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Old July 16th, 2008, 10:47 AM
staceyk staceyk is offline
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I need help. Butt issues.

Hi everyone,

Adopted a dog yesterday at 2pm. He had surgery on Monday for neutering. He came home and was really mellow, and his tail is constantly down

He drank water only once, ate one treat, no food, and has yet to have any bowel movements. I took him on a walk this morning and he walked fine, but no bowel movements!

When I brought him home, i gave him a light bath, being careful of the incision when I noticed his butt. I googled anal leakage and found that others have the same problems with diet and such. He hasn't eaten anything since he's got here, and I don't know what the kennel was feeding him.

This is his butthole. I don't think it is supposed to look like this:



and the result


Also, his sutures. They told me it's not dissolvable and that I have to return in 15 days or take them out myself. Is it pretty easy to do on your own?




Sorry my post is so long. Can any body help?
1-anal leakage, what can i do?
2- difficulty of removing stitches?

and if anybody else knows
3- he doesn't really bark or whine or make any sounds. is this normal for a dog adjusting to a new environment, or can dogs be mute?

Thanks!


(in case someone asks: I took him to the vet yesterday but they told me to come back in 5 days to observe if he has any symptoms of anything, but I won't have time to go again until Saturday, so that's why I'm asking here! )
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  #2  
Old July 16th, 2008, 11:14 AM
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lm9012 lm9012 is offline
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Congrats on the new adoption!!

First of all, congrats of course! Secondly..it's so hard to tell what it could be because sooo many things are happening to him at once! Dogs adjust differently..even though they are now in a better environment of course, at home with you...who knows where they came from, how long they were in the shelter...etc..PLUS he just had surgery...poor little guy!!

I don't know much about what his butthole should look like..from what I can tell it doens't look very swollen..but I'm NO expert.

It could be a reaction to his operation, it could be the food switch, just the environment switch could be enough of a reason. Hopefully there are no blockages or anything.

If he doesn't eat anything by Saturday definetely get to the vet.

Make sure you have plenty of fresh water and what food are you feeding him? Have you tried different things? most dogs prefer canned food over kibble.

my dog was neutered the day before I adopted him too and he was very quiet and mellow and didn't touch his food when he got home..(it was science diet crap though)...I made him a little boiled chicken and rice and he gobbled it up! It turned out..even years later, the boy just hates kibble and he was being a brat!

So try boiling some simple chicken breast, cooling it, cubing it up, boil some plain white rice, maybe some potatoes or ground beef is good too.. no extra seasoning though...and give it to him. Praise him when he comes near his bowls..maybe try feeding him out of your hand (good idea to touch the food with your hands so he associates your scent with food, which equals nurturing and trust)...just encourage him and let him know you are here to love him, not hurt him. With dogs, foods the fastest way to get to their heart!! You said he's keeping his tail down...that means he is insecure, and maybe even scared. So you have a very important job ahead of you to build his confidence. I've done it so many times with my fosters...believe me it is so rewarding when their tail is wagging and they wave it proudly on their walks..they just need a little TLC in the beginning.

If he doesn't even eat that, i would be REALLY concerned that there's more going on.. so please keep a close vigil and keep us posted!

As far as stitches go...I've never tried taking them out myself, make sure he doesn't pay any mind to them and doesn't lick the incision...they may end up tearing them out themselves. In a few days the stitches may get itchy. Once the incision heals, a lot of times, on my fosters the stitches came off on their own so i didn't have to take them back in. Just keep a close eye on it, watch for any blood, pus, swollen areas, etc.

Focus on bonding with your new pup..and just enjoy him.. I that he's perfectly healthy and that you will have a beautiful life together!
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Old July 16th, 2008, 11:15 AM
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Winston Winston is offline
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Welcome Staceyk! First off the bum does look irriated. What are you feeding him? not eating could just be part of adjusting to his new home. For his bum you could purchase the penatin cream they use for babies and apply some to ease some of his discomfort. I would mention the leakage to the vet maybe give them a call? You could by some pure pumkin and put some in his food and this will help with his stools. It cant be pumpkin pie filling it must be pure pumpkin. Seconly PLEASE dont try to take the stiches out! let the vet do it! besides you already probably paid for the spay/neuter so its likely included anyway!
Whats your doggies name? would love to see a front pic of your pup!

You came to the right place for information! there will be more people along to help you out!

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Old July 16th, 2008, 11:23 AM
aslan aslan is offline
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staceyk, congrats on the new baby. The others gave you good info, to put it plainly, little pupster was a little bit stoned when you brought him home. He's in a new place and has just had surgery. He'll come around. i Agree with the boiled chicken and rice. He isn't feeling the best so might not be too hungry.

Now for his little butt. Would you happen to know if the discharge has any odor. It could be just his anal glands.
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Old July 16th, 2008, 11:37 AM
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jealma jealma is offline
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Just an option, but I"m thinking anul glands too. I"d suggest getting the vet to take a look though and I"ve never done them myself although some people do. Just I know you can do a lot more damage doing it wrong, so I leave it to the professionals. A groomer ( good one) can do that as well. I would really run it by the vet this first time though.

