Anal gland question

[coco-bean]

A lady i worked with at petco said that labs normally dont need their anal glands expressed but when i told her of an odor i was smelling from cainan she said it sounds just like his glands, so she expressed them for me and there was "some" stuff in them! I dont know what is alot and what is a little, when expressing them! Can someone clear this up for me? does he need this done alot, what happens if they dont get expressed right away? im really confused on this subject! thanks a bunch!

[borzoimom]

The diet you feed, how much they eat at one time, and regular bathroom habits can effect this. I am assuming you feed a good diet, and that you feed two meals a day. Also that the dog goes at regular intervals- all this aside- some breeds can be prone to this, and usually expression monthly is suggested or bi monthly. However- this can be done incorrectly- and cause more problems than if nothing were done. If the whole sac is not "excreated" it will put whats left, and eventually impacted the gland. I usually recommend a vet or a groomer that knows how to make sure they get all the sac without brusing the dog.

[GSDOG]

Anal glands are scent glands located on either side of the anus i think at 8 and 4 ish. The normal bowel movement of a dog expresses them naturally. Most dogs never need them expressed and some chronically have problems. Even to the point of and anal gland abscess. that is when the anal gland doesnt get expressed and builds and builds until it breaks open. This doesnt happen that often. If you notice your dog scooting nine times out of ten it is trying to express its own glands. It does not mean it has worms. or if you notice he or she licking at there rear end a lot. there are a few other things that might cause and odor from that end, like UTI (urinary tract infection) which can sometime have an ordor, or in some spayed females they can get incontience issues and they leak urine which can smell bad, kinda musty odor. But if you have smelled an anal gland expression believe me you wont forget it. Hope that helped some.

[coco-bean]

that actually helps alot, thanks both of you for your advice! Cainan just had his expressed last time he was bathed, which was last sunday! BUT now that you said scooting is sometimes a sign...he has been doing that alot! well not alot, probably about 3 times a week for about 2 1/2 weeks, sometimes i see him doing it a couple times a day! i know he doesnt have worms and i just figured his rear end was itching! thanks a bunch, ill have to get him looked at by the vet maybe, since they were just expressed not even a week ago! thanks again!

[buttercup132]

We have to express every dogs glands at work. Most of the time they do express. Its reallly easy to do, try and get your vet or groomer to show you ad I know soe places charge alot to get it done. If you pull up their tail (while they are standing) and feel the sides of the anus hole you should be able to feel a ball , go behind it and squeeze it out like a pimple. That's all you have to do. Most big dogs do express them on their own. Little dogs that come into my work always express unless they don't have them , were done a little while ago or are too overweight.

Oh and they come in every 4-8 weeks

[coco-bean]

so do you think i should be worried since it was just last sunday that i got them done and he's been scooting his butt on the floor! he did it yesteryday and i caught him doing it earlier today too!

[GSDOG]

That does sound like there is an issue, scooting and such and just having them done that sounds like maybe there might be an infection or maybe its the food. are the stools normal? I would take him to the vet and have it checked out. or maybe it is just so inflammed you might need something to releive the inflammation.

[coco-bean]

well for the most part his stools are decent...he walks when he poops so i dont ever get a good look at much but from what i do see, it's nothing like coco's and corona's! It's more loose thats for sure, not a hard mass, it's not fully diahrea, cuz there's some clumpiness to it, just not alot! the other two have perfectly normal stools, cainan's have always been a little mushier then the others, i guess i never thought much of it because he was still eating really good and it never seemed to be "diahhrea" fully!

[GSDOG]

The softer stools might be some of the problem, not enough pressure to express the glands. but you are still going to go see the vet..right?. nothing worse than having an itchy hind end...thas sounds bad doesnt it..LOL

[coco-bean]

yea im def. going to take him to the vet. I hope it's nothing serious!

[wolfsoul]

If he is scooting after he had them done, it is likely the expression irritated a further problem -- I would get his to the vet and have his glands expressed from the inside. The vet can show you to to do it from the outside so that you can continue to express them often.

[coco-bean]

okay thanks a bunch!

[BOBS DAD]

You should also consider a change in diet. I am not a proponent of one type of food or feeding process as are many of our PTers. I actualy think that many of the commercially available feeds are fine and that you just have to try different ones till you find one that works best with your dog(s).

My Ginger used to have pretty regular problems with her glands and did quite a bit of scooting. I didn't know what that was all about at first... I only knew that it seemed kinda gross - for my carpeting I mean!!! LOL!

Then the vet expressed them for her during a checkup when I described the incidents. He also explained the whole process and asked about her stools. After talking to him I realized that her stools were always tad bit mushy (not diareah at all - just not as solid or firm as other dog piles one might find). So i changed her food - and whoalah!!!, her stools are much firmer and fuller. She goes regularly (as she always did) and she hasn't ever had to have her glands expressed since.

It makes sense... a little firmer and fuller and they (the poops) themselves squeeze out the glands. You might want to try it... it is a very inexpensive and no-brainer fix to the problem.

[borzoimom]

That does sound like there is an issue, scooting and such and just having them done that sounds like maybe there might be an infection or maybe its the food. are the stools normal? I would take him to the vet and have it checked out. or maybe it is just so inflammed you might need something to releive the inflammation.

I agree- that is what I was saying about not being fully expressed as it can become infected because of inpaction of not being cleaned out all the way. A trip to the vet is in order if its only been a week to make sure its not infected.
What food do you feed for future reference? Its either that or the groomer is not expressing them properly. Its more to it than most realize, and they cause more harm than good by doing it improperly.

[coco-bean]

I feed Eukanuba! It's the only food i could find that coco doesnt throw up and they all seem to like it!