If you’ve ever had to express a dog’s anal glands, then you know the value in avoiding it altogether. My dog usually takes care of this on his own, but every once in a while I’ll catch that awful scent, and see him scoot his butt across the floor, which means he needs help. I’ve looking for alternatives, and I’ve learned that pumpkin is great for a dog’s anal glands.
Pumpkin is a high-fiber food that softens stool and creates regular bowel movements, which is great for naturally expressing anal glands in dogs. Anal gland issues can lead to infection, caused by strained pooping due to hard or irregular poops.
A pumpkin’s fiber is the key to preventing anal gland issues in dogs is fiber, but before you head to the grocery store to grab a can of pumpkin, you should know what type to get, and how much and how often your dog should have pumpkin.
Using Pumpkin for Your Dog’s Anal Glands
Dogs technically don’t need fiber in their diet, but according to WebMD Pets, “..an adult dog’s diet can contain… 2.5% to 4.5% fiber.” For dogs that require high fiber in their diet, to help with anal gland issues, for instance, there are some sources that recommend between 6-10% of crude fiber in their diets.
As a dog parent whose dog has anal gland issues every once in a while, I would be able to supplement my dog’s diet with the lower end of the recommended fiber intake – around 2.5%.
Why is Pumpkin Good At Expressing a Dog’s Anal Glands?
Pumpkin is typically used for dogs’ anal glands because it’s a low-calorie option that contains a balanced mix of soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fiber helps soften stool, while insoluble fiber speed up digestion.
Many foods contain high fiber though; beans for instance are synonymous with fiber. But did you know that ½ cup of uncooked canned pumpkin contains the same amount of fiber as a ½ cup of cooked garbanzo beans?
A ½ cup of canned pumpkin and garbanzo beans both contain 4g of fiber. The difference is that 60% of the fiber in canned pumpkin is soluble (2.4g), whereas only 30% of a garbanzo bean’s fiber is soluble.
Soluble fiber, within the total fiber, is where the pooping magic happens for a dog’s anal glands.
While the example in the table above only looks at the dietary fiber of uncooked canned pumpkin, you have a few different options to pick from for your dog.
What’s the Best Way to Give a Dog Pumpkin?
Canned pumpkin is the best form of pumpkin to use when treating anal gland issues in dogs. The second best option would be raw/fresh pumpkin. Canned pumpkin has a higher concentration of nutrients than raw/fresh pumpkin since the latter contains a higher amount of water.
Make sure you look at the ingredients when you buy a can of pumpkin. There should only be one ingredient – that’s right, pumpkin. You’d be surprised what companies will put into foods to add a longer shelf-life or shortcut some process in packing the product.
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Nummy Tum Tum has a great reputation in the pet food industry for high-quality foods (organic and locally sourced) related to digestive health. Just look at the ingredients on this can of pumpkin – it’s exactly what you want to see when you buy canned pumpkin for your dog.
If you go the canned pumpkin route, you want to buy plain pumpkin in a can. While pumpkin used for making pies is delicious, and I’m sure your dog would love to try it, it’s packed with sugar, additives, and spices that will make your Furrly pup sick.
Canned pumpkin is the best choice, but there are some other options that you could explore for different scenarios as well.
Pumpkin Dog Treats and Biscuits
It’s seriously crazy how many products have fillers and additives. Dog treats are difficult to source without additives, in particular, this has a lot to do with how treats are packed, which are rarely in a can or jar.
Portland Pet Food has a fantastic dog treat – their Pumpkin Biscuits are grain and gluten-free. Look at these ingredients – garbanzo bean flour, pumpkin, peanut butter, molasses, and cinnamon.
You can pronounce and buy all those ingredients at the grocery store – so this is a big yes. Oh, and they donate a portion of profits to animal shelters.
Pumpkin Purees for Dogs
Sometimes getting pumpkin from a can is a bit of a hassle, or maybe you just want to mix things up. Either way, there are a few powders on the market for your pup’s anal glands.
Native Pet Pumpkin is a powder that you mix with water, and it creates a puree. It has three natural ingredients, all in a dehydrated and ground state: organic pumpkin, organic apple, and organic pumpkin seeds.
One thing I want to point out is that a pumpkin seed has 283% more dietary fiber than a white bean – it is packed with fiber.
How Much Pumpkin Do You Feed a Dog for Anal Glands?
The general rule of feeding dogs pumpkin is to start with just one teaspoon of canned pumpkin per meal. If your dog tolerates that well, you can adjust to a max of one teaspoon for every 10lbs of your dog’s body weight, daily.
So, for my dog Ranger, that would mean introducing pumpkin into his diet with canned pumpkin. I would first add one teaspoon to his breakfast. If that went well for a couple of days, I would add another to his dinner.
If that continued to go well and I noticed his stool was softening to the right amount, I might increase his servings to 4.5 teaspoons, since his body weight is 45lbs.
Please note that this “one teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight” is recommended by DVMs for daily consumption, not per meal.
Can You Give a Dog Pumpkin Every day?
Yes, your dog can have canned pumpkin daily, but no more than the recommended maximum of one teaspoon per every 10lbs of body weight.
Pumpkin Is A Miracle Food for Dog’s Anal Glands
I never thought I’d be writing about a dog’s anal gland maintenance – what a privilege. In all seriousness, adding pumpkin to my dog’s diet is such a better alternative than having to grab gloves and help him express his anal glands.