Can anyone offer advice please? Young cockapoo (7 months) with anal gland issue

[amandajane]

Hi folks, Im new to this site (thank you for accepting me!) Hoping there may be some dog experts out there who can help me? 

I have a 7 month old cockapoo, male, who is currently fed Royal Canin Junior.  he is healthy in all regard but he seems to have the following issues:
-  He doesnt poo normally (I dont think!) he doesnt do what I would have thought is normal - one or two larger stools - but instead does lots of blobs (maybe 5 or 6?!)  He hasn't got diarrhoea but he circles and does a number - sorry, only way I can explain it!
- He will (if I dont catch him in time) go back to the first and eat it (ewgghh!)
- He has already twice had his anal glands emptied and one course of antibiotics for infection.
- The vet has suggested perhaps to take his anal glands out when an adult
- he often smells rather unpleasant!  When his glands are causing issue - very fishy but even after he has a subtle (not just normal doggy) smell
Im bringing a lot of this back to diet, although by no means expert.  I tried to change once to Arden Foods, which was recommended but this seemed to upset his tum.  He is fed twice a day - morning and evening.
Has anyone been in this situation?  Can anyone recommend a particular food for me to try next?
I should add that in all other regards he is adorable, healthy and seems happy / fine in temperament.
Thanks in advance,
Amanda

[Dottie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. It sounds as if this is a dietary problem. The faeces need to be firm with sufficient bulk to compress the anal glands as they pass through the anus. There is a thread here which might be helpful in selecting a new product.  We can help you to use the filters on the Dog Food Directory if you wish so please ask if you need assistance. You need a food with sufficient fibre content.

Raw and quality wet foods tend to produce a nice firm stool but may not provide enough fibre to bulk it up. However, there are some decent wet foods that contain brown rice so they might be useful. Examples are Burns Penlan Farm, Forthglade, Natures Menu, Wainwright's 'with rice' - there are more.

In the past I had anal gland problems with one of my dogs and it disappeared once she was established on cold pressed food. We have a thread on these here. You would probably need to purchase online. I would advise you to go for the ones with brown rice. In my dogs these produce a twice a day poo, both very firm.

Edit: If you are minded to try cold pressed food, please be sure to weigh the food accurately and to give the correct amount. These products are dense and the amount needed can seem small. Overfeeding can cause loose stools. Transition gradually.

[Red_Akita]

Hi Amanda, welcome to the forum.
Coprophagia (eating stools) is most of the times a behavioural problem, but sometimes it can be related to digestive issues: basically the dogs smells or senses that he hasn't taken all the nutrients out of his food and discharged the useless stuff, so he tries to have a "second pass"... I know it's disgusting, but that's what they do (they do the same with puke, basically for the same reason). If the cause is in the digestive system, it may be related to the body not producing enough enzymes (or not producing them at all); I'm not sure if this can be related to anal gland problems or if it's two separate issues.
As Dottie said, more fibres may help: when you want to keep tight control on what you're feeding your dog, a home cooked or raw diet is always best. If you don't have time to prepare a balanced diet for your dog, try using the filters in the dog food directory to find foods with high fibre content. The directory also has a "natural" filter, I recommend using that too as at this point in time you want to make sure there is as less junk as possible in your kibble, to avoid upsetting an already delicate tummy.

[Rebecca Forrest]

Hi Amanda
I have in the last month tried cold pressed food (Guru) for my dog who has a sensitive tummy and very surprised by the results, he is so much better than when was on extruded food ,he is calmer his coat is glossy and does not have loose poo and only does  3 poos  instead of the 5-6 he was doing
. I had to ring them the other day and they were very helpful. It is reviewed on this website.
 I have tried many many  foods for Copper but they did not suit him, one dog food does not suit all but it may be worth a try.
I hope that you can sort your dog out.

[amandajane]

Thank you so much for your kind replies - so I need to research appropriately.  Im going to gradually change his food and I will keep posted in terms of how I get on, in case our experiences help someone else in the same situation.  Very grateful - thanks again!

[Dottie]

Thank you very much for updating your thread. I hope that you can find a more suitable food for your pup.  At this young age, it will pay dividends if you can find a good quality food that suits him. Look forward to hearing how you get on. Please let us know if you need any help with your research/selection.

[Roger Tyldesley]

Hi

I am no expert but both my Border Terriers have had anal gland problems which required frequent visits to the vet,

 I have managed to get the problem under control by reducing the amount of meat in their diet slightly by feeding Canogan (30g) dry and Forthglade wet food  (1/4 pack) mixed twice a day.

But the big change I made was to introduce Pro Fibre to there morning feed, this seems to bulk their stools and avoids the problem. The Pro Fibre was recommended by the vet and a tub bought off the internet lasts for about a month.

It may not work but could be worth a try.

Regards

Roger

[JJ]

Out of interest, how much of the Royal Canin are you feeding and how many times a day?

I found a similar issue with a family member's cockapoo pup which was remedied by not overfeeding in the first place. I'm not suggesting that you are, but I thought I'd mention it incase it hadn't been ruled out.

Kind Regards

JJ