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!

[BOBS DAD]

There is nothing wrong with feeding them (2) different kinds. One for Cainan maybe and a different for the other 2?

[coco-bean]

but they all get fed at the same time, and sometimes coco doesnt eat until after the other two are done, they each pick what bowl they want and they move from bowl to bowl...they dont just stick with one bowl through the entire meal, it's kinda weird but it works!

[BOBS DAD]

Again...

I know a lot of folks are big on fancy and exotic menus and are totally against most commercially available foods, but the food that has worked the best for my Ginger is Purina's Beneful Healthy Weight. She loves it and it has both slimmed her down and improved her stool issues and eliminated the anal glands problem. And hey, Bob likes it too... course, Bob will eat old shoes if we chose to feed him them.

[coco-bean]

but the thing is...coco cant have that beneful stuff...or any other cheap stuff...she throws it up! we use to feed her that stuff, and we even tried some of the other cheap stuff...but she throws up! i cant have her doing that.

[BOBS DAD]

but the thing is...coco cant have that beneful stuff...or any other cheap stuff...she throws it up! we use to feed her that stuff, and we even tried some of the other cheap stuff...but she throws up! i cant have her doing that.

OK...

mine do really well on it. Good luck!

[BOBS DAD]

but they all get fed at the same time, and sometimes coco doesnt eat until after the other two are done, they each pick what bowl they want and they move from bowl to bowl...they dont just stick with one bowl through the entire meal, it's kinda weird but it works!

I also wonder about this feeding ritual. IMO it would be best if they each had a bowl that was definitively theirs and they ate from "it" exactly what you feed them. This would seem to be the only way you could accurately and totally feed each "what you wanted" and in the exact proportions, time, etc..

even though it apparently works, perhaps you could better control their eating habits and exactly pinpoint any problems they may have.

[borzoimom]

but the thing is...coco cant have that beneful stuff...or any other cheap stuff...she throws it up! we use to feed her that stuff, and we even tried some of the other cheap stuff...but she throws up! i cant have her doing that.
I feed my dogs in seperate rooms- they basically eat the same but not in the amounts. They learn quick which is their room, and head for it on the announcement " time for dinner"...

[coco-bean]

I also wonder about this feeding ritual. IMO it would be best if they each had a bowl that was definitively theirs and they ate from "it" exactly what you feed them. This would seem to be the only way you could accurately and totally feed each "what you wanted" and in the exact proportions, time, etc..

even though it apparently works, perhaps you could better control their eating habits and exactly pinpoint any problems they may have.

i try to get them to each have their own bowl...corona's in pink and smaller then the others and coco and cainan have the same ones but they "use" to know which one was theirs and they did really well, but corona eats a little then wanders around the house, comes back eats a little more and does it all over again probably about 4 or 5 times. By that time cainan has already eaten all of his and coco's eats his fill(she normally leaves a little in the bowl) and whatever she doesnt eat corona eats for her...unless cainan gets to it first. How do i get corona to eat out of just her bowl so i can try and make this work? I think the different rooms may work...but we only have 3 rooms and a bathroom in our house two of which have carpet...i dont know how well that would work! It probably would but corona thinks we're playing with her everytime we tell her no! it was easy with two...but since theirs three it gets a little more difficult! thanks!

[Love That Collie]

i try to get them to each have their own bowl...corona's in pink and smaller then the others and coco and cainan have the same ones but they "use" to know which one was theirs and they did really well, but corona eats a little then wanders around the house, comes back eats a little more and does it all over again probably about 4 or 5 times. By that time cainan has already eaten all of his and coco's eats his fill(she normally leaves a little in the bowl) and whatever she doesnt eat corona eats for her...unless cainan gets to it first. How do i get corona to eat out of just her bowl so i can try and make this work? I think the different rooms may work...but we only have 3 rooms and a bathroom in our house two of which have carpet...i dont know how well that would work! It probably would but corona thinks we're playing with her everytime we tell her no! it was easy with two...but since theirs three it gets a little more difficult! thanks!

Just don't allow them to eat out of each other's bowl, at all.
I don't allow Chloe to eat out of Bailey's dish. Chloe is now 6 months old and she's a growing puppy and she would eat till she burst if I allowed her, she's always been a ravenous eater.

Bailey on the otherhand is a "diner", he eats slowly, small mouthfuls and he has to investigate the food before eating. I don't know why, but he does, it's the same food he has eaten for a long time. Chloe eats the same food. Chloe finishes first and then eyes Bailey's dish with food still in it as he's not done yet. :rolleyes: Except now she doesn't DIVE right in there like she did when I first got her because I shoo'd her away from him while he was eating and now she just sits and waits till he is finished then she licks his bowl. :rolleyes:

I don't allow them to free feed in any form or fashion. I feed them twice a day, morning and early evening and if they (well, Bailey that is) do not eat then he has to wait for a full meal the next time it is served since he is such a picky eater. I don't let Bailey walk from his dish then come back and eat a little, then walk around then come back and eat a little....etc. He either finishes or he doesn't. If he doesn't, then he has to wait till next time. This is how I gauge exactly how much they eat.

Give it a try, feeding them in 3 different rooms. If you are worried about the carpeting put something under the bowls in the rooms with the carpeting. Then in time, with them eating in different rooms, out of their own bowls then a sometime maybe they all will be able to eat in the same room out of their own bowls. I just happen to feed mine in the same room and taught Chloe to stay away from Bailey's until he is finished.

