Anal Sacs

[fdp]

My 3 year old terier mix needs her anal sacs expressed
every month.  They are never impacted/infected, they just
fill quickly and she starts chewing frantically.

I don't want her to have them surgically removed, but this
also can't go on where she has to be seen by the vet so
frequently.

She's on a high fiber diet and the problem started before
6 months of age.

Any suggestions are appreciated as well as opinions on
the surgery.  Thank you.

[fdp]

Thanks for all your suggestions,
I'll give them a try!

[TwoBitsMom]

Here are a few more ratios...
1/8 cup epsom salts to 1 quart of water
or
1 cup epsom salts to 2 gallons of water

[TwoBitsMom]

I have read that some people will use epsom salts.
1 Tablespoon of epsom salts to 1 liter of warm water.
Saturate a cloth, and hold it against her rump for 10 minutes, twice daily.
Or if she is willing to sit in the water, that would work too.
It might be worth a try.
Best wishes...
Connie

[fdp]

I've do them myself with all my dogs but this one, even
with her being held she manages to jump to the ceiling.
Groomers can't do them because they must be done
internally, so it must be her vet or vet tech.

Her stools are good and firm, canned, unsweetened
pumpkin is good for that, but she's just fine on her dry
dog food.

I too don't want her to have the surgery and hope it can
be avoided.  Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

[Margot49]

Many groomers will express the anal sacs for you and for probably less then the Vet charges. And, agree, you can learn to do them yourself, as unpleasant as that might be.
I would try adding some Bran Buds (yes, the cereal) to the dog's food daily and see if that might help.  Have used that in the past with pretty good results.

[Jaybay]

Clogged anal sacs are one of those problems that seem to inflict some dogs far worse than others.  One of mine is the same way but I'm lucky to have a vet who keeps his charges very low.  If you can bring yourself to do it, have your vet teach you how to do it yourself at home.  Yeah, it's unpleasant but someone has to do it and it will spare your pocketbook as well as spare your dog fromabscessed anal sacs if it isn't done.  You might also check with a groomer to see if you can get a better price for that service.

I'd hate to see them surgically removed and I doubt a vet would want to do that unless there was a more serious problem like recurring abscesses. Those sacs are there to help moisten stool with the oily stuff inside to make it easier to pass so life without them may cause more trouble than life with them.

I wonder if she's now getting too much fiber in her diet?  If the stool isn't firm enough, it won't naturally express the glands as it passes.  Fiber can certainly bulk up the stools, but it also makes them softer which defeats the purpose.  A second opinion would probably be a good idea as well. It never hurts to have another brain take on a problem, particularly a chronic one like this.