Relationship between anal glands and constipationn

Ritz doesn't seem to be able to express her own anal glands. Every time I take him to the vets (several times over the past three months--FLUTD), the vet has had to express her glands. Last Friday the vet said they were "gigantic".
On the other hand, she is prone to having hard stools (blood ON stool, not in). This was true before I transitioned her to Raw feeding and persists now. I thought by definition almost, if the cat has firm/hard stools, the anal glands express themselves.
Or, am I mixing apples and oranges?
Thanks.

You're correct, with properly functioning rectum and anal sacs, firm stools should release the fluid from the anal sacs. Perhaps if constipated, the stools are too small/compact?

http://www.petplace.com/cats/structu...ats/page1.aspx

http://www.parkwayanimaljax.com/addi...at_lingers.htm

Thanks.
A quick read and these words jumped out at me: "chase their tail". And here I thought this was just cute behavior on Ritz' part.

My mom has a little dog who does not express her own anal glands. She has had this problem all her life. She has to be taken to the vet every 4-6 weeks so the tech can express them. They do it for free (at that particular office), but you can also ask them to teach you how to do it yourself. I do know that when the sacs are full she can't pass her "poo" and it makes her constipated. Does he seem uncomfortable when the sacs are full? Like cries, cleans his bottom excessively, hides, keeps trying to go potty but doesn't go? I know dogs are different than cats but those are the symptoms my mom's dog has when her glands need expressing. Hope that helps!

Now that you mention it, she had been having hard stools, one in fact had blood on it (on, not in) around two weeks ago. So, the vet ordered a urine sample. Which showed crystals. It was when I brought Ritz in to the vet three days ago (her UTI-ish symptoms were worsening) that the relief vet said her anal glands were "gigantic". Which puzzled me because I thought hard stools would by definition express the glands.
Guess I was wrong.

That might explain the blood on her stool.

And she continues to lick her private parts, even after the Metacam and expression of her anal glands. It was not a good Saturday.
She's playing, eating and urinating normally. A little distant yesterday but good cuddle session this morning (she knows who feeds her). No soft stools this morning; I'll see/not see when I get home from work today.
Yes, I'm watching her like a hawk. She will be going back to the vets in around two to three weeks so they can get express her bladder and get a urine analysis.

Originally Posted by LDG

That might explain the blood on her stool.

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Any possibility that it would explain struvites in her urine?

Don't think so. Those are generally a function of diet & stress. The pH of the urine is what impacts struvite crystals. The anal sacs would not be related - UNLESS there's an infection problem. But if I remember correctly, a urine culture indicated no bladder/urinary tract infection?

And her anal sacs haven't been infected, if I remember correctly. They just express them. No sign of infection, and not being treated for one, right?

Has she had blood work done recently? Her white cell count isn't elevated?

Originally Posted by Ritz

Any possibility that it would explain struvites in her urine?

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Are you referring to the results from the sample you kept in the fridge? I would not continue to base anything off those results because they were way too old to be accurate. If *new* tests were done when she was at the vets last Friday, then we can work with that.

Sample from the refrigerator....Not enough urine in her bladder on Friday to do an analysis.
Ritz hasn't pooped since Sunday morning/evening (loose stools). She normally poops every other day, so I'm not concerned about no poop. What I am concerned about is her anus; it looks irritated and red and has two dark spots on it (dried feces?). I ran my hand lightly over her anus while she was on my lap, and she turned around and tried to bite me.
Her "gigantic" anal glands were expressed Friday by the vet and they looked raw and irritated then, too. She continued to have soft BMs until Sunday, and she finally ate some bone. I am concerned/catastrophizing that bacteria could have entered into her anus through either the expression of the anal glands or from her loose BMs. Should I be worried?
Her regular vet returns tomorrow, Wednesday.
Other than the pooping issue, she is eating, peeing and playing normally.
Thanks.

I'd be worried. Obviously you're on the watch for a bowel movement... but if she's in pain there, she may be intentionally trying to not go poop. That would be another concern.

I have an appointment with her regular vet for late tomorrow (Wednesday). I hear "Neo-Predef" works wonders.
And based on other advice on these forums, going back to feeding Commercial Raw, not Frankenprey, until I get her--and my--health issues resolved.
Too much stress for humans and animals.

Originally Posted by Ritz

I have an appointment with her regular vet for late tomorrow (Wednesday). I hear "Neo-Predef" works wonders.
And based on other advice on these forums, going back to feeding Commercial Raw, not Frankenprey, until I get her--and my--health issues resolved.
Too much stress for humans and animals.

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It'll be ok, Cindy.

AC

Originally Posted by Ritz

Sample from the refrigerator....Not enough urine in her bladder on Friday to do an analysis.
Yea, then I would not worry about her urine/acidity until you get a proper reading.
Her "gigantic" anal glands were expressed Friday by the vet and they looked raw and irritated then, too. She continued to have soft BMs until Sunday, and she finally ate some bone. I am concerned/catastrophizing that bacteria could have entered into her anus through either the expression of the anal glands or from her loose BMs. Should I be worried?

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No, I wouldn't be worried, I think the colon is suited to deal with bacteria just fine; it's not the same as bacteria getting into a cut.


*hugs and vibes*

Vet felt a medium amount of stool in the colon that "needed to get out" so he gave Ritz an enema. The stool was in segments, not one one piece, which is good. He said her anus/anal glands looked normal, rectal exam normal, felt no weird bumps.
I asked "why won't she poop", he kind of shrugged his shoulders, and I asked "because of [change of] diet" and he kind of shrugged and said, "maybe". (I'd transitioned her from commercial raw to raw before understanding what I was doing; Ritz suffered for it.)
This was at 5:45 p.m. so I took her home to learn first-hand what were the results of a cat being given an enema.
I was warned about the nausea, but not the drooling and smacking of lips. I was surprised at how relatively little she pooped given she had not had a BM since Sunday morning (benefits of raw diet). No loose stools, only firm, hard, small stools. More or less normal (for her). One piece had some bright red blood on it, which I am not surprised or worried about: been there, done that.
Funny (not in a ha-ha way): she kind of rolled in the litter box after she used it, I think to get rid of some of the liquid enema that was on her back side.
She was showing some of the side effects of the enema 12 hours later, but seemed well enough 16 hours later for me to go to work. She ate an ounce of CR beef and kept it down. Appetite a bit off.
I kind of wished I'd waited another day or two to let her digestive system work itself out. Ditto with the relief vet giving her a shot of Metacam (especially since the relief vet said FLUTD flare ups usually resolve on their own.) She didn't have side effects from the Flagyl or Baytril I had to give her in June/July for her UTI, so I was somewhat unprepared for the reactions she had to the Metacam and enema.
Advice, cross-talking, feedback welcome.
Thanks for being here for me.