Anal sacs removed

Hello all! I've read other posts about anal glands/sacs and the possibility of their removal, but I notice most posts are old, so I decided to start a new one.

Namely, we had to remove my kitty's glands and she went in for surgery yesterday. It's been more than a year since the troubles started and I've had to take to the vet at least once a month (sometimes more often) to have them manually expressed and the situation was becoming unbearable for the both of us. The source of the issue is food allergies, but since the is highly sensitive and seems to react to everything, the vet suggested that removing the glands would be best, since they can cause additional issues with scratching etc. Plus, we never know if the food is bothering her, or the glands. And if I understood correctly, they say that manual expression of the glands can cause them to stop "working" properly.

I was wondering of anyone else actually has any experience with this procedure? The kitty seems fine now, except for often trying to reach her bum - which she can't really do, since she is a fat little thing. She also tried to poop once today, but with no luck. I'd appreciate any advice, or anyone else just sharing their experience. The internet isn't really generous when it comes to actual removal as I know it is really rare with cats.

Thanks!

Glad the surgery went well.  From my understand, it's quite an involved surgery.   Maybe it's a good thing (at the moment) that she can't reach that area to lick,chew at the stitches, but once she heals, we can probably help you help her lose some weight.

Not sure anyone will response whose been thru the surgery as it's very uncommon. 

Hope your girl continues to do well and heals up with no issues. 

Thank you Yes, I think this was the first or the second time the vet performed the surgery on a cat. The area is full of nerve endings and muscles, so it took a while to remove them, especially since the glands were quite inflamed. As for weight loss, it is definitely on the agenda, but for now, I'm happy she is not wearing a surgical collar! However, it has been hard to have her loose weight, she was on the special medical food for a while and was doing well, but since she became allergic to all food whose protein isn't hydrolyzed, we are in a serious pickle Not to mention the fact that she has very few teeth, so chewing raw food can also be a challenge. As you see, she is a very special girl

I'm waiting for her to recover from surgery so I can see how much they were contributing to itchiness and to finally see what she is actually allergic to. In this sense, any advice would be more than helpful

If you grind up raw food, or chop it up pretty fine, she doesn't actually need to chew it.  Two of mind actually preferred ground raw to chunks, darn it.  I really wanted them to eat chunks to clean their teeth, but they couldn't quite get the hang of it.  I never DID get them to eat bones, so had to supplements their calcium.

My cat had to have her anal sacs removed almost 8 years ago.  It was absolutely the best decision we ever made!.  Like you, we dealt with the anal sacs becoming clogged and infected for at least a year before the surgery.  We were even going every other week and having the anal sacs expressed but that ended up not being often enough.  My girl is 18 years old now and I am so sad to say she is not doing well due to arthritis, constipation, and loss of appetite. 

Hope your cat heals well.  Mine came home from the anal sac surgery with a fentanyl patch for pain and had no problems at all.  Best of luck!

Wow! You really made me feel better now, thank you! I am sorry that she isn't feeling well It is always heartbreaking to see them suffer.
Our recovery isn't really too smooth, though it could definitely be worse. She is having some trouble with doing her business and keeps dragging her bum on the floor, so the area is pretty red, but I guess that's the part of the process. She also had diarrhea, so she kept trying to clean the area and now she kinda looks like a monkey Anyway, she is eating, drinking and even in the mood for playing, so a bit of redness and irritation is bearable.