Anal Gland Issue

[mollymoe]

I had to take my dog to the vet on Monday. Her one gland was swollen and red and she was licking it obessively. The vet expressed it and gave her a shot to bring the swelling down.

It looked better on Tuesday but I noticed yesterday and today, it looks a little like a wound. She is still licking the area although not as much. Should I try to get her to stop licking?

She has never had this problem before so I'm not sure what to expect. How long should it take to heal?

[darkling_glory]

I'd go back to the doc - she might have licked it too much and now it's infected. I've never had it where it looks like a wound around the anal gland.

At least call the vet. She might need antibiotics.

[mollymoe]

I was afraid of that. She hates going to the vet. Getting her to hold still so the vet could express her gland was like hold a wild cat!

[darkling_glory]

Sorry!

[kellbell191]

When it gets to the point you described, I'd also be worried about infection. It should feel better pretty quickly after its expressed unless it is infected. Oral antibiotics don't work very well for infected anal glands; we had to bring our dog in to be sedated and then have his anal glands packed with antibiotics. Also, for future reference, you can express them at home. We do it and it isnt the most fun I've had but also isnt the worst thing ever.