Yes Wendy, but you live on the continent of choice and plenty.I live in Ireland and I often see posts from ex-pat Americans bemoaning the fact that they can not find canned pumpkin here.It is available on Amazon for UK delivery only even though we live just 30 miles from the border.Very frustrating but part of life's rich pattern

The situation varies groomer to groomer. I am a groomer for petco and I will not force the glands to express unless they are full and really need it, which a normal healthy dog can usually take care of it naturally. I almost never express the glands of large breeds. Unnecessary expressing can cause more irritation than its worth.

My advice would be to take it to a groomer you can trust. You can usually figure out if they know what they are doing by a short conversation. If a customer informs me that their dog has issues with their glands, then I will make sure I get them empty. There are very few dogs that truely need their glands done internally. Even with the nasty thick chunky gunk, a good groomer can get them done.

Plain psyllium husks are another good source of simple fiber. You can buy either powdered psyllium or (my preference) whole psyllium husks. Metamucil is one brand. For a dog, I'd choose one with out flavoring. There are online resources for plain whole psyllium by the pound. It has no nutritional value (like pumpkin, say) but it's cheap and easy to have on hand in the pantry. I take a dose of it myself, ahem, regularly. It also helps lower blood cholesterol in humans. For dogs, it simply holds moisture and bulks the stool.

 Quote: betty landercasp

The quantity expressed is very small, but is present on each poop normally. it is a "marker".

Is it expressed at the end of the bowel movement? As in, the last thing that falls out of the dog?

 Quote: Jack Gingell

Yes Wendy, but you live on the continent of choice and plenty.I live in Ireland and I often see posts from ex-pat Americans bemoaning the fact that they can not find canned pumpkin here.It is available on Amazon for UK delivery only even though we live just 30 miles from the border.Very frustrating but part of life's rich pattern

oh, ok...didn't notice you were in Ireland.

that would be frustrating.

 Quote: ross rapoport

 Quote: betty landercasp

The quantity expressed is very small, but is present on each poop normally. it is a "marker".

Is it expressed at the end of the bowel movement? As in, the last thing that falls out of the dog?

It can be. It can also be like a smear over part of the poop.

It's one of the dog's personal scent "markers" (a word I would not have thought of if not for Betty, but exactly what it is).

In my experience, which is like a tiny percentage of Betty's, there are a few dogs who need this manual help no matter what the diet is.

But a canine nutritionist I used to know mentioned his preference for coconut as an aid for dogs who need a little help (since he agreed with Betty that manual expression should be the last choice, although never left to become impacted). He recommended soaked UNSWEETENED shredded raw coconut (easy to find shredded raw coconut in any natural food store; I have it all the time because I make candy out of it, agave, raw cacao powder, and a little raw coconut oil).

He mentioned working up to a couple of tablespoons a day (after soaking and draining) for a big dog, mixed with the plain pumpkin or mashed winter squash.

I know no reason for dogs not to have unsweetened coconut, and in fact bought the new THK Zeal partly because of that ingredient.

I seem to remember several GSDs with butt issues in our practice. Anal fistulas and fissures. Is this a breed issue?

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

I seem to remember several GSDs with butt issues in our practice. Anal fistulas and fissures. Is this a breed issue?

Yes. In fact, I've read that over 80% of perianal fistulas are in GSDs.




eta
Here it is. And apparently it's most commonly middle-aged GSDs:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=2921



Edited by Connie Sutherland (01/06/2011 12:53 PM)
Edit reason: eta

So basically, unless there are symptoms i.e., the dog is butt-skating or licking at the plumbing, AG's are not something that one routinely probes around to check, correct?

I do my own grooming, and after reading the thread, I'm hoping that palpating my dog's AG's is not something I need to add to my suite of grooming tasks!

Thank you for the link, the internet is amazing.
All the dogs I recall with the disease were show-shaped (that low hock deal) GSDs.
It seemed a painful and difficult to manage condition, we referred several to the U.