# Anal glands!!



## carolgavin

I know and I apologise not exactly the most savoury of subjects :roll: Has anyones dog had problems with anal glands. Our setter Neo has been back and forward to the vets about 20 times as his glands keep filling up, so of course they have to be squeezed. Not the most pleasant of procedures plus it STINKS  This problem occured out of the blue he previously had no problems. The kids are laughing at him because his butt looks like a baboons 8O It has no hair cos he has bitten it all off 8O Is there a non surgical cure that anyone has tried or is he for the chop? Would like to try to get this sorted before new motorhome because despite how much I bath him he really does pong and it's a horrible fishy, off meaty smell FOUL!!


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## vardy

- Just a quick suggestion - there are lots of pages of dietary advice on the web for this, and you can go down that route ( vet has probably advised on diet anyway ) but you could try cat food if he'll eat it. Cats are fussy little b*****s and won't have food with all the junk in like dogs will. Gotta give it time to work - say 2-3 wks to see change. If you can stand it that long! - H


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## patnles

Apologies if you've already tried this but a change of food can often help. Burns or James Well Beloved or other similar high quality food. I'm not saying that your not feeding a quality food but maybe just a different one would help.

http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/contact.htm

This company has a very good telephone help-line. They may be able to advise.
If you've already tried dietry solutions to Neo's problems then I think surgery is the only answer.


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## 103818

*Anal Glands*

Had on of our cavaliers to the vet this week with similar problem. Suggestion was to add one dessertspoon of Milled oatbran to the food. This will "firm up the stool" which will make the dog strain harder and should help to drain the glands naturally.
Gwyn


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## Rapide561

*Doggy's bottom*

Hi

The anal gland can be cleared very quickly and easily at the vets. It is basically as I understand it a pipe that gets clogged up with small piece of pooh etc (sorry.) The dog does not need to be sedated for this and the vet simply puts the rubber gloves on and, well you know the rest.

One clue as to whether your dog's anal gland is blocked.....

Imagine your dog is sat down, bottom on the floor, just as he would be sat if you were eating biscuits and he was trying to impress you. Ok, so then he tried to drag his bottom along the floor, almost walking, but rubbing his botty on the ground. This is a sign the anal gland is blocked.

Personally, I do not think it is anything to do with food and think it is "one of those things". I am not a vet however, and only an owner can know his pet well enough to look for signs.

Russell


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## 91502

Hi
The anal glands are designed to secrete a small amount of mucus each time the dog does it's business. If his stools are not firm enough then it will not squeeze the glan enough and they will eventually get clogged then infected.
Food is usually a solution but it is nothing to do with good or bad food just one that suits. The price of dog food is nothing to do with quality but the market it is aimed at. James well beloved is aimed at people with too much money and is basically a cheap food. A lot of dogs will survive quite happily for a very long life of the cheapest food such as Chappie. Make sure you feed your dog only dog food, one meal a day in the evening and not treats scraps etc. My Spaniel visited the vets once a month for it's glands to be emptied throughout his 10 years working life but since he has been retired (2 years) has not been once. I can only put this down to the fact he now spends more time sitting around and empties himself only once a day rather than every time he got out of the van.
The last thing I can say is never feed your dog cat food!! It will overload it's kidneys and end up killing it.
James


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## krull

Not very savoury, but why learn how to empty the glands youself. At least you can avoid the vets and then concentrate on prevention. A friend of mine often had to do this (to his dog).

Dont forget the rubber gloves.


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## 98585

krull said:


> A friend of mine often had to do this (to his dog).


lol, did you really need to add the bit in brackets?


