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Anal Sacs

19 15:04:08

Question
Hi! I have an adorable 10 month old beagle. She is having a problem with her anal sacs. I have had to have them drained twice in the past 3 weeks. I have done a little reading on this and talked to the groomer and they suggested switching to a high fiber diet. My only concern, she is not overweight and I've been looking at different dog foods and it seems like the high fiber dog foods are all low calorie. Is there a food that you can suggest I switch her to? Or the alternative, to have them surgically removed? I'm not really sure which direction to go...

Answer
Hi and thanks for writing to me about your puppy's problem.
This is unfortunately fairly typical in short haired dogs whose anal opening is exposed according to my vet. I think your best bet it to talk to the vet about what would be the best diet as he/she is the only one really schooled in proper nutrition for your dog.
My male beagle has always had a problem with his anal glands too since he was a pup and has had them squeezed so many times in 9 years I can't even count. I asked my vet at one point about if there was a more permanent answer and he told me at that time about the surgery but recommended that I do not do it because it is not a minor surgery! He felt that unless there was pain or infections I shouldn't mess with it and just continue to express them as needed. He showed us how to do ourselves and it is pretty easy if you have the stomach for it.

I hope this gives you a little bit of help, I am sorry I can't give you more definitive answers on this one.
Have4Paws