Fiber for anal gland issues??

traumalottie

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Hi all,

Last time we were at the vet my cat had to have her anal glands manually expressed. The vet suggested a high fiber prescription diet (I think it was the w/d kibbles) to help bulk her stools in order to help with this. However, I feel a bit uncomfortable feeding my kitty kibble and wanted to figure out some sort of alternative fiber supplement that will help with the anal gland issue. My kitty currently eats a commercial raw diet (mostly rad cat) though I do hope to transition to making her food completely. She is about 4 years old and does not have any other health problems.

Any suggestions???

What do you guys think of canned pumpkin??

Thanks in advance! 
 
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traumalottie

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Oops I also wanted to add that her stool is pretty solid and well formed , though a little smaller compared to when she was eating canned.
 

shaheena

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Canned pumpkin sounds good. Make sure it's plain,  without spices or other additives. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I had a cat on raw who got a ruptured anal gland
.  But the other two cats on raw never had any problems.  So...I think anal gland problems just sometimes happen and am not convinced that diet will help them.  I know there have been other conversation about this very topic in the past, and no conclusions were ever made.

Since your Vet recommended the addition of fiber, I would definitely give plain pureed pumpkin a try, and hopefully she will eat it AND it will do the trick.
 

deborahlee

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My cat occasionally needs her anal glands expressed and I know the signs.  I know a vet tech who did it for me once at home, and it was so easy and took about 5 minutes.  I did some research and began to do it myself (with a friend's help).  With cats (and small dogs) it is not invasive and not so difficult if you know what you're doing.  Much better than shelling out what has been $50 to $90 a shot to have a vet do it.

Here are the two videos I found the most educational.  One is a vet showing how to do it on a small dog, but I like it because it really spells out simply what needs to be done and is exactly the same and doing it to a cat.  The second is a vet demonstrating on a cat.  Between the 2 videos, I think you get the information you need.

I prefer to take the advice of one person holding the cat and the other expressing.  We use rubber gloves, we put the cat on a chuck (one of those large pads, plastic on one side, absorbent on the other, used to protect beds from bedwetters).  If your cat is very difficult to handle, you might find making a purrito helpful (wrapping the cat in a towel).  But I never had to do that, I was the cat holder and she was used to me.

We give a quick wipe afterwards with some sort of baby wipe or paper towel dampened slightly with a little soap and water.  As soon as the cat is expressed, the chuck can be used to wipe the discharge on, the gloves we put on the chuck, roll it up and throw it out and it's really not too hard, or too bad.

Check out the videos.

Also, for fiber,, try some tasteless benefiber in the wet food on occasion.  I use about 1/4 to 1/2 measuring teaspoon, no more.  It works fairly well and is safe and works well for my cat.

Here are the videos ...


 

cprcheetah

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I have a kitty who was on a high fiber diet who still needed her glands expressed, it may help in some cases and others it may not.
 

night wing

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My cat has been eating dry kibble up until he was 16 years old. He periodically had to have two anal glands expressed. This past June of 2013, he finally transitioned over to eating wet canned cat food. Even on wet food, I took my cat yestereday to the vet to have his teeth cleaned and while he was under, the vet expressed the same two anal glands.

From my perspective, it's a genetic thing since eating wet food didn't help.
 

mrskittles

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I have a book that talks about the correlation between dental disease and anal gland abscess. In reading all of these different posts I noticed that no one had mentioned it. Something to think about as my cat has got it twice in one month and he does need dental work
 

snugglecat

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My cat has to have her anal glands expressed every month, sometimes twice a month. She is on mostly canned food and gets 1/8 cup of Fiber Response dry food and she still has to have it done once or twice a month. I have to give her Miralax for constipation issues also.

This last time she went in they were having problems expressing them because hers get very thick.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I have a book that talks about the correlation between dental disease and anal gland abscess. In reading all of these different posts I noticed that no one had mentioned it. Something to think about as my cat has got it twice in one month and he does need dental work
This is a new one on me.  I guess anything is possible, although I've never heard of this, and after you posted this, I tried to find anything on it, and was unable to.  Doesn't mean it couldn't be, just means I couldn't find anything on it.  My cat that had a ruptured anal gland did NOT need any dental work though.   I don't know what others have experienced in THAT area.
 

stephanietx

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I've never had a cat that had to have its anal glands expressed more than once, so I'm really no help with that, but adding plain canned pumpkin probably won't hurt matters.  You might also try slippery elm bark, which is an herb that's really good for tummy issues and poop problems.
 

mrskittles

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This is a new one on me.  I guess anything is possible, although I've never heard of this, and after you posted this, I tried to find anything on it, and was unable to.  Doesn't mean it couldn't be, just means I couldn't find anything on it.  My cat that had a ruptured anal gland did NOT need any dental work though.   I don't know what others have experienced in THAT area.
The book is called "The new natural cat" by Anitra Frazier. the one veterinarian in our area who only does dental had not heard the correlation either. Just found that very interesting. The author used to work with DR Pitcairn
 

snugglecat

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I have a book that talks about the correlation between dental disease and anal gland abscess. In reading all of these different posts I noticed that no one had mentioned it. Something to think about as my cat has got it twice in one month and he does need dental work
Peaches does not have any dental problems. She is 7 years old and had her teeth cleaned in 2010 and then again in 2014.
 
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