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## carolgavin

Ta muchos for all advice we have tried diet, he has been on the same food since we got him as a puppy. So it did seem as if it would not be related to diet. Anyway changed to Winalot mixer stuff about seven weeks ago to no avail. He is currently going WEEKLY to the vets you should see the look on his face when vet approaches him with the gloves................priceless. One other thing we tried was garlic and fenugreek tablets but they didn't work either. Funny thing is his poop is fairly solid :!: Only thing we have not tried is the milled oatbran so will pop out and get some of that and try it for a while. The vets have said they could flush them out under anaesthetic or remove them if all else fails as they can do without them. Going back to vets Monday for further squeezing :!: :!:


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## 91502

Hi again
Are they also treating him with antibiotics because they nearly always get infected once they become blocked? If not ask them to do so because the fluid normally is odourless unless there is an infection.
Oat bran is a very good idea, and I would also recommend a change from winalot to a premium brand complete dried food but only feed the stated amount as it will not look enough.
I always use Proplan (but don't have to buy it myself) which isn't the cheapest but they retain 80% of it so your not paying for all those poops.
I would not recommend going for the ops unless you have no choice.
James


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## Rapide561

*Dog*

Hi

This is why I love this site - we can talk about ANYTHING! (except gas attacks)

Russell


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## 98585

*Re: Dog*



Rapide561 said:


> HiThis is why I love this site - we can talk about ANYTHING! (except gas attacks)Russell


A gas attack is the last thing you need when sqeezeing anal glands


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## patnles

JP said:


> The price of dog food is nothing to do with quality but the market it is aimed at. James well beloved is aimed at people with too much money and is basically a cheap food. A lot of dogs will survive quite happily for a very long life of the cheapest food such as Chappie. James


Yep, I had a labrador who lived to 16 yrs fed on Chappie but it doesn't suit all and I wasn't aware that James Well Beloved was expensive. Must tell OH we have too much money :lol: (I don't think he knows). JWB( and other "quality" foods) does not have artificial colourings or flavourings added and is gluten free. I would judge a better quality food by the ingredients and not the price and I'm sure there are other manufacturers that just use natural ingredients that are cheaper and also some more expensive.
carolgavin.....if the oats don't work try a tablespoon of bran with food everday....or raw chicken wings,( perfectly harmless as long as it's raw) 1 a day. The bones help to push out the errr.....poo and clear the glands. I would definitely learn how to express the glands yourself for the time being as I feel sure you'll find some dietry solution with perseverance. 
Lelsey


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## 88870

Our Bodie goes regularly to the vets to get her glands squeezed. 

She used to scoot a lot so we took her in to find that she had full glands. Since then we take her about 6 times a year to empty then but we have to watch for the 'type' of scooting before we know they are full. 

Unfortunately she has developed a habit of scooting when she it too excited to stand - eg when someone comes to visit. We took her to the vets when she first started doing this, only to find that her glands were empty!

Apparently, the glands are supposed to empty when the dogs poos. Hard poo rubs against the glands and a little is secreted, thereby gradually emptying. There can be issues if a gland is blocked or the openings to the glands are small.

It is possible to remove the glands as they are not necessary to the well being of the dog but when we were offered this at the same time as spaying they advised that there was a possibility that she could be left incontinent. We decided it was better to visit the vets than wear a nappy!

Bodie no longer bothers having her glands emptied and in fact she assumes the position now! :lol:


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## 96266

*Anal gland & diet*

Hello Carol

It very simple to learn to "express" these glands yourself, your vet may be reluctant to show you and say that there is a risk of infection (often an excuse to give antibiotics! ) but this risk is very low if you do it correctly, If you badger your vet enough they usually give in!

Diet play a critical role; I feed a natural diet (google BARF for info) to my 6 working gundogs. Apart from being a lot healthier is also results in small, harder and non smelly stools - these massage the anal glands and keep things unblocked.


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## RichardnGill

Rolos empty themselves but we used to have a dog that had to have them taken out as they were getting infected all the time regardless of antibiotics and he was fine,but i have heard it can cause problems with incontinence in some dogs.
Feeding Barf is very good we looked into this but couldnt handle the raw meat that well.
JWB is a very expensive food we buy just as good a brand for £15 for a 15KG sack.


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## Detourer

MMmmmm......Not nice

I have had a word with two of my girls [we have eleven !! ] and they say.......Good food, loads of room to roam, afternoon siesta and a swim make for a "dogs life"............come on down.....

