# Anal Gland Removal: Our Experience



## jpburke (Jun 21, 2016)

I’ve seen very limited information and/or testimonials about dogs who have had their anal glands removed, so I wanted to share a detailed experience here for those who may be considering. 

Our Chutley was always a bit of a booty licker/scooter – at least since we adopted him from the shelter. Over the course of about 12-16 months, we tried countless approaches to determine cause of the behavior. We settled on it being part anxiety, part seasonal allergies, larger part gland issues. In no chronological order, we used all of the following methods to stop the behavior: Benedryl, claratin, fluoxetine, apoquel, three food trials, doxepin, distraction, cone of shame, apple bitter on his bum, apple cider vinegar on his bum, tee tree oil on his bum, remote control (low) shock collar paired with high value treats, Prozac, monthly, bi-weekly, and then weekly anal gland expressions, multiple fecal tests, deworming – even though the fecal test came back negative, preparation H, bulking up stools, extra fiber, fish oil, pumpkin … I’m sure there is more, but nothing else coming to mind. 

That’s to say, we tried anything and everything we could think of. All that said: These were approved and/or suggested by our vet. Please discuss with your vet before trying them, especially before combining multiple approaches, since we didn’t do these all simultaneously. 

Finally, we caved to the surgery in March. We also had them clean his teeth since he was going to be under. The same vet that we’d been working with all along was his surgeon. She’d never had any issues with incontinence at all and was very clear in how she worked to avoid that. 

We dropped him off on a Thursday morning – super early. It was intended to be an overnight trip. They called as soon as he was awake, and then a few hours later with an update on when he could go home. They said it depended on his response to the anesthesia. Turns out he was a rock star so they wanted to send him home that same day. That made me a little nervous, but also happy he wouldn’t have to spend a night alone. They sent him home with a pain patch (applied to his shaved ankle), oral pain meds to hold him over until the pain patch kicked in, antibiotics, and something for inflammation. 

The first few nights were miserable. He was crying and moaning all night long. It broke my heart. This was a dog who NEVER cried. He barely squeaks when accidentally stepped on. So I knew it was bad. I slept on the floor with him so he wasn’t alone and it was a sleepless weekend. 

They had made sure he was going to the bathroom properly before sending him home, but I was still very nervous for his first poop. He was on a soft food diet to ensure soft stools, but I cringed every time he pooped. Luckily, very little tearing of the stitches – only once was there the slightest bit of blood. 

After a few days, he was getting slightly more spunky. He still walked SUPER funny but at least he wasn’t crying like before. I was obsessive about checking his stitches (which were far more scary than I’d been expecting). Since they were supposed to stay dry, there wasn’t a lot you could do to keep them clean. I used hot compresses occasionally to help relieve swelling/pain but otherwise, left it alone. A bit of Neosporin too. 

There were times I definitely thought it was infected. Luckily, the vet was in touch regularly and I was able to send pictures via email as a check in. At one point, she had us bring him in since there’s only so much you can judge via photo. He ended up being fine. She cleaned him up and sent him on his way. I would highly recommend taking a photo a day – even if you end up not needing them. It really helped me to have a point of comparison when trying to assess progress w/ the healing. 

We also struggled with the medications. The pain medication made him sick to his stomach. He needed it with food, but rejected food because he knew the meds were making him sick. Catch 22. Having a dog in recovery vomit into his cone, basically covered in his own vomit, and then not be able to fully bathe him….Ugh. 

He was fully recovered about 10-12 days after surgery. Still walked a little funny as he adjusted. Still had some licking/scooting – the vet said the nerve endings were still sensitive and healing itches (much like our own wounds). Overall we’re glad we had it done, but it was not an easy recovery period. Luckily, my husband works from home so he wasn’t completely alone until he’d healed up. I don’t think I could have left him after just a weekend knowing how rough he was feeling. 

Happy to answer any questions people may have about the whole thing! I’ve included some photos below – we liked to call him Frankenstein.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Oh my, this sounds awful. I pray to God we ( -or anyone else )never have to go through this---poor little baby. 
Is he ok now?


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## jpburke (Jun 21, 2016)

edelweiss said:


> Oh my, this sounds awful. I pray to God we ( -or anyone else )never have to go through this---poor little baby.
> Is he ok now?


It was pretty awful. He's mostly okay - all of his gland issues are resolved (obviously). He still has some licking issues that we believe became habitual after such a long-term gland issue. So we're still working through those issues, but all in all he's a happy camper! 

The surgery definitely wasn't a decision we made lightly. In the end, the expense of continued investigation, expressions, medication, etc. were just so much more than the surgery itself. We thought it better financially and for his quality of life if we went ahead with it.


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## chichi (Apr 12, 2007)

Glad to hear that Chutley is dong better, poor little guy. Sounds like an awful experience!!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

What an ordeal! :w00t: Glad it's mostly over for you guys....

This makes ear canal removal sound like a piece of cake.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I'm glad he is recovering nicely. One thing I'm not clear on - was he unable to empty the anal glands on his own, thus requiring repeated manual expressing? Were they determined to be infected?

Regarding the crying and moaning - there are some pain meds that cause what me vet calls an "emotional" reaction in dogs. As soon as you stop the pain med, or switch to another, the crying and moaning stops.


