Expressing anal glands...

I had to express Shami's anal glands pretty often when he was having soft stools for a while and the vet said that it's fine and that the problem should go away once his tummy settles down and has firm stools again. His stools firmed up, but I still have to express his anal glands occasionally (once or twice a mo). Is this a normal thing or is there something I should worry about?

Originally Posted by Lemur 6

I had to express Shami's anal glands pretty often when he was having soft stools for a while and the vet said that it's fine and that the problem should go away once his tummy settles down and has firm stools again. His stools firmed up, but I still have to express his anal glands occasionally (once or twice a mo). Is this a normal thing or is there something I should worry about?

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Some dogs and cats seem to require random emptying more than others (though dogs are more prone). As long as there are no underlying medical conditions present, it's not a problem other than being a possible unfun activity for all.

What does your vet say? Is Shami scooting at all? Excessively licking the region? Is the 'product' expressed clear or muddy? (ok this is getting personal! But this is more what you can talk to your vet about). SHami should get to a point where he can empty on his own while he uses the litter box; it may take more time on the high fiber diet. Of all my cat owning I have never had to routinely express, so it always seems 'odd' to me. But then I have read/seen of pets who seem to have more issues with it. Again, your vet has to ascertain the 'normalcy'. ANother poster who has similar experience may offer better first hand help!

You probably already know this info but here are a couple links anyway:

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/askDr/analsac.htm

http://peteducation.com/article.cfm?...&articleid=509


http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html