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t245/detourer/ADogsLife.jpg


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## carolgavin

So many replies and with such great advice thanks once again to all. Will need to go back and press the thanks button like there is no tomorrow. 
Neos glands are not at the moment infected so fortunately no need for antibiotic, my vet is not keen on prescribing them unless absolutely necessary. Currently he is on a biscuit mixer plus Butchers tripe. We were advised by the breeder that English Setters do not thrive on dry dog food so have never used this (how true this is I do not know!). Vet said to increase the mixer to dog food ratio in a bid to bulk up stools. This has been partially successful. The smell apparently is 'normal' as the glands are also used as scent glands :!: Would like to avoid operation so I think we will definately go the bran route. 
As for the expressing them myself I am bracing myself to learn after all if I can deal with assorted body parts then this should be a breeze


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## 2Dreamers

Referring to JP's statement that James Well Beloved was bought by people that have too much money and Chappie is just as good 
- James Well Beloved isn't excessively expensive but it is wheat free which Chappie certainly isn't (full of cheap filler ie wheat!!!). :evil: 
Our last dog died at the age of seven from a previously undiagnosed diseased intestine (doggy Crohns) caused by a gluten intolerance (ie wheat) so we feed our present dog on wheat free James Wellbeloved diet to avoid a repeat of the awful episode.  
That out of the way - we were told by the vet to increase roughage, dog has loads of raw carrots but made little difference so Husband asked for a demo from the Vet and has invested in a box of latex gloves. I believe some things are best done by men - I'll never complain about the ironing again. :lol:


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## patnles

2Dreamers said:


> That out of the way - we were told by the vet to increase roughage, dog has loads of raw carrots but made little difference so Husband asked for a demo from the Vet and has invested in a box of latex gloves. I believe some things are best done by men - I'll never complain about the ironing again. :lol:


 :lol: :lol: :lol: I'll drink to that


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## 88870

I asked the vet to show me how to do the glands too, they have agreed, i've just got to book in! 8O


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## JLO

Hi

just read your post on the forum. I have had this problem with 2 previous labradors, the vet never mentioned anything about what we fed them, however when I was going to the vets once a fortnight to get them cleaned out the vet decided it was better to remove them as they can become infected.

Having the anal glands removed didn't seem to make any difference to either of my dogs, the last one had his removed at about 6 years of age and lived till he was 13. It didn't make either of them incontinent.

I am on my third lab now (he is 5) we feed him on Purina Pro Plan which we feed dry. (tried all the others this is the only one that dosn't give him wind) had no problems with his anal glands so far (touch wood).

On another subject, my sister told me one of her workmates had to take her dog to the vet as it was in the garden and couldn't stand up and its eyes were rolling into the back of its head, they thought it had a stroke or something.

However when they got to the vets and he examined the dog it became clear, the dog had been eating fruit off the compost heap, the fruit had fermented in his stomach and he was drunk!

Regards

Jacqui


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## aultymer

We have had 6 dogs over the years and they have all taken to dragging their bum about from time to time. The 2 vets we have used in that time advised just to keep feeding a mix of dry and tinned food plus usual scraps but to watch and modify diet if dog became to smelly. Chappie went off the menu early on and most smells vanished.Have fortunately never had to have any cleaned out (touch wood).


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## patp

A dog groomer can usually empty glands too.

Pat


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## androidGB

Just when I thought it was safe to look at MHF before breakfast, this post has appeared again on the front page :lol: :lol: :lol: 


Andrew


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## sallytrafic

My dog prefers the vet ...... she has much smaller fingers.

Seriously your dog can be in a lot of pain if and when they get infected. 

Because of other unrelated problems my dogs are on food that costs £48 for 14kg (and that's internet price for Hill's J/D) and to be honest there has been some improvement, but he's off to the vet if I see him 'scoot' more than once in a while. I once left it too long and the poor dog screamed when being emptied.

The operation to cure it is difficult and dangerous with side effects, therefore many practices will not do the operation at the moment our practice doesn't have anyone who will attempt it, and it is has seven or eight vets.

