Puppy food for anal gland issues — Pointer advice

Recurring anal gland problems in a young Pointer — that's frustrating, but the good news is your vet has given you a really actionable steer. Increasing dietary fibre genuinely does make a difference here, because firmer, bulkier stools help the anal glands express naturally during each toilet visit. The key is finding a puppy food that hits the right fibre level without skimping on the protein and fat a fast-growing large breed still needs at seven months. Can you tell me what food they're currently on, and roughly how much they weigh right now?

That makes sense — breeders often send puppies home on Royal Canin and it's not a bad food, but the Labrador formula is quite low in fibre, which isn't ideal for a dog with anal gland issues. It's also a breed-specific formula designed for Labradors, which have slightly different nutritional requirements to a Pointer. At 18kg heading toward 25-27kg, he's a medium-to-large dog. Has the vet mentioned a target fibre percentage, or just said 'more fibre generally'?

Perfect — 3-4% crude fibre is a solid target, and that gives us something concrete to work with. In that case, my clear recommendation is Forthglade Complete Puppy with Chicken, Brown Rice and Vegetables. It's a wet food, which some people aren't expecting, but it has around 4% crude fibre from the brown rice and veg, it's properly complete and balanced for puppies, and the ingredient quality is genuinely high — chicken as the first ingredient, no artificial anything, and the moisture content tends to support digestive health overall. For a Pointer at this age, the protein and fat levels are well suited to a working-type breed still growing. You'd feed it alongside — or instead of — the Royal Canin, and most dogs transition to it easily because they find it very palatable. It's widely available on Amazon UK and not significantly more expensive than premium kibble once you account for portion size.

You can absolutely feed it as a complete diet on its own — that's what it's designed for. If you wanted to keep some dry food in the mix, that's fine too, but make sure the kibble you use also has decent fibre rather than something like the Royal Canin Labrador which will pull the overall fibre content back down. Personally, for a dog with confirmed anal gland issues, I'd trial the Forthglade wet on its own for six to eight weeks and see how the glands respond before complicating things with a mix. Keep an eye on stool consistency — you want firm and well-formed, not soft or loose.

The food change is the most important lever, but a couple of things worth knowing: make sure he's getting enough exercise, because regular movement helps keep the digestive system working properly. Some vets also suggest a small daily psyllium husk supplement as a fibre top-up if food alone isn't quite doing the job — but I'd start with the diet change first and give it a proper trial before adding anything else. And do go back to your vet if you're still seeing signs of discomfort after six to eight weeks on the new food — sometimes anal gland issues have a secondary cause like allergies that's worth ruling out if fibre alone doesn't resolve it.