# Irritated



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Aspen has a very small reddish bump on his anal area. I don't have any chlorhexidine to clean it with. And the betadine I just bought, I can't remember where I left it! I know I brought it in the house though. Anyway, a few months ago, a friend of mine gave me some Alocetic Ear rinse. I know it's an ear rinse, but does it have any anti-fungal, anti-microbial properties to it? I also have some Animax ointment and was thinking of using that too.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

do you think it could have anything to do with her having to have her anal glands emptied?


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Todd said:


> do you think it could have anything to do with her having to have her anal glands emptied?


I've never had that done. He's never needed it...


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Isn't Aspen a boy?

Honestly I would leave it alone and just keep an eye on it.
If it doesn't clear up by Monday, call the vet and see if you can have them take a peek.

I doubt his anal glands need to be emptied, but there could be an abscess starting.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

spookychick13 said:


> Isn't Aspen a boy?
> 
> Honestly I would leave it alone and just keep an eye on it.
> If it doesn't clear up by Monday, call the vet and see if you can have them take a peek.
> ...


Yep, Aspen is a boy. I was planning on leaving it alone and just keeping an eye on it. If it gets bigger (it did once), then I guess I will have to pop it. That's what a vet tech friend of mine told me to do a long time ago. Saved me about $200 bucks at the vet. I popped it and some yellowish greenish liquid came flying at me! And then I flushed it with chlorhexidine and applied some animax to it for a few days, and it disappeared within a week.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

spookychick13 said:


> Isn't Aspen a boy?
> 
> Honestly I would leave it alone and just keep an eye on it.
> If it doesn't clear up by Monday, call the vet and see if you can have them take a peek.
> ...


when Lucky was young, she developed a similar bump on her foot. i took her to the vet and they took a sample. is there any blood in the bump? there was in lucky's. if you press on it and it turns white then back to pink that means there's blood under there rather than puss, so not sure if u should pop it. they took a sample of Lucky's but could find anything wrong. they said is was probably abscess or blood blister. they gave her some antibiotics to take for 2 weeks and it went right away. i probably would have looked into natural treatment is i had to do it over again. i'll look up some natural remedies for you once you check to see if there is blood under there of puss.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Todd said:


> when Lucky was young, she developed a similar bump on her foot. i took her to the vet and they took a sample. is there any blood in the bump? there was in lucky's. if you press on it and it turns white then back to pink that means there's blood under there rather than puss, so not sure if u should pop it. they took a sample of Lucky's but could find anything wrong. they said is was probably abscess or blood blister. they gave her some antibiotics to take for 2 weeks and it went right away. i probably would have looked into natural treatment is i had to do it over again. i'll look up some natural remedies for you once you check to see if there is blood under there of puss.


No there is no blood in it. It's too small to even have anything in it...


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## g00dgirl (Nov 18, 2009)

Definitely sounds like his anal gland is infected to me. Of course I can't see it. Is it below his anus and slightly to the left or right? Delilah had an impacted anal gland last year (yes even on raw) I'd never had her's expressed before (or after) that. I did it myself too, it got just a little smaller than a bouncy ball and I was able to lance it after having her sit in the tub with warm water to soak it and make it softer and easier to drain. Had to keep doing it once or twice a day until it was all drained.
If it comes to the point that you need to lance it (if it's his anal gland) then would be a good time to use the solution to wash out the wound, if it doesn't hurt too much. I just used a saline solution and then applied something like neosporin.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

g00dgirl said:


> Is it below his anus and slightly to the left or right?


It's on his anus and if you were to stand behind your dog and picture a clock on it's anus, it's at 8 o'clock...


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> It's on his anus and if you were to stand behind your dog and picture a clock on it's anus, it's at 8 o'clock...


if it could be an impacted anal gland, i'd try to express the glands. have you every done this before? it's not hard to do yourself. i do it to lucky once a month when i bathe her.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Todd said:


> if it could be an impacted anal gland, i'd try to express the glands. have you every done this before? it's not hard to do yourself. i do it to lucky once a month when i bathe her.


I've never done this before. And I don't want to take him to the vet because it's about $50 just for the consultation and I don't think he'll appreciate other people touching his a$$. Of course, he'll let me do anything to him...


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> I've never done this before. And I don't want to take him to the vet because it's about $50 just for the consultation and I don't think he'll appreciate other people touching his a$$. Of course, he'll let me do anything to him...


it's easy to do yourself. i got it on the first try. only took me 5 minutes. here are a few tutorials on how to do it correctly;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg1yey2vN3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJStqOPCFdA


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^Yea, I had already looked at how to's and it seems really easy. I'll do it tomorrow. If nothing comes out, then I guess I'll just keep an eye on it to see if it doesn't get bigger...


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> ^^Yea, I had already looked at how to's and it seems really easy. I'll do it tomorrow. If nothing comes out, then I guess I'll just keep an eye on it to see if it doesn't get bigger...


ok good deal. it may take 5-10 minutes though the first time. you have to find just the right spot. you'll get the hang of it. just dont do what i did the first time...

the first time i expresses lucky's anal glands, the discusting anal fluid shot right into my eye:biggrin: just make sure your face is away from the area. it helps if someone holds the tail for you. you'll feel two little ball like bumbs when you put ur fingers in place, squeeze those till the fluid comes out. its usually not much. teaspoon or two. remember to get both sides popped.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^Yea, I'll hold a cloth or something in front of me!


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I just tried to express Aspen's anal glands a few minutes ago and nothing came out. Do I have to apply a lot pf pressure? The small bump that he had on there is gone anyway. But, I still want to see if I can express them. Do all dogs need their anal glands expressed?


