Food for anal glands issues

[danie]

My 14 yro tabby is having anal gland issues again, but this time it hasn't resolved itself as quick as the first time..  Before Christmas I took him in and they sedated him to remove a fatty cyst on his neck and clean out his glands The anal glands were slightly infected but all his bloodwork came back great.  12 days later I took him in for a removal of neck sutures, I mentioned he still has diarrhea; the vet there for my regular vet said to cut back on the fiber-had been giving him a little benefiber with fancy feast cat food, along with the probiotic fortiflora for cats.  

My regular vet had mentioned Royal Canin high fiber dry food, the vet there while he was on vacation recommended EN Gastroenteric canned.    Our cat usually gets 4oz of canned food a day and about a 1/4 cup of grain free dry food.  He rarely eats all of the canned food.

I'm so confused on what to feed him to help with this issue.  I can't afford the premium canned or dry food. In the past I have tried the pumpkin puree but that didn't seem to help either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  Thank you.

Dana

 

[missmimz]

A 14 year old really needs a moisture heavy diet so ideally you should cut back or all together on that kibble. Good quality wet food isn't very expensive but if he's finicky you may need to try some different foods. I don't see any reason why he can't eat fancy feast but I would suggest adding a good digestive enzyme to his food. RX foods are a waste of money and not good quality. Slippery elm syrup is good for diarrhea and has fiber in it. It's very good and safe for cats. I mix into a syrup and syringe. Fori flora is a useless probiotic. It basically does nothing. 

https://www.chewy.com/animal-essentials-plant-enzyme/dp/49372

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

 

[LTS3]

Can you express the anal glands yourself at home? That would remove the excess secretions that may lead to infection. Ask your vet if expressing the glands would help prevent or minimize future infected anal gland issues.

I don't think food of any kind helps with anal gland issues. Some cats need a little help with their anal glands

My Aby eats raw and needs his glands expressed every so often because they start to smell and occasionally some will leak out

 

[jericat]

 
My 14 yro tabby is having anal gland issues again, but this time it hasn't resolved itself as quick as the first time..  Before Christmas I took him in and they sedated him to remove a fatty cyst on his neck and clean out his glands The anal glands were slightly infected but all his bloodwork came back great.  12 days later I took him in for a removal of neck sutures, I mentioned he still has diarrhea; the vet there for my regular vet said to cut back on the fiber-had been giving him a little benefiber with fancy feast cat food, along with the probiotic fortiflora for cats.  

My regular vet had mentioned Royal Canin high fiber dry food, the vet there while he was on vacation recommended EN Gastroenteric canned.    Our cat usually gets 4oz of canned food a day and about a 1/4 cup of grain free dry food.  He rarely eats all of the canned food.

I'm so confused on what to feed him to help with this issue.  I can't afford the premium canned or dry food. In the past I have tried the pumpkin puree but that didn't seem to help either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  Thank you.

Dana

Hi Dana,

My 2 y/o tabby had infected anal glands last year and the vet recommended we start her on the Royal Canin Gastrointestinal that you mentioned above. It's been awesome! We feed her the dry food and she's had great success and no recurring anal gland issues.

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed you said you can't afford the premium food. This stuff is on the expensive side but worth it. Hope you find a solution!

 

[semmons]

Hi Dana,

My 2 y/o tabby had infected anal glands last year and the vet recommended we start her on the Royal Canin Gastrointestinal that you mentioned above. It's been awesome! We feed her the dry food and she's had great success and no recurring anal gland issues.

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed you said you can't afford the premium food. This stuff is on the expensive side but worth it. Hope you find a solution!

My

Hi Dana,

My 2 y/o tabby had infected anal glands last year and the vet recommended we start her on the Royal Canin Gastrointestinal that you mentioned above. It's been awesome! We feed her the dry food and she's had great success and no recurring anal gland issues.

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed you said you can't afford the premium food. This stuff is on the expensive side but worth it. Hope you find a solution!

 

[semmons]

My cat is 5 years old and keeps having his analysis glands get packed - will this good you mentioned help with it?

 

[sabrinah]

I have the same problem with my 14vyear old cat! I seem to have solved it in my case. I feed a mix of wet and dry with a lot of water mixed in. I'm talking turning it into a thin soup. I also add extra fiber to her food every other day. I use Firm Up! that I get off amazon. It seemed to enlarge her poop enough to empty the glands. She only ever has issues anymore if her stomach gets upset and she has diarrhea for a few days, but it's quickly fixed with fiber.
My vet told me my cat and dog (same issue, also fixed with more fiber) would have to come in monthly to get their anal glands expressed and there's nothing else I could do, unless I really wanted to be a good pet parent by buying overpriced, low quality prescription food from them. I'm certain they just wanted my money.