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

Goodness, what a process, so glad he's doing better. 

I'm not questioning your vet's recommendations or your course of action, but this might give one more option for anyone else going thru this.

Georgie has had anal gland issues as well. Holistic vet said the constant manual expression was causing the glands to become "tough, thick & inflamed" and the secretions to become "thick & sticky", requiring even more frequent manual expressions to the point she could not self express at all. A regime of weekly essential oil suppositories has thankfully reduced the inflamation, softened the glands, and thinned the secretions. She still occasionally has issues, but is able to self express within days of her weekly treatment. She has not had them manually expressed since early February


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh, poor boy! That incision site and the surgery sound just awful. I'm glad Chutley is feeling better now.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh, my, you and Chutley have really been through it..poor little guy...I am glad he has recovered ..that looks awfully painful..ouch! My Rose has anal gland issues, too. She had an infection on one side about 3 years ago, and 2 ruptures on the other side about 6 months ago. Her secretions have always been thick. With the ruptures, we were afraid we might have to have the gland removed...but she did finally recover..I still check her glands occasionally..fortunately, I can express them myself, if needed..she is on an herbal remedy specifically for anal glands containing pumpkin and some other herbs given by our vet..and is doing well..and seems to be expressing on her own now..It was touch and go for awhile, however... Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I am glad I waited it out with Rose and didn't have to put her through the surgery as she is going to be 10 her next birthday.. I can see you had to do it, and I'm glad Chutley is doing well now.


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## jpburke (Jun 21, 2016)

maggieh said:


> I'm glad he is recovering nicely. One thing I'm not clear on - was he unable to empty the anal glands on his own, thus requiring repeated manual expressing? Were they determined to be infected?
> 
> Regarding the crying and moaning - there are some pain meds that cause what me vet calls an "emotional" reaction in dogs. As soon as you stop the pain med, or switch to another, the crying and moaning stops.


So sorry I'm just seeing this! My alerts must not be set up correctly! His glands were not expressing on their own. The vet said they were placed higher than most and it just wasn't happening at all, which is why they were infected/needed expression.


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## jpburke (Jun 21, 2016)

lydiatug said:


> Goodness, what a process, so glad he's doing better.
> 
> I'm not questioning your vet's recommendations or your course of action, but this might give one more option for anyone else going thru this.
> 
> Georgie has had anal gland issues as well. Holistic vet said the constant manual expression was causing the glands to become "tough, thick & inflamed" and the secretions to become "thick & sticky", requiring even more frequent manual expressions to the point she could not self express at all. A regime of weekly essential oil suppositories has thankfully reduced the inflamation, softened the glands, and thinned the secretions. She still occasionally has issues, but is able to self express within days of her weekly treatment. She has not had them manually expressed since early February


That is definitely a course of action I hadn't heard of!! I wish we'd tried it. The surgery did the trick but it sure was a nightmare to get through.  Thank you for sharing - I hope it benefits someone else!


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## jpburke (Jun 21, 2016)

aprilb said:


> Oh, my, you and Chutley have really been through it..poor little guy...I am glad he has recovered ..that looks awfully painful..ouch! My Rose has anal gland issues, too. She had an infection on one side about 3 years ago, and 2 ruptures on the other side about 6 months ago. Her secretions have always been thick. With the ruptures, we were afraid we might have to have the gland removed...but she did finally recover..I still check her glands occasionally..fortunately, I can express them myself, if needed..she is on an herbal remedy specifically for anal glands containing pumpkin and some other herbs given by our vet..and is doing well..and seems to be expressing on her own now..It was touch and go for awhile, however... Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I am glad I waited it out with Rose and didn't have to put her through the surgery as she is going to be 10 her next birthday.. I can see you had to do it, and I'm glad Chutley is doing well now.


I'm glad you were able to find an herbal remedy to work for your Rose! The surgery did the trick, but it was a struggle to get through. I think I went into it without realistic expectations and was just surprised by the entire ordeal.


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## Hollymacsmom (Aug 11, 2020)

jpburke said:


> I’ve seen very limited information and/or testimonials about dogs who have had their anal glands removed, so I wanted to share a detailed experience here for those who may be considering.
> 
> Our Chutley was always a bit of a booty licker/scooter – at least since we adopted him from the shelter. Over the course of about 12-16 months, we tried countless approaches to determine cause of the behavior. We settled on it being part anxiety, part seasonal allergies, larger part gland issues. In no chronological order, we used all of the following methods to stop the behavior: Benedryl, claratin, fluoxetine, apoquel, three food trials, doxepin, distraction, cone of shame, apple bitter on his bum, apple cider vinegar on his bum, tee tree oil on his bum, remote control (low) shock collar paired with high value treats, Prozac, monthly, bi-weekly, and then weekly anal gland expressions, multiple fecal tests, deworming – even though the fecal test came back negative, preparation H, bulking up stools, extra fiber, fish oil, pumpkin … I’m sure there is more, but nothing else coming to mind.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this post. I know it was years ago but I wanted you to know it helped me. My dog, Mac, had a tumor in his anal glands. We had the surgery last week. Such a stressful healing process. Your post and photos had reassured me that I’m not alone. Fingers crossed and prayers that the tumor is benign and Mac is back to his spirited and spoiled self.


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