# Dog got scared and sprayed something

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 15, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131 "2014-07-15T02:34:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131/1 "2014-07-15T02:34:36Z")

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Our rescue dog came from a place where he was abused, so he gets scared easily. Last night my daughter tried to clip his nails. He got so frightened when I was holding him down that he seemed to spray this horrible odor. Its not a urine smell at all. I’ve had other dogs “give off” this smell before. What is it? How do I get it off our wood floor?

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**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131/2 "2014-07-15T02:39:31Z")

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Anal glands. Soap and water followed by diluted white vinegar or enzymatic cleaner of choice. Doggie may also need a butt bath, as the discharge often gets on fur and tail around the anus. Stinky stuff indeed.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131/3 "2014-07-15T02:39:43Z")

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dog emptied his anal glands.

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**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-got-scared-and-sprayed-something/693131/4 "2014-07-15T04:03:08Z")

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If his doing that becomes a problem, you can take him to the vet to have the glands “expressed” – basically, drained. I don’t know how frequently one has to do that, though.