Marta Elmer

Hi everybody! My Zorba (moyen poodle) is 4 months old now, and right after his latest grooming he started scratching his head. I took him to the vet, and she said it was "typical anal gland allergic reaction". So she expressed his A.G. checked his ears, and found some fungus, that we are now treating, although the vet said it was not anything serious.

Now, my question is isn't bit too early for Zorba to have A.G. problems? Does it mean he will be prone to different allergies later on? What else should I do prevent A.G. inflammation?

Also, I read somewhere that grainless food helps dog's A.G. stay clean, and Zorba is eating Royal Canine now. I tried to switch to Orijen, but his stool became loose, and I went back to RC. Should I try again, since Orijen is grain free?

Thanks for any advise!

hunny518

Hi . I had similar problem with my non-poodle and my vet said its most likely food allergy. So I have switched my dogs to a grain free partially raw diet (natures variety instinct) and not only has he cleared up, his tear stains have almost fully disappeared and his eyes are no longer watery. He is a Pekingese mix so I always just thought his a scrunchy face and huge eyeballs were the reason they watered, and now I feel bad it took me 4 years to fix that for him. The ear issues didn't start till this year though and he has always had a healthy coat and his anal glad never seemed to bother him, but I'm a groomer so I take care of them regularly so that might be why

-Lilith-

So he started scratching his head and the vet said its due to anal glands???


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Marta Elmer

Yes, exactly! And as soon as the vet saw black spots on the inner side of his ear, she checked his anal gland, and expressed a lot of stuff from there. She gave me some drops for the ears, and indeed, Zorba has almost stopped scratching by now.

But my worry is what to do to prevent this happen again? Change the diet? Or what else?

Fluffyspoos

Some dogs produce more anal glands than others. All my dogs are on the same diet, my boys don't produce as much as Vienna. If I don't get to Vienna's, (look away if you're easily grossed out) she'll express them herself. Once I was on the computer and smelled anal glands.. she had been licking her rear, expressed them all over her rear and tail, and in her face and mouth. It was AWFUL.

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-Lilith-

I have just never heard anal glands connected with scratching the head


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hunny518

It's not connected with scratching the head, but yeast infections in the ears and anal gland infections can coincide


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hunny518

Because they can be a food allergy


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MollyMuiMa

Yup! Food allergies and yeast in the ears is pretty common. (I have had dogs with severe allergies!)
Never had the anal gland problem though.... As far as food goes, the rule of thumb is, no corn, no wheat, no soy , as those are the most common grains that can trigger allergies and are considered 'hot'. Good luck getting it under control cuz it's tricky sometimes!

Marta Elmer

Thanks everyone for offering your opinion. I checked again with Zorba's vet, and she insisted that there is the correlation between his anal sacs and ear yeast, but when I asked if I should change his food from Royal Canine to grain free diet, she convinced me not to do this now. The fact is that I did try some time ago to switch to Orijen, and Zorba's stool got loose.

I must say I am puzzled by all this, and still have some doubts about the cause of the problem. But, above all, hope Zorba gets over it soon.

What would you say - while he is under treatment (ear drops twice a day), should I walk him just like usual (the weather is bit cold here now)?