Regards Frank


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## carolgavin

Hi all Neo has been back to vets another twice since I first posted. Have gone down the bran route but obviously need to wait a wee while till it kicks in. Vet is saying they can 'flush out' glands under light anaesthetic in case there is some sort of sediment or something blocking them. Might go down this route if the change of diet plus bran doesn't help!! No sign of new motorhome yet so got some time


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## mangothemadmonk

Our Staffy gets compacted anal gland and I have to "squeeze" 8O it every few months. I watched the vet do it when we got him from the rescue and he told me it would be a regular thing. It is. The vet charged me £17 but not anymore.

Johnny F

ps wear surgical gloves and a mask if you are squeamish 8O 8O 8O 8O


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## Autoquest

Memo to self - Never, Ever, Ever buy a dog..... 8O


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## JackieP

Detourer said:


> MMmmmm......Not nice
> 
> I have had a word with two of my girls [we have eleven !! ] and they say.......Good food, loads of room to roam, afternoon siesta and a swim make for a "dogs life"............come on down.....
> 
> http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t245/detourer/ADogsLife.jpg


Fantastic picture.

Can't wait to meet them


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## patp

*anal glands*

A dog groomer can also usually empty anal glands and may be cheaper than the vet.

Pat


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## carolgavin

*Re: anal glands*



patp said:


> A dog groomer can also usually empty anal glands and may be cheaper than the vet.
> 
> Pat


Hi patp, thanks for that, my friend is a groomer (International Groomer of the year 2005 or was it 6, no less  ) She will not touch them as if they are infected then best left to vet to sort out. She did a quick straw poll of some of the groomers coming up for the competition and none of them would attempt it either :!: Maybe some others as you say would! Good luck to them as personally I do not fancy trying it and cannot talk G into it either


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## aultymer

Great how this subject is running and running!!
My dog groomer does it as part of the monthly groom on our Old English Sheepdog. Before I get flamed I should explain she does get some grooming in between but the professional does it so much better.


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## 104901

one of my labs has to have his done - not in any way gonna learn .... somethings are best done by the vet IMHO 8O :lol: 

Anyway reason I'm posting is my dog doesn't drag his bum ..... he chews his feet ... yep he is a strange boy. 

I've gone less since putting him on Burns and I do sprinkle a little bran on it. :wink:


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## 105812

My daughter is a qualified dog groomer and was taught to empty anal glands when at college. So if you have your dogs groomed then the groomer should be able to do it at a fraction of the cost of a vet. Also I know this is just another food advice but get in touch with Oscar pet foods home delivery service they are on the web and a pet food advisor could help, we've been feeding Oscars for years now and its good stuff. a lot of the other stuff has slaughter room floor rubbish in it and tinned food is 80% water. Hope this helps good luck.


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## javea

*Anal glands*

We have two cocker spaniels who did have fairly regular visits to the vets with anal gland problems. Since we started giving them charcoal biscuits every day they have not had a problem and their stools are much firmer.


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## 100512

One of my setters had this problem which turned out to be an infection. The first vet we saw didnt diagnose it properly and didnt see the infection. Antibiotics cleared it up.

All my dogs have beta large dog dry food which seems to keep them well. Diet seems to play a big part with this, as always. Im no expert but Id seek further vet help.

Hope it works out for your dog.

Dave


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## carolgavin

This keeps coming back :!: :lol: 
Neo is on antibiotics for a month and is much improved. Thanks all for continuing advice. Never thought of charcoal biscuits javea03730.
Dave what kind of setters do you have? Neo is an english setter you may have seen his pic on first page of this thread. Previously we had an irish.


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## 100512

<This keeps coming back 
Neo is on antibiotics for a month and is much improved. Thanks all for continuing advice. Never thought of charcoal biscuits javea03730. 
Dave what kind of setters do you have? Neo is an english setter you may have seen his pic on first page of this thread. Previously we had an irish.>

We have 3 Gordon Setters. 2 dogs 1 bitch which make for an interesting life. We aim for working Gordons.The newest and youngest in in my Avatar leaping around.

I like english setters but never ahd one and like the small red Irish working setters who are reall characters.

