Swollen Anal gland.

[diamondklp]

Poor Ozzy, he is my 4yr old Bassett Hound. I believe that he has an impacted anal gland. Or at least I think so. The area around his anus is somewhat swollen. He is quite lethargic today and hasn't really eaten much. He did drink water fine today. I have call into my vet and believe that I will get in tomorrow. Unfortunately his office was closed today. My concern is should I take him to an emergency vet tonight? Thanks for any advice in advance.

[Marty]

Hi! I must have missed your previous posts...I have Bassets too, so welcome! Never dealt with anal gland problems though, but I would think it might wait until tomorrow. Not too much longer though. May I ask what you are feeding...sometimes adding fiber may help, but some dogs just need to have the glands expressed regularly. Your Vet can show you how to do that if you are comfortable with that. But you do need to make sure that an infection is not causing this, and get it treated appropriately.

I am sure Traci or Davet will help with more info.

[Traci]

It can probably wait until morning, but if Ozzy is showing obvious signs of pain and discomfort (not being able to get comfortable, licking at the area constantly, crying out, etc), an ER vet visit could provide immediate relief. Anal glands usually don't cause lethargy or decreased appetite though (unless an infection is so severe to cause fever activity), so you should be concerned about that. An infected anal gland can be drained relatively quickly by your vet. He'll also want to examine further to ensure this isn't a wound or something else. Is he constipated, by chance?

You can try applying warm compresses a few times tonite to see if it helps. If Ozzy fights this, or seems to be in obvious pain, make the call to an ER vet, as mentioned above, Ozzy could get immediate relief from the vet.

[davet]

just an additional bit of trivia...if your vet suggests removal of the gland (and I am not saying it might happen but if so) make sure he has done several abefore ..There can be nerve damage is not done properly..