# Anal glands at Christmas...



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Poor Sophy. First one side, then another.


----------



## MaizieFrosty (Apr 12, 2019)

I'm sorry, but the thread title cracked me up. Poor Sophy, though!


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

MaizieFrosty said:


> I'm sorry, but the thread title cracked me up. Poor Sophy, though!


Am I the only one singing "Silver Bells" with new and never-before-heard lyrics?


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

"Have yourself a pongy little Christmas, full of..." Better stop there, methinks!


----------



## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

"On the second day of Christmas, my poodle gave to me...." Bless her heart - 'tis the season of giving and she's just trying to make it memorable.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poor little Sophy.

Peggy‘s anal glands were a real beast post-spay.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Interesting Robin - I wondered if it could be linked to the spay. She has very rarely had problems in the past.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

fjm said:


> Interesting Robin - I wondered if it could be linked to the spay. She has very rarely had problems in the past.


Luckily it passed quickly. Hope it does for Sophy, too. But I do recall a couple of very smelly days.  I suspect it’s because Peggy’s poops were on the soft side as she recovered and returned to a normal diet. She needs big, solid poops to empty her glands.


----------



## The Popster (Feb 23, 2021)

fjm said:


> Taking ages to Poo - check
> Scooting - check
> Licking more than usual - check
> About to spend the holiday season up a mountain far from any vet we know? - check
> ...


When Poppy was a pup we had to call a home visit vet - to remove a tick - and then the vet said 'oh, her anal glands need doing'
Monkey boy's jaw hit the ground, I think I may have swooned a wee bit.... 'ANAL GLANDS" ?????? What the hell is this?
No one has ever mentioned anal glands EVER!! In all my experience of dogs I HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT ANAL GLANDS !!
Vet asked for a training toilet mat, and showed 'mum' how to perform the operation.
I think I had a 'glance'.
Anyway there has been no problem since.
The vet asked if she had been pooing 'good', and as it happens Poppy had just come through a bout of the SH one T's. ( sorry not sure how to spell diaoreah ).
So yes they do need to pass 'quaility' stools in order to clear the glands.
Been fine since.
But then I just saw :- ' Peggy‘s anal glands were a real beast post-spay.'
Ho hum, Poppy due spaying January.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy's previous problem was after the Summer of Squits, when both dogs had diarrhoea on and off for weeks on end. The bout last weekend was over in 24 hours though, which seems too short a time for anything to develop. She was on the sensitive diet for nearly a week, just as she was that summer, and it could be that leads to softer stools. We'll see what the vet has to say in the morning. It is definitely a jo I prefer to leave to the professionals!


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck stood an entire night, often over us and was the vet’s first appointment. Poor vet! Minutes later he was back in the car. Thankfully, it has not been a recurring problem. Dogs are so stoic.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Oh my dear lady, ending the year with a blow out!?!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Hope it is a quick fix -she has been uncomfortable all night and this morning refused breakfast (very unusual) and there was frothy vomit on the rug. Appointment at 9.40am, so only a couple of hours away.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Fingers crossed for a simple fix. Poor little lady.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Anal glands were full, but not too bad. The vet was obviously more concerned about the nausea and discomfort - the foamy vomit was very much the kind I associate with bloat, but she didn't think it was that, as Sophy's tummy was not particularly hard or distended. She was obviously in pain though, and has some continuing discomfort from the spay op. She has had a prevomax jab for the nausea and I have been given paracetamol syrup with the right size syringes and cerenia tablets to see us through the next few days. There is a dog gastric bug doing the rounds which would be the most obvious cause, but given Sophy's age and recent spay the "we won't do more invasive tests just yet, but bring her back if she does not improve" was said with rather more emphasis than usual.

I am hoping she will bounce back quickly - otherwise I would be reluctant to be several hundred miles away from the vets... Even if the offices are closed over Christmas their 24/7 emergency cover will be in place.


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Here's hoping the meds do their trick and you both have a happy Christmas.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I hope this solves Sophy’s problems so you can both enjoy Christmas and your family.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

She is still very subdued, and neither eating nor drinking, not even a tiny scrap of chicken or lap of chicken stock. I've never known her stop eating for this long...


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

fjm said:


> She is still very subdued, and neither eating nor drinking, not even a tiny scrap of chicken or lap of chicken stock. I've never known her stop eating for this long...


 oh no (((hugs)))


----------



## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Oh dear… I hope Sophy starts feeling better real soon.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am very worried about her, I have never seen her like this. She has hidden herself away in the comfy crate, and doesn't really want to move. I have made up a solution of boiled water, sugar and salt in the correct proportions and syringed some into her, and she did not object too much. If she manages to keep that down I will try with some more in an hour or so. If she is not better in the morning it will be back to the vets for blood tests, if only to set my mind at rest about her kidneys...


