Millicent is back from the vet..anal glands?

pet a cat · Mar 5, 2008

Ok so I just got back,as far as her scab problem,he said he 'suspects it is from a flea bite' but 'he could find no evidence of fleas'.He said that she is 'over grooming'(he used the term,hyper-grooming actually) and he gave her some prednisone.

Now what got me was he said that her anal glands were really swollen,and that he had to 'drain them'.As gross as this is,what exactly did he mean by that?

I asked him if it was poo that came out he chuckled and said no.I am at a loss here,is this a serious problem,what causes this?(the doc didn't elaborate and I didn't want to start that discussion in a room full of people waiting you know hehehe)

Thanks in advance!

momofmany · Mar 5, 2008

Anal glands are sacs on either side of their anus. Usually they excrete themselves when they go, but many cats get "full" and have to have them "expressed". You would recognize the smell if they ever discharged on you - I had a cat who expressed me one time when I tapped his rump. It smells sort of like skunk.

I know that some people express their cats at home with chronic problems, but I've never learned how to do it. It does have to do with squeezing the gland to force out the fluid. How the cat is manipulated to do that is something I'm not even going to try to explain.

tamgirl99 · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by Pet A Cat

Ok so I just got back,as far as her scab problem,he said he 'suspects it is from a flea bite' but 'he could find no evidence of fleas'.He said that she is 'over grooming'(he used the term,hyper-grooming actually) and he gave her some prednisone.

Now what got me was he said that her anal glands were really swollen,and that he had to 'drain them'.As gross as this is,what exactly did he mean by that?

I asked him if it was poo that came out he chuckled and said no.I am at a loss here,is this a serious problem,what causes this?(the doc didn't elaborate and I didn't want to start that discussion in a room full of people waiting you know hehehe)

Thanks in advance!

Anal glands/sacks commonly need to be manually expressed in animals, especially dogs. This is why you often see dogs scooting their butt on the ground because their glands are full and they are trying to express them. The glands themselves are just small sacks right inside the opening that accummulate fecal-type fluid. They usually express themselves when feces passes but if the diet doesn't have enough fiber and the stools are too soft, the fluid accummulates and has to be expressed manually. My cat doesn't tend to have this problem but my dog does.

tab · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by tamgirl99

Anal glands/sacks commonly need to be manually expressed in animals, especially dogs. This is why you often see dogs scooting their butt on the ground because their glands are full and they are trying to express them. The glands themselves are just small sacks right inside the opening that accummulate fecal-type fluid. They usually express themselves when feces passes but if the diet doesn't have enough fiber and the stools are too soft, the fluid accummulates and has to be expressed manually. My cat doesn't tend to have this problem but my dog does.

beautifully put! you aren't a groomer are you?

ms.blackie · Mar 5, 2008

Join the butt scooting club.

Hi, Mine has had her glands expressed a couple times.
Plus sometimes they explode themselves. WOW what a stink.
I have to wash down her back side.
Well just this morning, after her number 2 she was
butt dragging. I keep telling her my carpet is not TP

haha so seriously I dont know myself how to stop this
it kinda gets better and worse with mine but not
so bad that she requires vet care.
Maybe I see her scooting a couple times in 1 week.

One of the reasons I hesitate to put her on 100 percent
wet food. I just think she needs fiber or something.
If anyone else out their knows what helps on this
matter please share with us.
Brenda

tamgirl99 · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by tab

beautifully put! you aren't a groomer are you?

Hi tab! Nope, I'm not a groomer but I have a BS in Vet Medicine as I was planning to go to Vet school. I also worked for vet clinics so we expressed glands all the time.

By the way, the primary reason I decided not to proceed with Vet school is because I lived with a first year vet student and after seeing what she went through I was OUT. I decided I would just own lots of animals instead.

tamgirl99 · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by Ms.Blackie

I just think she needs fiber or something.
If anyone else out their knows what helps on this
matter please share with us.
Brenda

My vet told me to just add a bit of Benefiber powder to my dog's food when I would see her having problems. It works great for my dog but I'd run it by your vet first. The best thing about Benefiber is that it's tasteless and we know how picky cats can be when it comes to what they eat.

pookie-poo · Mar 5, 2008

Cleo need to have her anal glands expressed a couple of time a year. I know it's getting to be time, when I see her doing the "butt scootin' boogie" across the living room carpet. My vet has tried to teach me how to do this, but I decided I'd let her do the honors, so Cleo won't associate me with the discomfort!

tamgirl99 · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Cleo need to have her anal glands expressed a couple of time a year. I know it's getting to be time, when I see her doing the "butt scootin' boogie" across the living room carpet. My vet has tried to teach me how to do this, but I decided I'd let her do the honors, so Cleo won't associate me with the discomfort!

Yep, I know how to do it and even I don't want to. You definitely want to use a surgical glove, that's for sure!

If I'm at the vet and think of it I'll have them check. Otherwise the benefiber has been working for my dog and my cat doesn't have this problem regularly.

tab · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by tamgirl99

Hi tab! Nope, I'm not a groomer but I have a BS in Vet Medicine as I was planning to go to Vet school. I also worked for vet clinics so we expressed glands all the time.

By the way, the primary reason I decided not to proceed with Vet school is because I lived with a first year vet student and after seeing what she went through I was OUT. I decided I would just own lots of animals instead.

ah! i thought you sounded knowledgeable! i had a grooming business and squeezed more anal glands than i care to mention!

yeah i don't reckon a vets life is an easy one, in many, many ways.

nice to meet you!

mulenag · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by tamgirl99

My vet told me to just add a bit of Benefiber powder to my dog's food when I would see her having problems. It works great for my dog but I'd run it by your vet first. The best thing about Benefiber is that it's tasteless and we know how picky cats can be when it comes to what they eat.

Benefiber sounds like a great idea for cats! My dog had anal gland issues and it was immediately cleared up by adding canned pumpkin to her diet...I have a feeling a cat wouldn't be so eager to eat pumpkin though! Thanks for mentioning that!

pet a cat · Mar 5, 2008

Thanks for the info about this problem.

I really never saw her butt-ski,so I was not aware she had a 'problem'.

For sure this is something Ill just let the vet take care of.Now I am worried that her brother could have this problem.

Other than the butt ski,there is no other way to know if they are inflamed or what ever?

tamgirl99 · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by tab

ah! i thought you sounded knowledgeable! i had a grooming business and squeezed more anal glands than i care to mention!

yeah i don't reckon a vets life is an easy one, in many, many ways.

nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you too tab!

Pet A Cat - I've never heard it called "butt-ski". That cracks me up!

I'm not sure if there is another way to tell other than actually probing, but I don't recommend that unless you've been shown how.

Millicent is back from the vet..anal glands?

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