies can cause an itchy bum. We switched foods and haven’t had another issue to date.......it’s been about 6 months now.

Btw, he licked his anal area so much, he had sores and it would bleed!

[GreytNut]

I had a cat with persistent anal gland issues. It wasn't enough to simply have it expressed. She needed antibiotics because it got infected and she eventually had the problematic anal gland removed.

 

If there's foul-smelling yellow discharge there is an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics ASAP.

 

I agree that the cause *could* be as simple as a food allergy. You might try one of the limited ingredient formulas (Natural Balance makes some good ones) with novel proteins. Some dogs are allergic to chicken, for example. You might also try a grain free formula as wheat, corn, etc. can commonly be allergens.

 

ETA: Another idea is to add fiber to his diet. One of my greyhounds had issues with soft poo which resulted in impacted anal glands. I bought a bag of powdered beet pulp and added a bit to each meal. She never had problems after that. The bag lasted just about forever as it's usually sold in giant sizes as a dietary supplement for horses. You want the plain, unsweetened stuff. She also had a wheat allergy which was solved by switching to grain free food (in our case, Taste of the Wild High Prairie).

Edited February 2, 2018 by GreytNut

[schnookums]

I had a cat with persistent anal gland issues. It wasn't enough to simply have it expressed. She needed antibiotics because it got infected and she eventually had the problematic anal gland removed.

 

If there's foul-smelling yellow discharge there is an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics ASAP.

 

I agree that the cause *could* be as simple as a food allergy. You might try one of the limited ingredient formulas (Natural Balance makes some good ones) with novel proteins. Some dogs are allergic to chicken, for example. You might also try a grain free formula as wheat, corn, etc. can commonly be allergens.

 

ETA: Another idea is to add fiber to his diet. One of my greyhounds had issues with soft poo which resulted in impacted anal glands. I bought a bag of powdered beet pulp and added a bit to each meal. She never had problems after that. The bag lasted just about forever as it's usually sold in giant sizes as a dietary supplement for horses. You want the plain, unsweetened stuff. She also had a wheat allergy which was solved by switching to grain free food (in our case, Taste of the Wild High Prairie).

What a great idea!!! My greys spit vegies out.

Thank you for the advice! I have not been given any meds but I will definitely look into an internist. I've been looking for a vet that will do a full check on him- I can be a bit neurotic on his health.

 

NOT neurotic!!! Loving and caring!!!!

[macoduck]

I have no experience with food allergies and anal gland problems. But I wanted to add that adding fiber to firm up poop so it's "passage" will help to naturally express the glands will not always work.

My iggy Charlie has the firmest, bounciest poop in the world and still needs his glands expressed every 3-4 months.

[GeorgeofNE]

I know vet bills can really add up, but imagine how HE feels!

 

Please find a vet you like and trust. The last thing you want is for his anal glands to rupture. He could be one of those dogs who needs them manually expressed periodically and you might just have to deal with that.

[PatricksMom]

How old? Obviously you want to figure out the cause if at all possible, but one of mine got to (I forget) maybe 6 or 7, and just started to need them expressed every 6 months or so. We went through all the usual causes and nothing. For me, it was worth the $10 to have it done at the vet's, but if this turns out to be your situation, you can ask the vet to teach you how to do it yourself if you prefer (just don't let a groomer do it, from what I understand they don't do the job properly most of the time).

[tbhounds]

You need a new vet that will view this with new eyes. Lumps related to anal glands don’t appear above the anus but, rather they appear at 4 and 8:00. It’s possible the lumps you are seeking are caused by self trauma but, you still need to have them looked at to determine the cause. I understand the bills can add up but, with the lump, licking, the yellow discharge and now urinary changes obviously your dog needs further medical attention. If you feel your current vet isn’t addressing the problem it’s time to give them a ring to express your concerns or it’s time to find a vet that will.

[macoduck]

The location you describe, above the anus at the base of the tail, is exactly where my iggy Charlie has a lump. We discovered it last week. Vet says it is a hepatoid. It will be removed during his upcoming dental.He also has anal gland woes requiring a vet visit to express them every 3-4 months.

