[KerriAnn]

Hello Everyone,

It has been a while since I've been on this forum. I have been trying raw food with my dog (as advised) because I thought maybe my dog had food allergies. She has been suffering with anal gland problems now for about 2 years, has had a few ear infections, and a few bladder infections as well.

I have had her on Big Country Raw for about 4 months now. She's tried both turkey and pork. I'm finding that her poop has changed - less, harder and round. I thought this type of poop would help her anal glands express but it seems they aren't. She still has them fill up fast while eating raw. The vet has recommended having her anal glands removed since she has had this problem for years.

Now I am finding that she is losing ALOT of hair, particularly on her belly and near her armpits. Also, from time to time her ears get red and inflamed but then settle.

I take really good care of my girl and am at a loss right now. Don't know what to do for her. We have been paying $120+ a month on BCR raw food thinking this would help but it hasn't. What do I do for her? Please!'!! Help!!!

 

[Rain]

Have you considered getting an allergy panel done? She may have a mix of environmental and food allergies.

Which of the turkey and pork formulas are you using, is it the dinner or the pure formulas? If it's the dinners it may be the fruits and vegetables that she's reacting to, I know a dog who does just that and will develop UTI if she has them.

Have you considered trying oat bran for her anal glands? I tried all the usual tricks, like prunes and pure pumpkin and Zody's filled up, giving him 1/4 tsp of oat bran morning and night seems to have helped although he'll still have trouble if he is fed chicken and, for some reason, Fromm Beef Fritata. The amount of oat bran to feed is 1/2 to 1 tsp per 10lbs of body weight. I started with the least amount and since it worked stayed there, Zody doesn't need any extra calories LOL.

 

[KerriAnn]

Hello Rain!
Thank you for your response. I have thought about doing an allergy panel but have heard bad things (like they don't work and that they are a lot of money). My vet said they don't really do it but I have heard you can order them. I'm wondering if it's not a mixture of food and environmental allergies because she can get itchy.

Do you know if environmental allergies cause anal gland flare ups and hair loss?

I will definitely try the oat bran! Pumpkin hasn't helped her but if this helps I will definitely keep her on it! I'll update you

I wonder if perhaps the turkey is causing allergic reactions with her? However, I tried her on pork and her stools changed and don't think it was working either. I have her only on the pure formulas.

At his point.. I don't know how to help her and hate seeing her suffer like this - itchy, infections, sore rear, etc. I feel like I'm taking her to the vet every other week

 

[jagger]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when has the last full blood panel been done? Inclusive of full thyroid panel?

You can do raw cheaper than that, whole foods from the grocery store.

Have the glands ever been forcefully expressed? That can damage them.

 

[LuvMyFluff]

I second the advice of doing a full thyroid panel. Also, if you can, to go a Animal Dermatologist. In the past, I had a Cairn with both food and environmental allergies and having her allergy tested was the best thing I could've done! I was able to pinpoint her allergies, and remove or alleviate them. She went from a miserable itchy mess to a happy, joy to own, dog!!! (It took a lot of work!)

 

[luvdanes]

I truly think a thyroid panel needs to be done and maybe a complete blood panel.
I am not familiar personally with the raw you feed. I feed Raw but fresh human consumption raw. Such as Pork (red meat in raw feeding), ground burger, chicken breast, quarters, bone and all. It will be the bone that helps her express her anal glands. If her glands are not infected, increase the bone.
Also, expressing glands leads to forever having to express glands so it ends up being a vicious cycle.
Increase her bone content. Although meat is VERY important, the bone will help her express naturally.
Elizabeth

Sent from my LGMS330 using Tapatalk

 

[KerriAnn]

Hello everyone!

Thanks for your responses!

Who would I go to for such work? Do vets actually do these tests? How much approximately does it cost? Just wondering why you think it would be thyroid? What are the issues caused by thyroid?

We put her on BCR because it was more convenient to be honest. I was feeding her meat from the grocery store and she almost choked on a bone and so it made me very nervous.

She has had her anal glands expressed before. Quiet a few times now and I think she needs them done again. Should I avoid doing it now and try the oat bran in the meantime? I just don't want them filling up and causing infection.

Any ideas on what I should do in terms of food and relieving her pain/itch right now? Any ideas how I can prepare her raw easier, cheaper and healthier?

Thanks so much! You all are such a great help.

 

[KerriAnn]

Also,
Sorry but I forgot to ask... By blood work do you mean testing for allergies? Is that the purpose of the blood test?
Thanks again
Kerri

 

[jagger]

Any vet that can draw blood will know how to send it to a lab to run tests that need to be done. Highly recommend getting results sent to an outside lab, some do it in house. So many things can show up in blood work. The thyroid itself can create a world of symptoms - you may see one symptom or 10.

 

[KerriAnn]

Ok. I will talk to my vet about having it done. In the meantime, what should I do about her anal glands? She's biting her rear and its creating a bit of small lesions/crusting and redness.

 

[jagger]

Have her anal glands ever been manually expressed? alot of groomers and some vets do it as a service, big no no cause it can create long term issues.

I'd personally use a warm compress a few times a day - old towel or something. Soak the towel in warm water containing epsom salts, apply and hold for a while. Or sit her in a warm bath with epsom salts for a while. Magnesium really helps with wounds and such. You can use polysporin applied a few times a day after the compress is removed and the area dried. It doesn't matter if she licks the polysporin.

 

[KerriAnn]

Yes they have been manually expressed. Quite a few times - once at PetSmart as a service (that I didn't ask for) and a few times at the vet because we were advised they were full and that's what they do. I didn't know it causes problems until I got on this forum and so now I'm very hesitant to get them done now. However I have a feeling they are full but don't really want to express them again because of how it causes problems. Will the compress relieve them right now or is the compress more for the sores? What should I do about the anal glands? I REALLY don't want to have them done. Was thinking about getting some more pink pills (allergy pills). Didn't want to do conventional medicine but her allergies are causing itchiness so bad I didn't have any other option really. These pills don't make her sick or different (thank goodness).. Just helps with the itching.

If I add oat bran to her food m, do you think that will help express what's in there? Thanks so much again.. I can't say it enough!

 

[jagger]

Karen Becker on anal gland issues... She gets down to the heart of the matter.

If they've been expressed quite a few times, it could be trauma related and is a never ending circle. If the glands can't be expressed naturally, then they have to be squeezed - then they can't be expressed naturally.

If she's chewing on her butt, it's going to make matters worse. Maybe time for an E-collar so she can't reach to chew. I would definitely try soaks in epsom salts to get the soreness cleared up - simple swelling could be causing some of it. Polysporin should help heal it up - gentle massage a few times a day may help alleviate. sounds gross yes, but...