Yup, we experienced our first anal-sac problem with Tucker this weekend. More like it's the first time we realized what was happening....imagine my face slightly embarrassed and guilt ridden right now.
Don't look at me like that. It's not that I wasn't on the lookout for signs that Tuck may have this certain anal gland issues, I was just looking for the wrong ones!
A friend who also has a beagle/bulldog mix dog had asked us at one point if Tucker ever gnaws on his backlegs/glute muscle area. And no, he hasn't. He also has never scooted his butt across the floor. He HAS though, licked his butt incessantly. Not only was Tuck going to town on his behind Friday night, it stunk like a dead fish. I know, how did we NOT get the picture?! Instead we started calling him stink butt, and the name has since stuck...oops. :)
As part beagle, Tuck's hound nose is crazy when we take him for walks. Nose is to the pavement the WHOLE TIME.....so it wouldn't have been surprising if Tucker had picked up something bad on the street....We do what we can to take things he's picked up from him, but he certainly gets a few past us.
Friday goes by, Saturday goes by, and Sunday while EVERYONE is over, Tuck gets a little freaked out by someone entering from our deck door, howls, and must have "released" some butt juice. Oh yes, it was quite a lovely scent.
And the minute we all got a whiff of it, our friends with the Beabull mix like Tuck told me exactly what it was. Ugh, how did I not see the signs Friday. As they say, hindsight sure is 20/20.
J had the pleasure of taking Tucker to the vet last night to get these glands released. I'm sure Tucker is feeling so much better know, poor guy. According to the vet tech, they were full. I am a terrible fur-mom!
Not having dealt with this before, and missing a few important signs, I figured I would educate you as well in case your precious pup has this exact issue in the future. You can thank me later.
What to look for:
- Scooting across the floor
- Incessant licking of the behind area
- Swollen or inflamed tush
- Have your vet express their glands
- Have you vet teach you how to express their glands (yack!)
- Add fiber to their diet to increase the chance this doesn't happen again
- Soak their bum in warm water and Epsom salt
Although Tucker is already on a grain-free diet, we will certainly be looking into high fiber options to help him out. And why increase fiber you may ask? Well apparently, a dog's glands normally get expressed daily when do their business outside. But if their stool is too soft, it's not going to happen....
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