[teachnk]

My dog Nikki is on a three-week treatment of antibiotics as a preventative measure after finding a tick on her 2 weeks ago. She is a very nervous dog as it is, so loose stools and full anal glands are common. I had the vet empty them knowing the antibiotics were going to make it worse. I had no idea how much worse! She is scooting all the time, I am getting whiffs of "that smell", which means she is rubbing it on my carpet!! My vet gave me three different samples of probiotics, which have done nothing.
I ordered Pet Flora, which is a soil-based probiotic that does wonders on loose stools. I have used it off and on since she was a puppy and it got my uncles dog through chemo.
It won't be here until Thursday. Anyone know anything I can add to her food to "firm" things up until then?
Oh, and before you suggest... I will NOT empty them myself. :~(

[Aurora_Bell]

You can take her to a local groomer, it's much cheaper to have them expressed that way.

I would also take her sooner than later, r you may be doing some re modeling of your house. (removing carpets).

[Alty]

Doing it yourself really isn't that bad, I've been doing it for our lab since he was a puppy. I do have a few tips that I learned the hard way, like rubber gloves and a face mask :eek: , but really, it's not that hard.

But, like Bella said, your local groomer should be able to do it, usually with no appointment necessary and a lot cheaper then the vet.

As for diet, I'm not sure what to suggest. Shazzy would be the best one to ask about that, maybe PM her the link for this thread so she knows about it. :)

[shazamataz]

You really need to get them emptied, they are actually quite painful for the dog when full and can get infected.

It's really not that bad doing it yourself, a little smelly but over with quickly.
Auroras idea of a groomer isn't a bad one, just make sure it is a reputable groomer, or your vet shouldn't charge much to do it.

I will give you a little tutorial just in case you change your mind and want to do it yourself.
You will need to have short fingernails, long nails will hurt the dog.
Put your thumb and your index finger on either side of the anus.
Push in on either side with a good amount of pressure until you can feel a grape like lump on either side.
Get your fingers in behind that lump and squeeze inward and outward.

When doing it you will want to have your dog in your bath or outside as it can be messy, and I highly recommend wearing long gloves.

As for food, you can try giving some canned pumpkin (plain pumpkin, not pie filling) or some chicken necks (the bone tends to bind things up a bit)

[teachnk]

Thanks Shaz, we just had them emptied seven days ago, they were bothering her 3 days later. Between her nervous tendencies and antibiotics twice a day it will be a LONG three weeks. Unfortunately my vet is now charging $38 and if it's going to be every few days, it can get very expensive. I'm hoping my probiotics get here early. 'm taking her to get her glands emptied tomorrow and hopefully the "dirt" (as my vet calls it) will kick in by Saturday! Still not ready to try it myself, I'd probably get sick! Then we'd have an even bigger mess!

[Sariss]

It's a good idea to get the vet to empty them completely from time to time, even if you learn or get a groomer to. Usually only vets express them internally (ie a finger in the bum), which is the best way to ensure they are fully empty and there are no abnormalities. I've seen groomers rupture glands in the past. :(