I very please Neo is much improved, Glen (my dog) was very distressed when he was ill with it.

best wishes,

Dave


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## carolgavin

*sorry sorry sorry*

latest update on this rather unsavoury saga!! Neo is currently at vets having glands washed out and packed as nothing else has worked. Despite the addition of bran and a change to a better quality food it seemed that Neo became really sensitive to the least amount of stuff in said glands. Even though when expressed there was little there he was exhibiting the symptoms....scooting, biting etc.
Vet has just phoned and said he is fine and he can come home in an hour or so. Fingers crossed that this topic does not reappear


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## sallytrafic

There are obvously anal glands and anal glands because touch wood since adding bran to his diet Jake has been much better. Now if we can only stop him eating cat and fox poo.


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## clubman

our dog suddenly developed this too. I would stick to giving pooch a large carrot, roughly chopped, daily and two large bone shaped charcoal biscuits. In the first few months we still had to take him to the vet the odd time , then it stopped happening for good. I would not get the op for him unless ,for some reason it became life threatening as, if you google anal glands, it has a high risk of making them incontinent. Good luck.


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## kijana

Just in case your dog does need surgery as a permanent solution, the op can be successful.

Our Golden Retriever had her (hugely enlarged) anal glands removed about 18 months ago and she has been absolutely fine ever since: no trace of incontinence. Since we fulltime in the van if the op had been unsuccessful in this respect the dog would have had to go  

So surgery CAN work.

Hope you get it sorted one way or t'other.


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## 88870

err, at the risk of revitalising an unsavoury subject, did it work for Neo?


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## carolgavin

wurz said:


> err, at the risk of revitalising an unsavoury subject, did it work for Neo?


Thanks for asking. 8)  At present he seems ok. He does have an unsightly rash at the base of his tail due to excessive biting but I got an aloe vera cream today. We are still looking for garlic and fenugreek tablets which as yet haven't managed to locate. Gonna look online later. Hopefully his wash out will do the trick, still carrying on with the bran etc though just in case!!!
Thanks again to everyone who responded!!!!


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## Polo

*Anal Glands*

Hi Carol. Sorry to hear of Neo's problems and glad to know that he seems to be doing better. We have a Cavalier (Shadow) who has EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) so have to use Pancreatic Enzymes and just recently have had a hell of a problem getting this through other channels than the vets, which are horrendously expensive. We managed to get a supply which was reasonably priced from Pet Drugs On Line. Have a look on their website or have a chat with them. When I phoned rather than order on line I found them very helpful. Do hope you get it sorted. We also have to use Hills Prescription Dry Food as he also has food allergy as well - an expensive little bundle to keep but quite a character! We rehomed him 18 months ago, but at the time didn't know the extent of his condition.


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## carolgavin

Sorry guys n gals but just a quick update on Neo. Well 2 years virtually to the day (first posted this topic on 19/05/07!!!) and after trying every dietary addition, different dog food, etc etc etc Neo has had to have his anal glands removed. He was highly uncomfortable and was constantly scooting and biting, also the smell was horrendous. he is not feeling very good at the mo but hopefully will be better soon.


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## Raine

8) hi, i have a yorkie bitch, and have done her anal glands for the last year or so, it was costing a lot 23quid at the time, now 27 to go to the vet, another sign apart from bum rubbing is feet biting, (which could also mean they have a pain somewhere they can't get too!) My vet used to do the anal glands from the outside, but another vet did it internally, so i asked her to show me, and for almost all the time have done this, she is brilliant ( i also clip and cut her nails!) and almost points her butt at me when they need doing, the vet suggested i had someone to hold her, but she has never been nasty she does have a funny look on her face sometimes tho- like :roll: ! i use surgical gloves, a small amount of vaseline, and go for it, if you look at the bott as a clock, one is at 4 oclock the other at 8 oclock, and they feel like a very hard pea! you gently squeeze these, and the nasty smelling stuff does come out and hardish bits as well, then i bath her and blow dry her! then do her nails. She had an abcess on an anal gland years ago, and i didn't know it until it nearly burst, so keep an eye on her. I have recently started doing it from the outside, but haven't really perfected this yet! so i might alternate! If you think your dog might object or you don't know your dog, use a muzzle! 
ps none of the pet groomers i used to go to would do the anal glands either! and one wasn't trained to do it in her training!
About the feet biting, as i have just read the thread thro again, i have some expensive (from the vet) shampoo which i just put on her feet for ten minutes at the beginning of her ablutions, then go on and do the rest of her, and the biting stopped, it can be pain somewhere, allergy (from the grasses n stuff) and damp moist feet causing irritation!


