# Spring allergies and full anal glands?



## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

So, Amos (almost 4 months old) just began to leak anal fluid a couple of nights ago. It seems to happen when he's relaxed. It's clear and only has a faint fish odor. Not much has changed except we started brushing his teeth last week (could be the toothpaste) and grass pollen worsened over the weekend. His poops are normal. I've read through some of the previous threads on anal gland issues. I'm not sure I want to express them, but I'm not sure I want butt juice on my jeans and couch either. :-\ 

Has anyone had this just be a seasonal issue or do I need to just accept the fact that my dog will have to be assisted in expressing his glands? I certainly don't want to create a dependency there. His food is the same since we switched from the breeder's. It's not technically gluten free as it does have barley, but it does not contain wheat. I know gluten can worsen other allergies. We are a family full of food/seasonal allergies, so we know the ins and outs of all that fairly well. Should I look for a gluten free food? I would love to do raw, but with everyone here already having specially dietary needs (translate: almost everything is homemade and customized), I just can't pass on the convenience of kibble as I am rarely afforded such luxuries.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

I am unaware of specific allergies that would cause anal gland issues, but if you add fiber to his diet it should improve it. Feeding grain free is also a good idea.


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

Would love to do grain free! I am pretty much grain free. I do not tolerate them well. We painstakingly researched puppy food before we got him and had trouble finding a quality grain free puppy food. Do you have any suggestions? We are currently using Earthborn Holistic, Puppy Vantage. They have several adult varieties that are grain free, but the puppy version has oatmeal, barley and brown rice. Thanks!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

try Annamaet, available at www.whitebonedog.com


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure what that is and the link did not work. I did just read that his toothpaste has sorbitol in it which after googling I learned can have a laxative effect. His poops haven't changed but maybe it's creating the leaking at the glands. So, maybe I'll start by dropping the toothpaste since that's biggest change in his recent routine.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I think some dogs are just prone to have anal glad issues ,and others don't. If one has had soft stools they may have a flare up, but others have the issue even with normal stools.
My dogs eat the exact same dog food. Cash has to have his expressed 2-3 times a year. The other 2 dogs have never needed theirs expressed. His don't leak, they become over full, and uncomfortable for him. I tried some different things at first, but didn't see any different results.


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

So as the day progressed his stools got looser, so I'm hopeful it can be fixed with fiber and/or ditching the toothpaste. It's just weird that the anal glands leaked before he even had the loose stools. ??? Brushed with water only tonight and have upped the fiber with sweet potato and pumpkin kongs today. We shall see...

Oh and thanks for the tip on the dog food Gingerling. After I googled it, I remembered that brand from when we were looking at foods. I'm thinking it was not available in my area, but will double check. I'm assuming the grain free flavor is ok for pups?

And thanks TexasRed for the comment. Its good to know its manageable if we end up having to assist in the expressing. And as much as I want to figure this out for him, I know there is not always rhyme or reason to these things. :


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

Hello! Nico had this problem when he was younger. It was awful when we were cuddling on the couch then would smell that fishy odour!! It happened seemingly randomly but in the end we attributed it to loose stools, even though we couldn't really find a pattern for it, and just mixed a tbsp or 2 of pumpkin purée in with his grain free kibble for ages and he eventually started excreting his glands normally. Now he is over 2 and I had totally forgotten about that issue because he seems to have grown out of it!
My theory is that v pups often have weird digestive stuff going on because they are so excited and incredibly active. It's like Nico wouldn't poop fully at any given time because he was always so excited to run off and sniff the next thing or meet the next dog, etc. Now his muscles are stronger and he does full poops (even though he still runs off like a maniac as soon as he is done haha).
Our vet said allergies to food or things they have ingested are often shown in the ears (like yeast infections) and environmental allergies are expressed in the skin (hives, hotspots, itching). We found single-protein grain-free foods are the best fit for Nico. He is on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain (which is lamb) and he has peanut butter flavoured toothpaste which doesn't seem to bug him 
Hope you find a good fit for Amos! He may just grow out of these sensitivities as Nico did


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

Thanks Rbka for another food option. Yes, Amos does tend to do half poops in an effort to move on to something more fun so that could be part of it. However, last night I found ringworm on him! It started out yesterday morning looking like a typical scratch from a stick or something while playing in the yard. But by bed time it looked textbook ringworm! Soooo, now I'm wondering if A:the leaky glands are sign of stress from the fungal infection? meaning it could all be one problem or B: the grains in his food have weakened his immune system and he caught ringworm and the weakened immune system is also affecting his glands or C: None of the above and I'm stuck with a bunch of random problems. I'm heading to the vet with him this afternoon. If it's the toothpaste, then I think the ringworm is separate. The usage and incubation window don't overlap that much. Who knows?! No matter what, I should probably reconsider his food. I'm just hoping my kids don't break out! Ugh! :-\


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

Vet says it's NOT ringworm!!!! #happydance Now, just to get the rest of this ironed out!


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