Stinky Breath

[tia_leigha]

You hit the nail on the head. He is most likely having what we call "stank breath" from his butt licking.
It's gross, but every time I bathe the dogs I express their anal glands. (get gloves...HOLD YOUR BREATH...i am not joking you will vomit immediately from the smell)

Some dogs just have anal glands that need "help" more so than others.
Im not sure if there is medication for it. I know my Mom's little foo foo dog had to have his removed after the vet decided his were just out of control and always clogged up and uncomfortable.

I hope your baby gets comfy soon so that you can go back to kissing the face! I know how it is when they are so kissable but you are like ...um...no thanks.

[Adrianne]

So Apollo's breath is still stinky, his gas is pretty much gone, but his anal glands are leaking. And it went from being white discharge to brown. His stools are normal. Is it normal for anal discharge to change colors? I am worried and going to make another vet appointment. Maybe his stink breath is from him licking his behind?

Tucker, my parents wheaten is 14 and he's had terrible breath all his life. We've tried everything, every diet, every chemical in the water, every type of nummy bones, etc, etc. The general vet conclusion... he either A has a butt licking fetish (and has no worms, no infections, no enlarged issues) or B he's just stinky and a dog.

Sorry that's not a lot of help but it should help a bit to know that even with the stinky breath all of his life he's going on 15 next year and he's still an incredibly healthy dog that just passed his newest senior panel with flying colors and impressing vets. So other than your comfort I wouldn't be too, too stressed that stanky breath = an unhealthy dog.

[MissKitty]

The thing is, he never had anal gland problems before. Now he is leaking all over himself and anything he sits on. Pretty large amounts and I am needing to wipe him down 4+ times a day (he seems to 'clean' himself pretty well, but he leaks all over when he is sleeping).

[mtlu]

Have there been any other changes besides food (like supplements or treats)?

[MissKitty]

Have there been any other changes besides food (like supplements or treats)?

No, he has gotten the same supplements for over 8 months (same brand and everything and I have been using the same bottles for about a month) and same treats (kibble, hotdogs (occasionally), Fresh Pet rolls and people food (which hasn't really changed, my diet is not that exciting ) ).

I can't think of anything else that has changed......

[ellie@ny]

So Apollo's breath is still stinky, his gas is pretty much gone, but his anal glands are leaking. And it went from being white discharge to brown. His stools are normal. Is it normal for anal discharge to change colors? I am worried and going to make another vet appointment. Maybe his stink breath is from him licking his behind?

I only seen brown anal gland discharge, never white..?
Why not just clean them out, so they won't be leaking all over the place??

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

So Apollo's breath is still stinky, his gas is pretty much gone, but his anal glands are leaking. And it went from being white discharge to brown. His stools are normal. Is it normal for anal discharge to change colors? I am worried and going to make another vet appointment. Maybe his stink breath is from him licking his behind?

I only seen brown anal gland discharge, never white..?

Me too. I can actually SEE Obi's anal glands empty after he poops. (god, who else could I EVER have this conversation with?) but he's a butt licker regardless. Thankfully, he is not a kissy dog but he does like to wake me up by huffing in my face. Sick.

Perhaps it's an age related change. We see dogs all the time who have never had anal gland issues who all of a sudden start needing help to express them. You can try adding more fibre to his diet but often times this doesn't help very much. I wouldn't be too concerned unless he's doing a ton of licking, scooting, or whipping around to look at his bum, but I would make an appointment to have them checked.

[MissKitty]

I have been expressing them when he needs it. Today he was stinky and licking his bum so I expressed him and there was a little bit of blood in it

Could it be an infected or impacted gland?

[pblove]

yes it could be infection and or impaction.
My first pit bull had a malignant growth on his AG which was removed at the age of 12 years. His started dripping small spots of blood one night during a snow storm , thankfully I saw the drops in the snow and got him in the next day to his vet.
I am not a vet but have been told that the more you express the glands, the more issues they will have trying to express them on their own.
did your vet mention adding fiber or more raw bones to help him express his glands?

[MissKitty]

yes it could be infection and or impaction.
My first pit bull had a malignant growth on his AG which was removed at the age of 12 years. His started dripping small spots of blood one night during a snow storm , thankfully I saw the drops in the snow and got him in the next day to his vet.
I am not a vet but have been told that the more you express the glands, the more issues they will have trying to express them on their own.
did your vet mention adding fiber or more raw bones to help him express his glands?

I am going to make an appointment at the vet to get it checked out.

Normally I don't express his glands, before this happened I had done it twice. Because I had heard the same thing, that they will need help if you keep expressing them. But he has been uncomfortable and leaking so I felt it was time to help him.

He is already on raw bones and his stool is small and firm, so I don't think that is the problem.

[PitbullLover*]

my girl has always had problems with her anal glands i do not express them myself but my vet does at the clinic. Mostly because if done the wrong way and if infected the glands can really hurt. If blood is in her glands i would certaintly go see a vet and ask for antibiotics, nothing else works for my girl other then antibiotics and she gets the same food in order to keep her stool not to loose or to hard because that can irritate them.

btw, bones can cause harder stool which can cause the glands to irritate, that's why freckles never gets any after problem with this.

She also had brown,white bloody discharge, she lickes her behind constantly and smells out of her mouth and she sits and then tries to walk with her butt still on the ground.

[nic]

Mookie gets anal gland problems,depending on what she is eating.
When she is on dry food,doing bigger stools,she has no problem with them,but when she is on raw and like you said passes smaller stools,she needs them expressing by me.
I think the lack of bulk to her stool stops her glands expressing themselves properley.

[MissKitty]

I always forget to update on these things.

But Apollo did have an infected gland, very mild but not pleasant.
He ran a course of antibiotics and has had no anal gland trouble or stinky breath since!

[tia_leigha]

Yay!!! That is awesome!! Hooray for no stank breath!!

[Mooresmajestic]

Wow, it really sounds like the new food doesn't agree with him! Anal glands can be effected by diet as well. Worth having another chat with the vet though.