Please help - I need a reputable site for dog medication

[AlwaysMeanWellOftenWrong]

My dog has infected anal glands again, poooooeeee! I didn't express them enough when he had runny poos. I am trying to solve the root of the problem by addressing diet and exercise, however, it seems I am failing.

Anyway, gross info : His excretion is middle brown and quite thick and a little 'grainy' and he smells like rotting fish. Same as last time he had an infection.

I want to order some medication on line for him, if I can find a safe recommended website because I really cannot afford the £40 + bill I am going to get if I take him to the vets.

Or am I going to have to take him to the vet and have my husband kill me / dog for costing so much?

try a good pet shop they may have a product that may work.

Take him to the vet, he will need antibiotics to clear up his infection and you can't order these online. Even if you could find somewhere that sells them, you would need a pescription from your vet, which you have to pay for (usually around £20) and they won't issue it without seeing him first so you will also have to pay the consultation fee - therefore it would be cheaper (and safer and quicker) to just take him to the vet and get him treated. Blocked anal glands are painful enough at the best of times, never mind when they're impacted and/or infected.

What does he eat at the moment?

James Wellbeloved white fish complete meal. Nothing else at all apart from water.

I am going to change to Burns high fibre (it has oats, lamb or turkey and brown rice I think) as I have seen many recommendations for that to firm up stools. He has a very weak gut and probably has allergies, but it is very difficult to isolate something. I have been trying since Christmas.

I am not sure if they are infected or just impacted - I am trying to express them (externally) a few times a week. He does not appear in pain and is not scooting or chewing area yet. Smells though.

Awww bedlam you beat me to it! Yes, definitely try naturediet - one of mine has colitis and allergies, and her poos are the best they've ever been - really firm and, erm, easily evacuated!

You'd think wet food would make poos less firm than dry food, but it really does work. It's very gentle on their stomachs too, especially the lamb and fish ones. The prawn and salmon is designed for sensitive tummies, so you could try that, but it stinks like a rancid rubbish bin! It might take a few days to work but you could get a few packs from pets at home to try before buying it in bulk.

I've also heard good things about slippery elm powder from a few people on here, for dogs with tummy problems.

I was going to suggest Naturediet too but the others beat me to it!

If you have a Companion Care vet group locally they, AFAIK, don't charge for prescriptions but of course you'd need a consultation first. Most vets do charge for 'scripts but it's always worth checking, no matter who you use.

Should you find it cheaper to obtain a vet's prescription and buy online (perhaps where a repeat medication is concerned?), I can recommend the UK website Petmeds. Competitive prices, fast and reasonably priced delivery, you're advised of dispatch and all those I know who used them speak very highly of them. This is where I buy non-prescription Frontline, Drontal and so on, much less expensive than at my vets.

Lamb and rice Nature diet mixed with lamb and rice burns = good poo.

Went for years with horrific poos and horrific anal glands and horrific incidents of dropping guts outside poor unsuspecting souls' drives with resultant sheepish request for buckets of water. Awful. Discovered poor dog was allergic to chicken. Removal of chicken resulted in immediate improvement.

Poultry intolerance is more common than people think as it is in the vast majority of dog food (includes turkey. The only Nature Diets that don't include chicken are lamb and rice, fish and potato (even the dog won't eat it and he eats his own vomit ) and salmon and prawn.. smells like the devil's backside but the dog loves it. Buy incense!

Agree that Slippery Elm Bark calms occasional inflamed gut. Good stuff.

Prescriptions round here cost about £6 - £10 btw.

Manor Pharmacy can dispense vet-meds by the way. They are common around here, but if not in your neck there are quite few pharmacies who are licensed to. In respect to the medication my dog needs, they are actually cheaper and far less hassle than online vet-meds.