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Trust your instincts, fjm. Make the call to the vet. Hoping this is just a temporary setback after an uncomfortable few days, and that she recovers for Christmas travel.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I'll call in the morning if she is not better, Liz - they will squeeze her in, I know. We have made contingency plans for family travel, so I have another day or two in hand if necessary, or will just stay here with her.


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

She's lucky to have you, fjm. I'm worrying right along with you.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have been dripping rehydration solution into her, and she has just eaten a few of the tiny treats I make and a small teaspoonful of canned sensitivity food. Tiny amounts, but a step in the right direction. The treats are the nearest equivalent to dry toast - I well remember not being able to face anything else during a bout of norovirus. I am wondering if this could be the very nasty enterogenic coronovirus that was rife in the UK two years ago. If so it may be a slow recovery - the vast majority of dogs who caught it recovered with the same treatment Sophy is on, but it took 3-5 days before they wanted to eat properly.


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Worrying with you. I'm sorry she is going through this, and hoping for her rapid return to feeling great.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poor you and Sophy.  Could this be a reaction to pain? Some dogs are so sensitive to discomfort. I’m sure she’s still hurting from her surgery. And then reluctance to eat starts a whole terrible cycle of stomach upset....


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

She was eating well yesterday, and joining in all the treat games with the other two. It seemed to come on in the early hours. I think there has been some discomfort from the surgery, although she has shown few signs - for the last few days we have only been doing short walks, though, as she was rather reluctant, and I have been fending Freddy off. I am hoping it is a bug that will resolve quickly by itself, but if it is something more sinister the sooner I know the better. It is very out of character, but probably not helped by her picking up on my anxiety.

She has developed a rumbly tummy and flatulence over the last hour or so - trapped wind can be very painful...


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Hoping for nothing sinister.  Hoping this is just a blip in the recovery process. 

Not sure if this is something your vet suggested, but probiotics seem to help Peggy get back on track after a gut disruption. Maybe Sophy could use some good bacteria?

Gracie used to get a very upset tummy from pain meds. Sometimes I think they’re just too potent for tiny dogs.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I did give Sophy some of Poppy's probiotic after the first bout of diarrhoea - once she is eating again I shall keep it up for rather longer. The flatulence at least means the trapped gas is escaping - I have been rubbing her tummy, and she repeatedly told me not to stop when I paused my hand, so I may be doing that much of the night. The vet was very insistent that Sophy needed the paracetamol - I think that is far less likely to cause upsets than the metacam, though. I hate to see her so miserable...


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Wishing Sophy a speedy recovery🙏!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy slept well, and ate a tiny breakfast of sensitivity food willingly if not enthusiastically, then hunted down a treat the others missed yesterday, so I am hopeful that she is on the mend. All being well that means I will be joining the mass exodus on the motorways of England - it is forecast to be the busiest travel day of the holidays, and the M6 is bad enough even on ordinary days. There are already patches of congestion severe enough to top the travel warning lists, and it is not yet 8am!


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

A step in the right direction 🙏. Sophy, please get better very soon. Your mum depends on you to look after her.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

She is drinking chicken stock with enthusiasm! Very good news, as tinies can dehydrate so easily. I have given her the prescribed paracetamol after double checking the dose online (I swear it is Calpol decanted into a medicine bottle!), and am now checking off packing lists and must-do-before-leaving-home lists. M6 is still top of the traffic alert list...


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Wishing you safe travels!


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

What happy Christmas news! Enjoy the time with your family.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Safe at the half way point after long delays for "emergency bridge work" - sounds more like dentistry than roadworks! Sophy demanded an early tea and ate it all with gusto, so is definitely recovering fast. Talking to a neighbour with a labrador it is definitely a bug doing the rounds - her dog had near identical symptoms and took nearly a week to recover. I've got Cerenia tablets tucked into my emergency travel drug kit just in case the other two go down with it.


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

So glad to hear Sophy is recovering and you're making good time. And as always, thanks for keeping us updated!


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Hope to hear that you're all safely gathered soon for a very Merry Christmas 🎄


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Happy news! Minus the icky roadwork.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Safe at the top of the mountain, have supervised the decoration of the scrumped Christmas tree (lots of them just up the road), champagne in hand and having a lovely family time. Hope everyone else is having a lovely holiday!


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Hooray! I could use a little of that champagne, @fjm. 

Enjoy this precious time celebrating with your family.


----------

