# anal glands, allergy and ear fungus



## Marta Elmer (Sep 29, 2012)

Hi everybody! My Zorba (moyen poodle) is 4 months old now, and right after his latest grooming he started scratching his head. I took him to the vet, and she said it was "typical anal gland allergic reaction". So she expressed his A.G. checked his ears, and found some fungus, that we are now treating, although the vet said it was not anything serious. 

Now, my question is isn't bit too early for Zorba to have A.G. problems? Does it mean he will be prone to different allergies later on? What else should I do prevent A.G. inflammation?

Also, I read somewhere that grainless food helps dog's A.G. stay clean, and Zorba is eating Royal Canine now. I tried to switch to Orijen, but his stool became loose, and I went back to RC. Should I try again, since Orijen is grain free? 

Thanks for any advise!


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

Hi . I had similar problem with my non-poodle and my vet said its most likely food allergy. So I have switched my dogs to a grain free partially raw diet (natures variety instinct) and not only has he cleared up, his tear stains have almost fully disappeared and his eyes are no longer watery. He is a Pekingese mix so I always just thought his a scrunchy face and huge eyeballs were the reason they watered, and now I feel bad it took me 4 years to fix that for him. The ear issues didn't start till this year though and he has always had a healthy coat and his anal glad never seemed to bother him, but I'm a groomer so I take care of them regularly so that might be why


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## -Lilith- (Nov 21, 2012)

So he started scratching his head and the vet said its due to anal glands???


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## Marta Elmer (Sep 29, 2012)

Yes, exactly! And as soon as the vet saw black spots on the inner side of his ear, she checked his anal gland, and expressed a lot of stuff from there. She gave me some drops for the ears, and indeed, Zorba has almost stopped scratching by now. 

But my worry is what to do to prevent this happen again? Change the diet? Or what else?


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Some dogs produce more anal glands than others. All my dogs are on the same diet, my boys don't produce as much as Vienna. If I don't get to Vienna's, (look away if you're easily grossed out) she'll express them herself. Once I was on the computer and smelled anal glands.. she had been licking her rear, expressed them all over her rear and tail, and in her face and mouth. It was AWFUL.


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## -Lilith- (Nov 21, 2012)

I have just never heard anal glands connected with scratching the head


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

It's not connected with scratching the head, but yeast infections in the ears and anal gland infections can coincide 


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

Because they can be a food allergy


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Yup! Food allergies and yeast in the ears is pretty common. (I have had dogs with severe allergies!)
Never had the anal gland problem though.... As far as food goes, the rule of thumb is, no corn, no wheat, no soy , as those are the most common grains that can trigger allergies and are considered 'hot'. Good luck getting it under control cuz it's tricky sometimes!


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## Marta Elmer (Sep 29, 2012)

Thanks everyone for offering your opinion. I checked again with Zorba's vet, and she insisted that there is the correlation between his anal sacs and ear yeast, but when I asked if I should change his food from Royal Canine to grain free diet, she convinced me not to do this now. The fact is that I did try some time ago to switch to Orijen, and Zorba's stool got loose. 

I must say I am puzzled by all this, and still have some doubts about the cause of the problem. But, above all, hope Zorba gets over it soon.

What would you say - while he is under treatment (ear drops twice a day), should I walk him just like usual (the weather is bit cold here now)?


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

MollyMuiMa said:


> Yup! Food allergies and yeast in the ears is pretty common. (I have had dogs with severe allergies!)
> Never had the anal gland problem though.... As far as food goes, the rule of thumb is, no corn, no wheat, no soy , as those are the most common grains that can trigger allergies and are considered 'hot'. Good luck getting it under control cuz it's tricky sometimes!


Its true about corn, wheat & soy being huge allergy causers but in my opinion every 4 month old, no matter the breed, is cutting teeth. It directly corrolates to the ears. Yes you may need to treat it medically but once the dog is about 12 months old, the ear problems should cease completely. DO NOT neuter or vaccinate while the ears are infected....even though vets says its perfectly OK to do it. Dont do it. I dont like the sound of your vet at all. I have have my problems with many vets. I dont trust em at all. And just so you know for future reference, anal glands and their need to express them are completly not related to ears and each dog is different. Yes, your may have been full anf bothersome to him but its normal. He is a prepubescent youth....equivalent to a 10-11 year old boy. Some boys mature quicker or slower....hes is within the NORMAL range. Add variety to his diet once the ears are clear. Right now you wont know if diarreah is due to medicine or diet change.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

I was feeding Royal Canine and my trainer pointed out that it had high fructose corn syrup in it. I switched to Acana.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

duplicate


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## cindyreef (Sep 28, 2012)

I feed Royal Canin and Im trying to find that high fructose corn syrup on the ingredients you mentioned. I cant find it. Is it called something else?


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

Royal Canin, while not the poorest food out there, is incredibly expensive for the quality you get, and depending on the variety, can be full of cheap filler ingredients, lots of grains, and chemicals. It's a "vet" food, so many vets heavily endorse it. Reality is, it's not that great. 

It always AMAZES me when vets say, "Oh, its a food allergy!" and then immediately say "but don't change his food, oh no you don't want to do that"

*puzzled*

The sad truth is most vets know almost nothing about nutrition, so while your vet may be wonderful at a lot of things, take his advice with a grain of salt when it comes to what food to feed your dog. 

Change his food. If he has a food allergy, you are only exacerbating the issue by keeping him on a food he is sensitive to. Orijen may be too rich/too high protein, but there are LOTS of grain free alternatives out there. Try one, and give it a month. Many times a food change will cause a little loose stool and that isn't the end of the world! Usually, with time, the stool will normalize. Acana is another brand by the same company as Orijen that is lower protein. You may want to look into that.


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