Ad copy

Please READ this before getting anal glands removed from your dog's body. Not only is it totally unnecessary but there's also high chances of incontinence. First of all surgery is very risky and only a last resort. My dog Sparky will be 6 this year. She's been having anal gland issues since last year. I spent over $800 on just expressions last year. Every 2 weeks it was the same story. Take her to the vet. Get her expressed. Come home. 2 weeks later her glands would start leaking again. And don't even get me started on the smell. EWW. It really started taking a toll on me because she's the only family I have left. I cherish our cuddles and look forward to them every night. But these anal gland issues made it so hard. Some days I had to banish her from the bed and make her sleep on the floor. Which broke my heart because she's the love of my life and I need her close to me at all times. I asked the vet one day "Why does she need so many expressions?" "Some dogs just need to be expressed more often", she said. But that didn't make sense. The first 5 years, Sparky never had any anal gland issues. Then I thought back to when this problem started. She had gut issues one time and had loose stool for weeks straight. The vet told me to feed her fiber. We started sprinkling fiber powder in her food everyday. But Sparky would sniff it and walk away. She just wouldn't eat it. So we switched to canned pumpkin. Mixed a teaspoon in her food everyday. She started eating it. She loved it. Her stools came back to normal. Everything was fine. But then she started scooting alot, so we took her to the vet for an expression. That was the first time she ever got an expression. And ever since then, we've been going back. At first she needed expressions every 2 months. Then slowly, 2 months became 1 month. Then 1 month became 3 weeks. Now it's every 1-2 weeks. Costing me $55 everytime. I tried going to the groomers instead but a friend told me they don't do internal expressions. Only external. It was getting so expensive and time consuming. I thought maybe this was just my life now. Drive 40 mins every 2 weeks and pay $55 each time. If I didn't, the scooting and leaky glands would come back. My vet even suggested getting her glands removed if it was bothering me so much. The surgery costs $2,150. I was almost considering it. One day my friend Katy came over. She smelled that disgusting smell right away. I was so embarrassed. My face turned hot white. She saw Sparky scooting and asked "Why is she scooting so much? Is everything okay?" "Yeah it's just time for her expression. Every 2 weeks I have to get them done or else she starts scooting and leaving behind that smell." "This isn't normal just FYI. Please take her to a different vet, something is seriously wrong." I told her I do take her to the vet and they say it's normal. That some dogs just need it more. But she insisted I see someone else and referred me to her aunt who's been practicing for over 25 years. Dr. Linda. She actually changed my life and saved me so much time and money. I took Sparky to her. She had ONE LOOK and asked "How long has she been getting regular expressions?" "About a year," I said. She nodded slowly. "And they're filling up faster now than in the beginning?" "Yes," I said. "Way faster." She sat back. "That's because manual expression irritates the gland walls. Every time someone squeezes them, it causes swelling. And that swelling makes the fluid get thicker." I stared at her. "So the expressions are making it worse?" "Not the first one or two," she said. "But when you do it over and over, month after month, the glands get more irritated. The fluid gets thicker. And they fill up faster." I felt sick. "So I've been paying to make the problem worse?" Her face said it all. "The glands are supposed to empty naturally when dogs poop," she explained. "But when they get irritated from repeated squeezing, that natural system stops working. The body becomes dependent on someone doing it for them." I'd spent over $800 last year. And every time I brought Sparky in, I was making her MORE dependent on it. I asked her about getting the glands removed. She said surgery is risky. One wrong move can lead to incontinence or nerve damage. It's only needed in EXTREME RARE cases. And even then there's always a risk of leaving them incontinent. "What's that?" I asked. She explained that incontinence means a dog can't control their bladder anymore. So pee leaks out without them realizing it. You'll see wet spots where they sleep. It leads to skin problems, infections, strong smells, discomfort, and repeated bladder infections. It lowers their quality of life. "So what do I do?" I asked. "You need to help her body start draining them naturally again. Stop the swelling. Give the glands a chance to heal." "How long will that take?" "It depends," she said. "But you need to stop the expressions and support healthy gland function instead." I left feeling betrayed by my regular vet. Later that evening I got a text from Dr. Linda. "Hey Tracy, here's a supplement that could help with her swelling." She recommended GlandCare+. I clicked the link and started reading. It wasn't just fiber. It had ingredients to calm the swelling from repeated squeezing. Things like Dandelion Root, Pumpkin Seed Powder, Beet Powder. Plus probiotics and enzymes to help digestion. Real concentrated fiber for dogs. Not random pumpkin from a can. I scrolled down to the reviews. The first one stopped me cold: "I was taking my dog to the vet every 3 weeks. Spent over $500 in one year. Started these chews and haven't needed an expression in 6 months." Another said: "My vet told me my dog would need expressions for life. These chews proved her wrong." Another: "Finally broke the cycle. No more vet visits. Her glands drain on their own now." I looked at Sparky. She was licking her rear end. I knew I had maybe a week before I'd have to take her back again. I ordered the chews that night. They arrived two days later. Peanut Butter flavored. I gave Sparky one that morning. She ate it like a treat. Didn't even hesitate. I gave her one every morning after that. The first week I watched her closely. Waiting to see if she'd scoot more. If the glands would get too full. But she didn't scoot. She didn't lick. She seemed fine. By week two I realized something. The usual timeline had passed. It had been four weeks since her last expression. Normally by now she'd be dragging her butt across the carpet every day. But she wasn't. By week three I took her to Dr. Linda. Not for an expression. Just to check. She examined Sparky and looked surprised. "Her glands are barely full," she said. "They're draining on their own." "Really?" I asked. "Yes. Whatever you're doing is working. Her body is emptying them naturally now." I almost cried. "So I don't need to bring her back?" "Not if they keep draining like this." That was 6 months ago. Sparky hasn't scooted since. No anal gland issues at all. I got back our cuddle time. And the relief of knowing she isn't in pain or uncomfortable. I realized what I'd been doing. I'd been paying to make the problem worse. To irritate her glands more. To make her body dependent on squeezing. When what she needed was help to heal the swelling and drain them naturally again. I look back at that whole year of vet visits. The appointments every few weeks. The worry every time she started scooting. The guilt of not knowing I was making it worse. If someone had told me earlier that repeated expressions were part of the problem... That they were irritating her glands and making the fluid thicker... That I could break the cycle with one chew every day... I would've saved $800. And saved Sparky from a year of pain and irritation. If you're taking your dog to the vet every few weeks for expressions... And it feels like the time between visits keeps getting shorter... Please understand that's not normal. That's a sign the repeated expressions are irritating the glands. Making the fluid thicker. Making the problem worse. GlandCare+ fixed it for us. One chew every morning. Sparky's glands drain on their own now. No more vet visits. No more $55 charges. No more worry. Just a dog whose body works the way it's supposed to. I never have to make another appointment for anal gland expression again. If you've been struggling with this, I highly recommend GlandCare+.