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## bonnieboo

Well, I hope Neo starts to feel a bit better soon, It has been a long time.
Some of the posts made me laugh, this thread should be made into a book, it would be a best seller.you could call it " Neo's nether regions"

A friend was telling me about her dog called Peanuts who came into season, so they put pants on her, they were called PEANUTS PANTS and they would find peanuts pants in the garden, in the kitchen and many other places. I told her she should write a book and call it Peanuts pants.

Dogs bums a? who'd have em !! 

Love to Neo

Jakki


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## igglepiggle

hi all as said befor this is a gt site talk about any think had a gt laugh at some of stories


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## patnles

Aaaaww! Poor Neo, I hope all his troubles are behind him now :lol: and he's feeling better soon.
I know it's slightly OT but scooting can also be a symptom of mites and a fantastic treatment is Thornit. It's fantastic for itchy ears, paws and bottoms. It's cheap too as you only need a small amount. I've heard of dogs suffering from recurring ear infections, not needing AB's again once they start using Thornit.
Lesley


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## carolgavin

bonnieboo said:


> Well, I hope Neo starts to feel a bit better soon, It has been a long time.
> Some of the posts made me laugh, this thread should be made into a book, it would be a best seller.you could call it " Neo's nether regions"
> 
> A friend was telling me about her dog called Peanuts who came into season, so they put pants on her, they were called PEANUTS PANTS and they would find peanuts pants in the garden, in the kitchen and many other places. I told her she should write a book and call it Peanuts pants.
> 
> Dogs bums a? who'd have em !!
> 
> Love to Neo
> 
> Jakki


Ta jakki, blooming good idea, but we could go one further and put loads of the funny stories from mohofacts into it. There are some great ones on here. Could sell it for charity!!!
Now what to call it????????



> I know it's slightly OT but scooting can also be a symptom of mites and a fantastic treatment is Thornit


Oooooh Lesley, we have tried that as well!! It is actually very good for paws but did nowt for his bum :roll: :roll:


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## patnles

carolgavin said:


> Oooooh Lesley, we have tried that as well!! It is actually very good for paws but did nowt for his bum :roll: :roll:


Well, Neo's problems were clearly more than skin deep :lol: but I'm sure he's grateful that you gave it a go, after all, having bits of his bum removed had to be a last resort. Bums are soooooooo important to dogs. Do you think his will smell different to his friends now 8O :lol: 
Lesley


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## Rainbow-Chasers

We had problems with our Glen of Imaal when we first had him, turns out he was used to a bad diet - once he got used to the low protein natural stuff from Arden Grange it cleared up and have had no reoccurrences.

Arden Grange is great stuff, and you use very little in comparison to other dried food, as the goodness is there without the extra protein to bulk it out! - They do not do animal testing unlike a very popular brand either!


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## bonnieboo

carolgavin said:


> bonnieboo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I hope Neo starts to feel a bit better soon, It has been a long time.
> Some of the posts made me laugh, this thread should be made into a book, it would be a best seller.you could call it " Neo's nether regions"
> 
> A friend was telling me about her dog called Peanuts who came into season, so they put pants on her, they were called PEANUTS PANTS and they would find peanuts pants in the garden, in the kitchen and many other places. I told her she should write a book and call it Peanuts pants.
> 
> Dogs bums a? who'd have em !!
> 
> Love to Neo
> 
> Jakki
> 
> 
> 
> *Ta jakki, blooming good idea, but we could go one further and put loads of the funny stories from mohofacts into it. There are some great ones on here. Could sell it for charity!!!
> Now what to call it????????*
> 
> 
> 
> I know it's slightly OT but scooting can also be a symptom of mites and a fantastic treatment is Thornit
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Oooooh Lesley, we have tried that as well!! It is actually very good for paws but did nowt for his bum :roll: :roll:
Click to expand...

How about " Neo's nether regions and other places to go with your motorhome "
Sounds good and could be a best seller
Jakki x


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