Anal Glands problems?

I have a question... I have a 7 year old boy named Tiger. He is overweight. He is on a weightloss feeding regimen (amount based on packaging and I also talked to his vet about the amount of food he is allowed to eat) but he is not losing. He is about 18.1 lbs I believe the last time he was weighed (around Jan.) 

When he went to the vet last Oct. the vet expressed his anal glands. She did not say anything to me about it. I just found it on my bill (was frustrated with that). I talked to the receptionist later and she said my vet noted the glands were full and they may need to be done again in 6 months). Part of me says if this was an issue why didn't she say something at the visit.

Okay I guess my question is yesterday Tiger was acting like his bum was bothering him? Just his like irritated meow and then he will try to clean his bum. He can't reach. So yesterday I took a wash cloth and did a light wiping. It didn't bother him. He is not more dirty down there than my other 2 kitties. 

Should I be worried about this? He goes to the bathroom regularly, no diarrhea or constipation. He goes to the bathroom once a day usually after the dinner or bedtime meal. (all three of my kids go around the same time lol) I know all their bathroom goings because I scoop usually right when I hear them in the litter box.

Anyone have any anal gland problems or advice?

Here is a picture of my big guy.

This first picture is one of my favorites of him, it shows his Beautiful Eyes! The second picture was taken the beginning of March.

Beautiful eyes.

Your observation could be very important on his treatment. So far sounds like you're doing a good job so far.

Perhaps if he can lose a little bit it could help and a bit of extra fiber in his diet as well.

Concerned? Yes if they were full the first time the vet expressed them. Perhaps a visit to the vet to at least have them express them again and see what they say about them. Perhaps they can also show you how to express them as well. Having them expressed every few months might be a thought to pass by your vet.

I have one cat (Lil' Jag - our Persian cross) who has anal gland issues and has hers expressed every 4 months as a preventive (as hers doesn't express on her own despite food, exercise and weight management).

My Daisy (three year old British Shorthair) had her anal glands expressed for the first time in December, because she had started scooting and licking her bottom quite aggressively. She's always had soft-ish stools, and my understanding is that sometimes the stools aren't hard enough to squeeze out the anal gland fluid naturally, and then it becomes impacted and irritated. Tiger's weight could also be preventing him from cleaning himself sufficiently, thus leading to some irritation in his hind region?

The vet advised me to wipe after Daisy's been to the litter box with very diluted Hexoscrub, just to make sure there's no remnants...which could lead to infection or irritation. If Tiger doesn't mind so much, I would just give him a helping hand every now and then to make sure his bottom is clean. 

psychocat0604, Tiger is a beautiful cat! His face reminds me very, very much of our former cat, Brooksie, who also had issues with her anal glands that started when she was about Tiger's age. She sometimes had to have her glands expressed, too, and she was also overweight. Our vets weren't very helpful about the gland problem, though they did say that they can be caused by food sensitivities. Unfortunately, the diet foods they suggested for her probably only made her problem worse because they were dry foods filled with grains. Brooksie developed other digestive system problems (hairballs/vomiting, occasional bloody stools) that eventually led to what was probably IBD and then lymphoma; I think everything was probably connected by sensitivities to grain(s). This all started 10-12 years ago, before there was much broad awareness of cat diet, IBD, and sensitivity to various proteins, grains, and additives.

I don't know kind of food you're feeding Tiger or what other symptoms he might have. But... in our particular case, if I'd known back then what I know now about cats and diets, I would have put Brooksie on a grain-free, canned or raw food diet when she was first supposed to lose weight. I would also have switched to a vet that specializes in cats. Brooksie's vets weren't knowledgeable at all about cat diet or foods so they were especially unhelpful when it became clear she was very sick. At least by then I was able to figure things out faster than they were (thanks to vet sites like catinfo.org and lurking on these boards) and ease her symptoms a lot with grain-free foods that fit her body's needs. I should add that Brooksie lived a very long, happy, and active life, despite the food issues, which developed and progressed slowly over the years -- she was a rescue cat so we don't know exactly how old she was but she was most likely at least 16 or 17!

Good luck with Tiger! And let me know if you want food suggestions. Between feeding Brooksie and our two new cats (Siamese mixes who are prone to digestive disease) I feel like I've tried a lot!

If I'd been shown this second photo of Tiger, I would have sworn it was my Lucy. She was overweight from the day we got her as an unwanted indoor cat. At that time, her fur was matted and she was covered from head to tail in little scabs and had acne on her chin. The vet told us to put her on a low-calorie diet (dry food, of course). After that, I am no longer sure which problem occurred first - with her anal glands or with these scabs which became much worse and even infected.  We visited many vets with her.

I soon realized that her diet was not helping matters and we changed, at a vet's recommendation, to "sensitive" dry food. She had no more problems with her anal glands but, a few years later, she suffered acute kidney failure, from which she never recovered. She was only 12-13 years old (if we can believe her documents). I told the vet (a new one for us, as it was an emergency service) that it was our fault for feeding her incorrectly. She tried to convince me otherwise, but I still blame myself.

Please take note of

LisaHE said:

 
I would have put Brooksie on a grain-free, canned or raw food diet when she was first supposed to lose weight. I would also have switched to a vet that specializes in cats. Brooksie's vets weren't knowledgeable at all about cat diet or foods so they were especially unhelpful when it became clear she was very sick. At least by then I was able to figure things out faster than they were (thanks to vet sites like catinfo.org and lurking on these boards) and ease her symptoms a lot with grain-free foods that fit her body's needs.

Click to expand...

Perhaps, I'll find a picture of Lucy so that you can see the likeness for yourself.

Good luck!

Tiger is a VERY handsome boy and a big boy! When a cat defecates it usually will release and empty the anal sacs naturally if the stool is normal - like a tootsie roll. :lol3: I have two cats that seem to have overactive anal sac glands and am able to express them easily on my own. Most people would not be comfortable doing so nor would they like the smell. But, being a groomer in my past of dogs and cats, I am well prepared and know how to do it properly. The following article I found explains how to manually express a cats anal sacs. Otherwise, if you are not comfortable, then I would bring Tiger into the vet periodically to have them expressed. A groomer can also do this for you. Definitely a stinky issue and one all of us know about. :bigwink:

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/anal-sac-problems-cats