I wouldn't worry about the eatting to much. Have lots of water around so you don't have dehydration at all, and if you are willing I"d try some chicken from home with a little rice. Not many dogs can turn that down.

I think it's great that you have taken in this furbaby... Congradulations
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Old July 16th, 2008, 12:19 PM
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Congrats on adopting your doggie!

I can't shed much light on the butt issue....but re: not eating, I'm not at all surprised. The poor little guy is going through a lot, and I know my dog felt pretty crappy for a couple days after he got fixed. He threw up a couple times and didn't really eat. The anaesthetic can be pretty hard on them. I agree with the others - try some boiled chicken and rice and keep lots of water available. Ice cubes also help get some water in them and he might think they're fun.

Good luck, and looking forward to seeing pictures of his front end!
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Old July 16th, 2008, 07:16 PM
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Congrats on your new furbaby! Is he on any antibiotics presently? If so, the meds can really knock his appetite. If he'll eat the chicken and rice, give him the antibiotic when he has some food in his tummy. I know from personal experience that antibiotics on an empty stomach are miserable.
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Old July 16th, 2008, 08:31 PM
t.pettet t.pettet is offline
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I need help

He has a cute behind but could we also see the front end?
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  #9  
Old July 16th, 2008, 08:38 PM
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Cute butt!!! But yes, we need to see his face too!

At this point, if he isn't eating I woudl try pretty much anything to stimulate his appetite. Chicken and rice....maybe some cheese, peanut butter on the kibble....once they start eating after they have fasted, they seem to devour their food!

Good luck and if things don't improve, call your Vet tomorrow morning and get the little guy checked.
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Old July 16th, 2008, 11:09 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by t.pettet View Post
He has a cute behind but could we also see the front end?
Yeah... The poor guy gets introduced with a pic of his butt!!!! He's gonna get a complex if you don't fix that, staceyk! We definitely need pics of the rest of him

I wouldn't be too worried about him not eating right away--he's had a hard week between his neuter and moving to his furever home. See how he's doing tomorrow. His appetite should return pretty quickly. If he's not eating tomorrow, touch bases with the vet again.

About the stitches--they are very easy to remove, but if you've never done it or seen it done, I'd let the vet do it this time. If you watch the procedure you can decide if you want to attempt it yourself next time. I've removed a fair number of stitches even though I've got a fairly queasy stomach for stuff like that... But from a clean, well-healed incision, removing stitches isn't too difficult once you know how it's done.

And as for the barking, or lack of it--it may take a few days for him to feel comfortable enough to bark. Some dogs just lay low for a week or so to learn the lay of the land. Then one day, when you least expect it, he'll let out a bark that will make you jump about 5 feet straight up! Some days I swear mine are sneaking up behind me and barking unexpectedly just cuz they like to see my startle reaction.

for a quick recovery and adjustment for your new buddy! And don't forget those new, more flattering pics!
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Old July 17th, 2008, 03:17 AM
aslan aslan is offline
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if i'm not mistaken she has posted a picture of his other end, just on a different thread. This is the little guy who had flea's at the shelter i think.
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Old July 17th, 2008, 11:48 AM
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Frenchy Frenchy is offline
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Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
About the stitches--they are very easy to remove, but if you've never done it or seen it done, I'd let the vet do it this time. If you watch the procedure you can decide if you want to attempt it yourself next time.
I second that , ask your vet to show you how it's done , then next time , you'll be able to do it yourself.
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Old July 17th, 2008, 07:09 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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How is he feeling tonight, staceyk? Any improvement?

Quote:
Originally Posted by aslan View Post
if i'm not mistaken she has posted a picture of his other end, just on a different thread. This is the little guy who had flea's at the shelter i think.
Is this the thread? http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=54370

It's not enough! We'll definitely need more pictures to prove he's as cute as he seems to be in that thread.
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Old July 19th, 2008, 12:49 AM
staceyk staceyk is offline
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Hi everyone!

OKay, first off, here are some pictures.(excuse the mess)


and basically what he does all day: find different places to sleep!

he really did this himself, I did not coax or urge him to go on top of this unsturdy box


So I've been pretty busy the past two days, and placed my sister in charge of watching the new dog. She told me that he hasn't gone poo at all, and on Wednesday, Thursday, and today, he peed only once. He drinks plenty of water--I don't know where it goes...

He has been eating much more starting yesterday, we feed him Purina .. I don't know what kind it says "healthy Life Nutrition.. Complete & balanced" .. it's in a green bag. He actually eats pretty voraciously. I'm glad as it seems as if he could do with a few pounds of extra weight. However, no bowel movements! I am going to see the vet tomorrow, and hopefully find out what's happening.