[coco-bean]

i feed my twice a day also, once when i get up in the morning and then the second when it is about supper time, or if i work late, then usually around 8. but corona doesnt like eat then walk away for 15 minutes then come back...she eats then she takes a lap around the bedroom see's what everyone is doing, then heads back to her bowl! Her bowl is never left alone longer then 3 minutes! i think coco doesnt feel as dominate as she use too! She use to tell cainan who was boss, but now he's about an inch shorter then her, she kinda bows down to him and watches them all eat and then she heads in to eat! I coax her to eat but she refuses to eat when they are eating too! she waits till everyone is done with their bowls and has left the room before she heads in to eat! but by that time, cainan and corona both have eaten their share of her bowl!
But my problem when i tell whichever one is eating out of the wrong bowl to not do it and show them the right bowl, they think im telling them they cant eat at all! so they leave the room wait till i walk out and head back in there and eat where they left off! I dont say it mean, i say is a calm voice "cainan no, or coco no" and so on! but corona is so small i say corona no, and lift her to her dish which is on the other side of the room and then she eats out of hers. then slowly scoots her butt backwards towards the other two and eats next to them....then finally just gets in there bowls! it's kinda cute, the scooting...but it just ends up causing a problem once she gets there!
thanks!

[Catlady711]

I know dogs have a whole different hiarchey with food/dominance things than cats do, however I have played the food bowl game for quite some time now. lol

Here's my daily feeding routine for 5 cats

Morning:
Get 5 bowls from cupboard
Trip over 3 cats Dusty & Cami sit quietly by their eating places patiently waiting. (I just knew the girls were smarter!)


Fill 2 bowls with senior wet food
Add Glucosamine to one bowl, and pumpkin to the other
Fill 3 Bowls with adult wet food
They only get about 2 tsp of wet food (morning only) for medicine for oldest two, others just get regular wet food to keep them occupied.

Gather 2 bowls in one hand, 3 bowls in the other hand.
Dodge 3 cats while walking.
Announce 'sort it out guys', they semi-obey

Put 3 bowls down on one side of the archway
Keep Jack away from that side of archway

Put two bowls down on other side of archway

Wait a couple minutes
Pick up Dusty & Cami's bowls

Wait a few seconds
Pick up Bear & Pooky's bowls
Defend Jacks bowl for him

Wait a couple minutes
Pick up Jacks bowl

Crunchies (1/2 hour later)

Get 5 bowls out from highest cupboard(Cami & Dusty can open lower cupboards and help themselves and the rest follow suit)


Fill 2 bowls with Senior food
Fill 2 bowls with Adult Hairball Control food
Fill 1 bowl with Diet food
(I used to measure now I just eyeball it lol)

Gather two bowls up in one hand and 3 in the other hand
Dodge 3 cats while walking
Dusty & Cami sit quietly by their eating places patiently waiting.

Set the 3 bowls down on one side of the archway
Shove Bear out of Cami's bowl
Nudge Pooky into his bowl
Keep Jack away from that side of the archway

Put other two bowls on other side of archway
Put Pooky back over into his bowl

Stand there for a few minutes
Put Pooky & Jack back into their own bowls (they keep swapping)

Stand there for a few more minutes
Swap back Pooky & Jack again
Pick up Dusty's bowl (she buries hers when she's finished)

Stand there a few more minutes
Pick up Bear's bowl and keep him out of everyone else's

Stand there a few more minutes
Pick up Cami's bowl, keep close eye on her, she eats everyones leftovers.

Stand there a few more minutes
Pick up Jack's bowl before Cami gets to it
Guard Pooky's bowl for him

Wait a few seconds and pick up Pooky's bowl

(This process takes about 15-20 minutes total)

Go upstairs to retrieve kittens' bowls
Fill those while Cami waits at my feet to see if I'll drop anything.
Go upstairs with food bowls.
Hold food bowls at arms length so I don't trip over kittens (they follow the bowl, not me)
Set bowl down

Repeat entire crunchies process 4 times a day!!!


*If any cat has just woke up from a nap at feeding time they don't eat much if at all, so it's a matter of keeping them from loving all over the ones that are eating*

The 3 kittens are in a separate room and share a bowl yet, so no problems there....yet lol

[k9friend]

My great dane used to have the mushy stool problem.I switched him to Eagle Pack sensitive stomach formula and now he's good.

[Love That Collie]

All I have to say to CATLADY711 is: LOL!!!! you gave me a well needed laugh for the day. :D

[elizabethann]

Did you know my sister has had Labs for about 12 years and didn't even know about anal glands? She was upset and embarrassed because she didn't know about them. Nobody every told her. She found out by taking one of her Labs to the vet because he kept licking himself there. Come to find out, they were impacted and infected. So he is on antibiotics & has to get his anal glands expressed on a regular basis.

But I have to be honest, when I adopted Fenway, I didn't know anything about them either! I learned about them from a puppy class I took. I thought "yuck...I'm not expressing those glands...I'll have the groomer do it". Luckily, he hasn't experienced any discomfort like my sister's Lab's because he gets groomed on a regular basis. And I think they normally express them after they pee or poop (but I could be wrong).

Anyhow, I'm just rambling.

Good luck with your dogs anal glands! :) :D