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> I just tried to express Aspen's anal glands a few minutes ago and nothing came out. Do I have to apply a lot pf pressure? The small bump that he had on there is gone anyway. But, I still want to see if I can express them. Do all dogs need their anal glands expressed?


Keep trying. Yes sometimes you do need to apply quite a bit of pressure especially if the glands are impacted. Try to feel for those little ball like lumps within the anus. Try using a big more pressure.Sometimes it's necessary to stick your finger up their, with plastic gloves of course and separately squeeze each side. Keep trying. It takes some practice.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Not all dogs need to have their glands manually expressed, they are suppose to be able to express it themselves with bowel movements. My female needs to have hers done, but not as often as before now that shes on a raw diet, and I believe some breeds are more prone to need to be manually expressed.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I've heard that the firmer the poo is, you won't have to express. If it's soft serve, then you have to. True? Aspen's had firm poo most of his life. And it's even better and smaller now that he's on raw...


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I believe that is the theory, the firmer and harder the poo the less of a chance for anal gland problems.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

It really depends on the dog to be honest, just like anything else.

*I* don't even express my own dog's anal glands, and I know how (obviously) from work. I hate it though and would rather let my boss do it. It's disgusting and if you do it incorrectly it is painful to the dog.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Okay here's the update on Aspen. I just checked his anal area a few minutes ago, and now there are 3 small whitish bumps. I thought the one he got a few days earlier was gone, but I guess I was wrong. Could this be because he needs his anal glands expressed?


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> Okay here's the update on Aspen. I just checked his anal area a few minutes ago, and now there are 3 small whitish bumps. I thought the one he got a few days earlier was gone, but I guess I was wrong. Could this be because he needs his anal glands expressed?


I don't mean to scare you but could this be an anal gland tumor? Here's what I found online after a Google search;

Anal Gland Tumors

Canine anal gland tumors in and around the anus (perianal tumors) can be divided in perianal gland tumors and anal sac tumors. Rectal tumors are also common in dogs.
Perianal Gland Adenoma: Perianal glands are found anywhere around the anus, at the base of the tail and surrounding the male genitalia. Perianal gland tumors are often benign and occur frequently in male, intact dogs. Female dogs can be affected, however, although Cushing’s disease should be ruled out. These tumors are dependent on testosterone and will often disappear after castration. Multiple tumors can be present. In less than 5 percent of the cases, perianal gland tumors are malignant (fast growing) These tumors can grow fast. Cancerous cells can spread later in the growth process (call metastisis).


Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma: Anal gland tumors (Adenocarcinomas) are usually seen in older female dogs. An anal tumor is very dangerous and can spread quickly to the lymph nodes. This type of cancer creates a secretion that increases calcium in the blood and can damage the kidneys.

Rectal Tumors: Rectal tumors are more common in dogs. They occur in older animals and consist of adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and leiomyomas.

Breeds at Risk of Getting Canine Anal Gland Tumors

English Cocker Spaniel
*Alaskan Malamute *
German Shepherd 
English Springer Spaniel 
Cairn Terrier 
Husky 
Mixed Breed 
Basset Hound 
Dachshund
Diagnosis of Canine Anal-gland Tumors

The first sign of this disease is a lump near the anal glands. The area may be red in color. Your veterinarian will do an ultrasound, blood tests and a test of the urine.
Anal gland tumors are often multiple, nonpainful, relatively solid masses that grow slowly.

Treatment of Canine Anal Gland Tumors

The most common treatment for Anal-gland tumors is surgery for removal of the tumor followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
If you would like to try homeopathic (herbal) approaches to treatment a good commercial source to explore is PetAlive Formula for Prevention and Treatment of Cancer in Dogs

Prognosis of dogs with Canine Anal Gland Tumors

The prognosis of benign (non cancerous) anal gland tumors is excellent either after castration or after local resection (removal).
The prognosis of malignant (cancerous) anal gland tumors is guarded. Median survival for dogs with anal sac adenocarcinomas was 544 days and dogs with tumors < 10 cm having a significant better prognosis. Also, dogs with hypercalcemia and visible metastases did significantly worse.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^^Now I'm starting to freak out!


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> ^^^^Now I'm starting to freak out!


I'm sorry if I scared you. It just sounds a lot about his symptoms and he is one of the breeds susceptible. What do you think? Just remain calm. He may not even have this. I'm just giving a possibility. He'll be ok. It's not always cancerous. I feel for you.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^^Come to think of it, he's had this before. It actually went away by itself. All I did was clean the area with chlorhexidine.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> ^^^^Come to think of it, he's had this before. It actually went away by itself. All I did was clean the area with chlorhexidine.


then you should probably give that a try. I'd get him checked out by the vet though because if he does have a tumor they can apparently spread very, very quickly. Since you said he has 3 now I'd have it checked out just to be on the safe side.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Well, his bumps have gone down in size a lot. I've been cleaning it 3x a day and applying animax. I had to stick my finger up his butt to see if the bumps were growing on the inside. Thank god they are not... :biggrin:


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I just found out he's got another bump on his anal area. This time it's greenish in color and almost on the hole but not quite. It's still small in size and it's at 9 o'clock. What could this be? Some sort of deficiency? He's constantly getting them.

BTW, last time I put my finger up his butt to express the glands, nothing came out. Well, actually during the day, drops of brown water kept dripping from his butt.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Its most definitely his anal glad. If you couldn't express it there is a high possibility that it is impacted. I would get him into the vet ASAP before it gets more serious.


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