I was at one point a pre-med then a pre-dental student, so I have seen sutures put in and taken out, so I think I can do it myself, but I will check with the vet again. The place I adopted from is a good 40 min drive away, so if the vet convinces me I'm better off letting a professional handle it, I will probably just go back to my vet instead of the shelter.

Okay, update on the anal leakage. It doesnt seem like a gland issue at all to me. Yes it smells awful, but it is not just like seeping and he doesn't rub his butt on anything. It is like small puddles of liquid occasionally. We have hardwood floors so at least it's easy to clean up, but there's already been 4 puddles he's made, and I stepped in one! When I was giving him his thrifty haircut, I noticed the hairs around his butt were stained yellow. Something is definately leaking.

On the upside, his butthole is now MUCH less swollen and looking more like what I imagine a normal dog's butthole looks like.

He still hasn't made any sounds at all -- are there dogs that are mute? But he IS seeming more intelligent every day. It must have been the surgery and the abrupt change in environment that shocked him. He responds to his name that his owners before had given him -- Wuffy. I call him that when I want him to pay attention, but to myself, I call him "Dong Dong," a Korean name, and it is pronounced like "doe" not "daw."

His fleas seem to be getting under control, he still scratches occasionally, but so far no one in the house has been bitten, and every day I kinda ruffle his fur for some fleas to try and kill em. I find at least two every day--the day he first came I killed almost 8 of them. I think that means there are plenty more hiding on him, and waiting to hatch. As of now, he is only on spot-on treatment.

Well, his tail is actually up now and he is very interested in sounds so I'm happy that it seems like he's getting used to this new environment. He doesn't however explore past the living room and kitchen. Maybe he'll get more adventurous in a few more days.

Oh! I forgot to mention one more thing. He has thrown up once. My sister said it was like pinkish and sticky. Anybody have any ideas what is causing it to be pink?

Thanks everyone. I feel like I wrote an essay, I'm sorry if this was too long. And because I really am sorry, here's an extra picture:



whoever had him before already crate trained him, he knew exactly what this was! I'm so curious why they gave him up.. they didnt tell the shelter any reason.
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Old July 19th, 2008, 11:04 AM
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jealma jealma is offline
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He is really cute. and before long he will be wondering all over your house. I"m sorry you've had so many troubles getting him to a happy healthy state, but I can see where that little face would be well worth the efforts. Keep us posted.
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Old July 19th, 2008, 12:24 PM
staceyk staceyk is offline
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Quick update:
he finally went poo last night and it was solid. Yay!
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Old July 19th, 2008, 01:01 PM
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When my dog had a swollen butt hole it was the anal glands and they were infected. That particular time he would have periods were a large amount of fluid would come out at a time and make his bum all wet and yellow and raunchy smelling. At first we looked for a pile of diarreaha in the house and never found it. It also does have a different smell then poop. The next day it happened on my lap so I knew it must be anal glands. We took him to the vet and he cleaned them out (which was really gross, got the vet in the face!!) and gave him antibiotics.

Just last week I noticed some small puddles again like marks on his bed etc so I took him to the vet to get his anal glands cleaned out turns out he had the start of another infection. I took him in before the inflamation happened. My dog has always had to get his anal glands cleaned out periodically because they will start to leak. He seems more prone to infections now though. Sounds to me that the same thing is going on with your little guy. Especially if their is swelling, I think anal gland infection.

By the way he is really cute. My dog will also find the most bizzarre uncomfortable looking places to sleep.
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Old July 29th, 2008, 04:07 PM
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lm9012 lm9012 is offline
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YEY! for poopies!! LOL!!

I think he is perfectly normal and just all the adjustment constipated him up a bit! Give him time and he will be 100% in no time. I think you are doing a great job keeping vigil and keeping the vet nearby if necessary.

When I adopted my dog, I was told he was one year old (he was about 5), he was 10 pounds underweight, was so dirty his hair was slick against his body and looked super short, he had brown gunk oozing out of both ears, the worst breath...no white visible on his teeth..all brown and gross from tooth decay.

Through it all, we fell in love with his sweet brown eyes and immediately started the adoption process. I think we were in the shelter all of 5 minutes until our eyes met!

He gained weight, we gave him a bath and he came out of the tub a poofball of long fluffy curly hair (go figure), we did a teeth cleaning, with some extractions, cleaned out the yeast infections in his ears...all in all, i would say the first month or so it was in and out of vets offices, different meds, I just wanted to get rid of all the bad stuff so he could start his new life with us.

Thank you for giving this little pup a second chance! I think you guys will have a great life together! He is just adorable! I know what you mean about wondering about his 'past life' and just wanting to speak to who had him and ask 'why would you give him up??' but the way I see it...if someone hadn't given Albert up, or let him loose he never would have ended up at the shelter and I cannot imagine my life without him. So I guess I am thankful whoever had him before didn't appreciate him enough. He's better off with me anyway!!

PS: Check out the dog food forum for food advice. Right now you have other things you are dealing with..but eventually you should research the more nutritional holistic options available that will just enrich your pup's life even further...This board will help you tons!
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