Infected anal gland for cat

[SaraR]

Hi, so it seems like my cat Bubba has an infected anal gland going on. His back leg area has been tender since Friday and thought he maybe pulled a muscle or something since that has happened last year. Then today my boyfriend picked Bubba up and it seems like the gland burst. He started to ooze out this blood looking mixture right in his butt area on the side. We plan to call the vet tomorrow however really would like to avoid antibiotics if possible. Have started to add a drop of olive leaf and pau d’arco to his food. Also a sprinkle of micro c. Have read in another thread here as well to do hot compresses with calendula so went ahead and ordered that which will be here tomorrow.

His back area is really painful for us to touch so we have just have been doing warm water rinses every few hours with drops of olive leaf in the meanwhile until the calendula tincture gets here. So just pouring a bunch of water over the spot. Overall he has been in okay spirits. Is still eating, drinking, going to the bathroom etc. He is definitely in pain in the back area, however isn't isolating himself still laying around us. He hasn't purred in the last few days which has been awful however still asks for pets. Just wanted feedback on anything else I should be doing or any feedback?

Thank you so much!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Sara!

I'm sorry to hear about. Bubba's butt.

What does he have to say about this minor health challenge (i.e. how's his BEAM and how is he acting aside from being ouchy in the rear)?

His back area is really painful for us to touch so we have just have been doing warm water rinses every few hours with drops of olive leaf in the meanwhile until the calendula tincture gets here

Perfect! Hot compress as often as you're able (4-6x a day is great). Perhaps give him a special treat when you are finished compressing, so he looks forward to your doing it.

@Dr. Jean Hofve, any other thoughts about ruptured anal glands in kitties?

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Ooh, ouch, not fun! Definitely hot compresses as tolerated, 4x a day if possible. Since these infections are deep it may be hard to avoid antibiotics, but antioxidants like turmeric and berberine (a good antibiotic itself) can help. If vet is willing to flush the gland that would help but would definitely require sedation.

What do you feed him, how often, etc.? How is his stool quality normally? Typically for these kitties, stools are either too hard, too soft, or too thin. The anal glands should be able to express themselves properly as stool passes through, but the texture has to be right... so for future prevention we should look at that too.

 

[SaraR]

Hi!

So today he is doing much better! He was making biscuits, purring, and now walking around with his tail in an up right position again. His BEAM is doing pretty good besides being tender in that back area. It does look like an open sore so unable to really touch it beyond doing those rinses every few hours with tincture added as of now. Hoping it gets a little better in the coming days to do more compresses. The vet also gave me Vetericyn VF plus to squirt on the area a few times a day. It is basically a wound cleanser. They told me to keep an eye on it and if things get worse I'll bring him back in so they can sedate him and look around.

I feed him honest kitchen dehydrated turkey food. So you add water to hydrate it! Leading up to this we were adding in chicken with salt to top it off, so don't know if that is related?

Curious too! With the supplements I am giving him, would you recommend anything differently with the dosages?? Have been keeping in minimal with 1 drop of olive leaf and 1 drop pau d’arco to his breakfast and dinner along with a sprinkle of micro c. However do know these supplements can help with bacterial and viral infections to help things along. For turmeric would I just sprinkle some powder is his food or grate some fresh on there?

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Turmeric is pretty bitter. If he'll take drops of the olive leaf (equally distasteful) maybe that would be a good route. You can only get so many supplements into a cat, so if olive leaf is working stick with that, if a change is needed turmeric is a good option.

Is his stool normal, and how has it been?

 

[SaraR]

Hi!! So he has made a full recovery now which is wonderful. Stuck to the 1 drop of olive leaf and 1 drop of pau d’arco in both his meals with a sprinkle of micro c. No antibiotics needed however was very intentional about washing his wound every few hours with that herbal water to help keep it clean. The first day did 10 drops of olive leaf per 1 cup of water and the days following did 10 drops calendula per 1 cup of water. Also getting a syringe to squirt that water directly on his wound which was helpful! Healed up completely in about a week!

His stool is looking normal and back to all his normal behaviors now!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hooray! You did a WONDERFUL job! Your persistence, dedication, and spot on instinct makes you a total Rock Star!

 

[GinnyW]

She's right! Excellent job of reading symptoms and following the healthy path