 

He also had episodes of suddenly peeing in the house with increasing frequncy. He'd had occasional accidents but not like this. Then he started vomiting his kibble up throughout the day.

Urinalysis showed his bladder was full of crystals. We started him on antibiotics, it cleared up and he stopped peeing in the house and vomiting.

Edited February 6, 2018 by macoduck

[LaFlaca]

Our 3 1/2 year old grey went through the exact same thing with the anal issues and it was finally diagnosed as food allergies. Apparently food allergies can cause an itchy bum. We switched foods and haven’t had another issue to date.......it’s been about 6 months now.

Btw, he licked his anal area so much, he had sores and it would bleed!

This sounds like my Lola. What food caused the problem? I've eliminated chicken, to begin with, going on 2 months now with no change. Beef is the next to be eliminated.

[Newtogreys]

Hi LaFlaca,

It was chicken and wheat. We now have him on a limited ingredient diet (Natural Balance Potato and Duck). The food elimination is very time consuming and frustrating, but definitely worth it! Best of luck with Lola!

[LaFlaca]

Hi LaFlaca,

It was chicken and wheat. We now have him on a limited ingredient diet (Natural Balance Potato and Duck). The food elimination is very time consuming and frustrating, but definitely worth it! Best of luck with Lola!

Thank you. We have one more month of chicken elimination, then we move on to beef. Lola's food is grain-free. <sigh>

[WHanson12]

Very interesting & informative posts on this thread-- thank you! My 5 year old Grey girl, Emma, is currently licking her butt excessively for 1 week or so, had her anal glands expressed for the first time ever (were kinda full, per the vet) which helped for a day & a half & is now back to licking a lot back there. Emma is also exhibiting some other symptoms that may indicate diabetes-- repeat lab work in the next couple of weeks will determine that. Plus she has had pudding/cowpie poop for over a week too which didn't respond much to a week's course of metronidazole & her fecal parasite test was negative. I don't know that I should change her diet at this time with so many different symptoms, but I may have to if her butt licking doesn't subside soon. The vet suggested I add 1-2 teaspoons of Metamucil to each of Emma's meals, but the generic version has aspartame in it & the brand has a sweetener in it also (not aspartame), plus they're both orange flavored, which she may not like.

I tried giving her canned pumpkin daily for almost a week, but that didn't seem to help her poops this time around.

Thanks again for your posts-- you've given me some new ideas & things to watch for & discuss with the vet.

I hope Bubba is doing much better by now!

[greysmom]

Pumpkin can sometimes exacerbate diarrhea. Sweet potato may be better, but butternut squash has a higher fiber content. Or you can add something like steel cut oatmeal and/or oatmeal bran (cooked or not depending on how she may like it better).

 

Banana is also a good food for helping to stop diarrhea. And if she will eat cooked beans, those are better yet. Mash them like dog food if she won't eat the whole beans.

 

Many people swear by a product called "olewo carrots" which you can search about in the Food section here, or online. Plain beet pulp is probably the highest fiber food additive you can find. Also searchable here or with Mr Google.

[WHanson12]

Greysmom: Thanks so much for your suggestions. What kind of cooked beans? Pinto, navy, etc? Do beans cause gas in dogs though? I wouldn't want to add that to her list of problems (or mine! LOL). Emma loves sweet potatoes & squash & cooked oatmeal, so those are good options for her too. Thank you!!

[DofSweetPotatos]

Metamucil is psyllium husk (powder) you can find plain unbranded psyllium in most stores I know Walmart carries it, I believe target does too and you can get it on Amazon.

Good luck@

[Ukalliq]

My Catahoula mix had chronic anal gland problems due to allergies. She would scoot, lick, and sometimes even chew her butt until it bled! We tried allergy shots, high fiber food, grain-free food, probiotics, food elimination trials, etc. Still, we had to bring her in to get them expressed every 3-5 weeks. After a while, we could catch it before they got infected but it was still a (literal!) pain in the ass for her and us.

 

After several years of this, we had her anal glands removed. Problem solved! I hated to put her through surgery but I am confident it was the right decision. She was butt-incontinent and sore for a few days but recovered fine.

 

P.S. Her allergies are now under control with a small dose of prednisone (5mg every other day).