Another Anal Gland & Diet Advice Thread - Sorry

[SJP]

Our vet says Lola is having her anal glands expressed too frequently (about once a month).  Have tried the Allbran route and that hasn't worked, so she is now on Peridale granules (from the vet at vast expense) to try and bulk her stools out. 

I've read a lot of different threads on here to see if I can get any ideas.

Does anyone think a possible solution could be to feed her the odd raw (or is it cooked) bone?  I am very very nervous about doing this and have absolutely no idea about what sort of bones are best.  Do I go to my butcher or do I go to the pet store for them?   If you think this is a good idea, how many do you think she should have a week and would it be in place of her evening meal?

BTW she is fed on JWB - could that be the problem?

Thank you.

[Helen]

Feeding BARF seems scarier than it is....I must admit I am not religious about my way of feeding, and know I don't do as well as many others do.

I have never fed JWB so I can't comment on it - I first changed Jarv onto Arden Grange when he didn't thrive on Burns - it's a kibble he does well on and he even likes it so that would be my kibble of choice for him    Despite that his stools on any kibble are less firm than they are on raw food, and he produces a lot more.  I do believe that dogs eliminate what they don't need and can't digest and this is why kibble fed dogs seem to poo more and it's definitely not as firm as when on raw.

Why don't you start off if you feed 2 meals a day, on feeding kibble in the morning and raw at night?  This would give the digestive system time as kibble digests a lot differently to raw.  I know the books say go the whole way, but for some of us it's just not that practical!

You could start off with a couple of chicken wings in the evening - I feed 3 to jarv as they're not very big - I also started off by cutting the  wings at the main joint and flash frying them with a tiny bit of garlic just to give them a smell (Jarv is a very smell oriented eater).  Another meal that seems to produce small rock hard poo (how embarrassing this is for Jarv!) is green tripe - I feed 1/2 a block from the petfood shop and get rid of the other half the next night, as it IS disgusting but they love it!  Lambs breast is another good one to feed for bone too.

[bibathediva]

arrh poor Lola it cant be very nice having that done every month  ...i have been really lucky i think as i have never had this problem with either of mine...a lot of people do say it is good for keeping the glands in check as they have to strain a little more after eating bone 
Biba is on part barf and was fully on barf at one point so perhaps that is something to do with her not having anal gland problems ..but she does have colitis and this seems to keep that under control without the need for frequent vet visits ....she has either a chicken wing or rib bone as her evening meal...either from the butchers or supermarket...always RAW ..NEVER cooked 
like you i was very scared giving her raw bone but its not as scary as you think its going to be...you can always bash the bone with a rolling pin to break it up abit first..i also cut her wing into 3 pieces as she does tend to eat it whole 

oops posted the same time as Helen 

[SJP]

Question to both Livercake and Bibathediva:

Jarv (who I feel like I know from all these threads) is not a big dog and you give him three chicken wings.  Biba only has one chicken wing - nothing else?
Why do you flash fry Jarv's?
Are all bones given to them raw? 
I think the idea of bashing them is great - makes me slightly less nervous.
On the green tripe issue - do I get that from a pet shop?  Does it come in frozen blocks?

Thank you both so much.  I think I will def. try it.  Any more info you have please post it.....I need a lot of hand-holding about doing this.

PS:  Do I buy cheapo wings from the supermarket then (much to Hugh Fearlessly-Eatsitall's disgust no doubt)?  Or is it better to get it from a pet shop .... and frozen?

[Helen]

Question to both Livercake and Bibathediva:

Jarv (who I feel like I know from all these threads) is not a big dog and you give him three chicken wings.  Biba only has one chicken wing - nothing else?
Why do you flash fry Jarv's?
Are all bones given to them raw? 
I think the idea of bashing them is great - makes me slightly less nervous.
On the green tripe issue - do I get that from a pet shop?  Does it come in frozen blocks?

Thank you both so much.  I think I will def. try it.  Any more info you have please post it.....I need a lot of hand-holding about doing this.

poor Jarv - the whole world knows his bowel habits 

he has 3 fairly small wings, I used to flash fry because he has no interest in them if there wasn't a smell attached.  By cutting them in 2 at the main joint I don't need to bash them as they are easy enough for him to handle.  If he had a bashed one whole it was too much for him to swallow and he often threw them up about 5 mins after eating them 

Jarv is entire, and is a boy and has a fast metabolism so works off his food - Biba, poor lamb, is very like me in the respect she seems to have the metabolism of a turtle 

raw green tripe from the pet shop, yes 

lambs breast from the butcher (mine will bash that up for me into manageable bits too)

hand holding is fine, but not while you're handling raw green tripe 

[SJP]

Thank you. 

I'll give it a go tomorrow evening when OH is home!

[emilymae]

Hi Sorry for busting in on your thread, but why can't you give cooked chicken wings?  I was thinking of trying Emily with a chickenwing bashed up, but i also thought it was ok to give cooked?

[Karma]

Cooked bones splinter and can cause injury.....
 

[emilymae]

Ah right ok. I did know that actually, If only I could remember to put my brain in gear sometimes!  Sorry, but thanks for that.

[bibathediva]

Yes Helen is right..although she was being polite  ...Biba is overweight so thats the reason she only has one chicken wing..i bash them because the sicssors i have are rubbish and wont cut through the bone  and i cut them for the same reason as Helen..Biba pigs them then they come back up although she will eat them again and chew them properly the second time around 
I also dont fed tripe for weight reasons as it can be fatterning and it also gives her dire-rear...but each dog is different  you can buy raw frozen tripe from a pet shop
She does have kibble in the morning...her wing/rib is for her tea
Always RAW bone as cooked can splinter...flash frying a wing will not cook the bone but Biba will eat her as it comes
When i first gave her wing she just walked around with it for a bit dropping it,licking it picking it up again as she didnt know what to do with it...but they soon get the hang of it 
good luck..let us know how you get on

[SJP]

Rung the pet shop.....they don't do green tripe but the other sort which is called Freeflow - is this the stuff??? 

[Helen]

Rung the pet shop.....they don't do green tripe but the other sort which is called Freeflow - is this the stuff??? 

yeh, it just means it's frozen in a bag and not minced up so even more evil 

[SJP]

Thank you so much for your advice Livercake (and you Bibathediva) you've been so helpful and patient.  Perhaps I'll get too meet you one day at a get together (I already know Jarv very well

I'm actually quite excited about doing the BARF thing now.

[SJP]

Well....she had tripe last night with a bit of kibble - it barely touched the sides and she's only done two poos today instead of about four!

And I've just given her a chicken wing - she crunched her way through it - but its all gone!  Only gave her one as two seemed quite a lot.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll increase it to one and a half.  We cut it up and bashed it a bit and took the large knuckle end out and then stood like expectant parents while she ate it 

Only downside......she wandered off and ate it all on the cream carpet and not in the kitchen...but hey we can work on that.

Thanks Livercake and Bibathediva, I'm converted     

[bibathediva]

been there done that...the expectant parent bit  ...and also the carpet bit  but that was my fault as i forgot to shut the kitchen door 
glad it went well...there will be no stopping you now...hope it does some good as regards her glands 

the only think i would say is if the tripe was raw don't give kibble at the same time..they digest at different rates so can cause tummy upsets 
try to give raw in one meal..say brekkie and kibble at the evening meal  or the other way around..which ever suits you best