what remedies have you found useful in cases where the anal glands constantly need emptying by the vet [every 2 weeks]?
- chronic soft stool might be contributing to the problem.
is it usual for the exudate from the anal glands to smell very bad when they are not functioning well?

thank you.

Hi Anna,
Not really a big cat problem, well we have one who will routinely fire her anal glands at you -yuck! I can tell you from numerous discussions with vets that indeed the secretions are always most foul in nature!

Anna will know this but I'm posting this just in case not everyone else does -

The environment is the source of fleas for animals – cleanliness of the pet itself does not matter at all alas. – this is incidentally why flea shampoos etc are pointless – see below
Fleas spend 99% of their time in the environment – they only feed on the animal then hop off again. Thus it makes for much more effective control of fleas if the areas the pet goes are vacuumed frequently.
It is VITAL before people start to vacuum everywhere that they start off with a fresh ie new 'hoover' bag – flea eggs can be blown out back when a vacuum cleaner is turned on on many models!!!
Then hoover absolutely everywhere & throw away that bag too.

Anything that can be washed – wash it, remind owners about tops of skirting boards, curtains which reach / almost reach floor, under chairs, down backs of chairs/ sofas, under the (humans’) beds, hoover the car thoroughly if pet ever goes in it.
Sad fact is even if the pet leaves - fleas can remain in a house/ environment for up to 1 year after the pet goes ! Thus decontaminate the environment otherwise the pet gets constantly reinfested by its environment.

Also cat fleas are most commonly found on dogs & if owners have both – the cats often appear asymptomatic while the dog scratches itself raw.
Put in another new bag, buy a cat’s flea collar – stick it in the bag as it’ll kill everything it comes in contact with, & renew it every (well, max. every 3 mths).

Flea collars in case they use them – are a waste of money, not a healthy thing to be handling either, and since fleas tend to favour the back end of an animal the collar hasn’t a hope of killing fleas away at the tail end - it's just too far away.
If I had a penny for every time I’ve seen fleas on an animal wearing a flea collar...

If fleas are a problem then the environment could be acting as a maintaining cause...

Also, ear mites may be a problem & again - cats often appear asymptomatic - & mites are only discovered when they are found on otoscopy!

Moira

Hi Moira,
Excellent information, what a clever use for a flea collar (finally it can serve a purpose). However, Anna was asking about impacted anal glands (unless I missed something) and I am interested as well because although the cat we have does not deal with impaction, she has a very unnatural habit of firing the contents of them at people when she is stimulated (particularily through fright or irritation).

Sorry at the apparent jump of subject
I had spoken to Anna about flea-related matters also which is how that post came about

Anal glands are often affected when the animal's skin is in some way itchy or irritated & it can often be related to flea-bites/flea-bite allergy, however other conditions affecting less immediately visible parts of the animal may trigger it / contribute
examples could include :
- ear canal trouble & often not easily visible from exterior without auroscope, or problems where the ear flap skin is reacting.

Insufficiently fibrous stool is thought by some also to be a factor in not stimulating the glands enough as the stool is being voided.
Infected anal glands yes, that too can cause impaction.

Moira

Hi Anna,

Read somewhere that B complex, low dose, may be helpful. May want to consider A, E and D. If constipation/infrequent, more bulk and/or oils?

Also remember reading if glands need emptying (impacted) and the dog drags her bottom on the ground, Nux V might be a thought.

Pitcarin mentions ( tissue salts) Calc Phos followed by Nat M for impacted anal glands. Have also seen Hep Sulph suggested for infection. Chronic inflammation, maybe Sil, Arn?

Krista's mannerless kitty aside (!) the problem is probably just part of other stuff going on of course, as mentioned by moira above.

And yes, this is a stinky business!

__________________
Sometimes on Earth, you can find something that resembles a little piece of Heaven. And sometimes on Earth, a little piece of Heaven can find you.

thanks very much to krista, moira and gpm.

gpm, you have it right about the dragging the 'butt' along the ground - which is the sign the owners take to whisk her to the vet before things develop.
do you recall the reference for nux please?

it was suggested i might use inguinal glands as a human equivalent for this canine anatomy. inguinal glands is given by boger [p573]

the dog has painless irritable bowel with chronic very soft stool which is thought to be contributing mechanically as described.
she already had a totaly hysterectomy because the womb was infected and ovaries cystic, and there was a terrible pongy discharge from that too.

you will be heartened to hear that it hasn't dimished owner adoration.

moira, for this dog it is painful to have the glands emptied by the vet - is that normal for it to be painful [for the dog]?
also, does there tend to be pus in these situations?

thanks very much.

Dear Anna,

Sorry, can't remember where the ref to Nux V was seen. A while back when our older female dog was doing the same, I had made a lot of notes. I found that her old case files but no credit given where found. Think it was a thought to maybe detox (liver)? I do remember that if anal glands seemed infected (pus as you mentioned) then treat like an abscess....hep sulf? I should imagine it would be rather painful for her to express the glands manually if she does have an infection. Ouch! But I don't think pus is usual...Moira would have that answer.

As for expressing the glands, it may make is easier to do under water while bathing in warmish water. Dog's glands are inside the anus at about 5 and 7 o'clock. Pull tail up, squeeze lower portion of anus together, pushing inward. Some dogs may have the glands further inside. Need some surgical gloves for that!

Pitcarin suggests hot compress of either calendula solution or red clover infusion (or tea) to stimulate and soften the glands just before expressing them. Juliette de Bairacli Levy suggests diluted liquid witch hazel compresses or a suppository of yellow dock leaves for severe cases. Internally, she gives dandelion infusion or fenugreek....soak two tablespoons seeds per cup warm water for 24 hours, give liquid to drink and mix the seeds into the food.

Poor girl, hope she feels better soon.

__________________
Sometimes on Earth, you can find something that resembles a little piece of Heaven. And sometimes on Earth, a little piece of Heaven can find you.

dear gpm, thanks for the practical tips, but i am not intending to do the procedure myself.
with homoeopathy i hope to make the procedure unneccessary.
you gave me a good hint in your earlier post. with the other symptoms, subject to further information from the owner, silica looks promising.
thank you.

Dear Anna

correct, pus - abnormal.
A lot of dogs dislike having their anal gls emptied anyway so can be a hard one to judge, since it's not a very comfortable procedure to have carried out.

Many will squeal / try to bite so the strength of their reaction may be guide as to degree of pain felt.

Moira