ANAL glands??? WHAT?

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

After reading a thread on food and sensitive tummies, I learned about ANAL glands and squeezing them!!!!  Is this something I must do, the vet does and how do I know when it has to be done? 

[Melissa]

We were told by our vet that generally when the dog poops that is when the anal glands are naturally "expelled" or whatever the word is.  We did have the vet do it once because we kept smelling that horrible smell and though they might be blocked, but the vet said that not much came out.

 

I had a dog previously who had issues with his anal glands.  He was not naturally expelling them on his own, kept scooting his butt on the floor and we had to have the vet empty them several times and finally ended up having to have them surgically removed. 

 

Again, I think all dogs are different, but that is 2 of my experiences.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Yep, I've seen lots of dogs scooting on their butts.  One lady at the dog park, when I pointed it out - she said she thought her dog was just trying to "wipe itself".  I'm like - no - her glands need to be expressed.  She had no idea - lol.

[Melissa]

expressed!  That is the word I was looking for! :)

[Joe R.]

Our groomer usually checks them and takes care of it if needed. On that note, if your in the market for a great groomer who knows doodles let me know. I got a great one down here in Waldorf.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Yes I am...I was just thinking about that

[Joe R.]

Let me know. I know it's a drive but she's great and really reasonably priced. I pay a base price of $55.00.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think it's best to leave the anal glands alone unless there's a problem. Mother Nature knows best. If stools are firm enough the anal glands should be emptied naturally. Sometimes dogs do a problem but I would certainly ask my vet before getting into doing this on a regular basis.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I had an older lab that always had to get her anal glands expressed. The vet did mention that I could learn to do it, and I said, "no thanks, I will gladly pay you to do it :)"  Anyway, she scooted her butt along the ground when she was having problems.

[Phoebe's Mom]

I, too, jumped at the chance to pay my vet to do this for me!  Yuck!

[Candy & Hudson]

I was told that it is best to let a vet or vet technician do the anal glands IF there is a problem (you would know, trust me) because groomers have a different way of doing it that is not as effective (Vets do it internally, groomers do it externally). I have heard of some people learning to do it themselves... I'm not going there yet ;) I am SO hoping Hudson grows out of his anal gland problem because it is not fun!

[Camilla and Darwin]

The anal glands, like others have said, usually express when they have a bowel movement. So many dogs don't need their anal glads expressed by a vet or groomer. Some dogs have anal gland issues though, and that is when you have to get them routinely expressed. I am not positive, but I think that vets usually express the inner anal glands... whereas the groomers only know how to do the outer ones. There is some controversy about groomers expressing the outer glands, as it might cause further problems with the anal glands...?

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

Pam, my English Goldendoodle was having some horrible 'smelling issues' back in the summer.  In fact, my daughter insisted that he smelled so bad that I HAD to do something QUICKLY, so I took Knox to the vet, really thinking that he had an ear infection.  My vet walked into the exam room and knew IMMEDIATELY what the problem was and it was at the opposite end of his ears! UGH!  She told me that poodles (particularly small ones) often have difficulty naturally expressing their anal glands because the glands are sometimes too high up inside (if that makes any sense!) and assumed that since Knox was 1/2 poodle, he may very well have this smelly problem. I dredded having to make frequent trips to the vet, but knew that I would do whatever I had to do to eliminate the smell. To make a long story short, I switched Knox's food and the problem was SOLVED!!  I now feed him FROMMS (thank you, dk food group!) I suppose that the food that I was feeding him didn't make his poops bulky enough to press against the glands. Whatever...no problems now...no horrible smell...life is good!