I never had to be concerned with this subject with any of my previous dogs, but Ms. Stinky the Labrador recently had her, um, odor problem diagnosed by the vet as an anal gland blockage. She (the vet, that is) expressed the contents of said glands and we had a blissful period of non-stench and absence of the canine butt walk. But now both manifestations are surfacing again and it would be nice to avoid another visit to the vet if possible.
There are (of course!) YouTube videos on the subject, my favorite of which is “Expressing Anal Glands With Dr. Bob”. And a couple of old Dope threads, somewhat lacking in specifics. But I before I attempt this procedure at home (hopefully with Mrs. J. attending to and distracting the front end), I was hoping Doper vets or talented amateurs could share tips.
I don’t have anything to add after that video, really. The method at the vet’s office will likely include inserting a finger into the rectum, but I don’t recommend that to people at home. Definitely buy a box of gloves for yourself, and I would also have some pet wipes on hand since gland juice often drips onto fur. Or use a little soap and water with paper towels after.
Many groomers express anal glands, if you wanted to explore a middle ground that would be less expensive than a vet visit. Or if you do it one more time with the vet, ask them to show you how to do it. If it’s a problem the vet thinks the glands should be expressed every couple of weeks or so, they should have no problem showing you how to do it at home.
My Beagle needs her anal glands expressed about every six weeks or we deal with some anal leakage. I noticed this after having her for about 6 months and the Vet performed the procedure the first two times but when I realized this frequency would require a trip to the Vet’s office every six weeks, I decided to learn how to express them myself.
When she needed her glands expressed a third time, I asked the Vet if I could observe the procedure and at my Vet’s office, they perform this after placing my 28 lb dog in a large sink. It’s really a simple procedure and once you see it firsthand, you will be able to do this at home. See if your Vet will demonstrate this for you.
Both my doggies (pugs) need their glands expressed every few months, sometimes more. You either get 'em expressed, do it yourself, or live with it. Given that our dogs are lap dogs, if we don’t take care of it, we end up with dog stink on our laps. Blech. Nothing like wondering why you smell like dog stink even though you’re out to dinner and the dogs are at home, only to look down and find that telltale spot on your jeans.
I pay the vet to do it. There are some things I’ll do for my dogs, and other things I’m happy to pay someone else to do.
My understanding is that it’s a pretty risky procedure, at least for some dogs, and is usually only done if they are infected or otherwise causing problems that can’t be fixed by expression.
Check with the vet to see *why *the anal glads are becoming blocked. Sometimes it’s just do to wonky anatomy (which is why some breeds are more prone to it than others) and there’s not a whole lot you can do about that short of having them surgically removed (generally a last resort option).
But sometimes it’s due to a low quality or low fiber diet which causes stool to be so soft that it doesn’t create enough pressure to empty the glands as the animal defecates. Than can be fixed by fixing the diet.
There is also a doggie-supplement called Glandexwhich some vets recommend in some cases. It’s fiber and some anti-inflammatory stuff.
Seriously, though, the smell is horrible. I haven’t been brave enough to try it myself. I see the glands leaking during a strenuous dump, though, and these are frequent enough to basically solve the problem for me. I second the diet idea…it’ll save you money or having to deal with that awful smell every week.
Dogs,as they are so expensive now days, ought to be covered by some consumer protection law,one that stinks and needs it bum squeezed out every few weeks is a defective dog to me. If more people complained maybe the breeders would stop breeding cruel freeks.
But then, when another dog comes in for a friendly sniff, your dog will have to deal with the whole “Nothin’ to say, huh?” and “What’s the matter, cat got yer ass?” routine. I gets old quickly.
I had this problem with one of my cats once. The vet handled it and told me to change his diet. Turns out that too much canned seafood was the problem. I still give it to him, but I make sure he also eats plenty of beef and poultry, too. Problem solved.
My advice is to figure out what the cause is. More than likely, it’s dietary. The way that it was explained to me is that if his stool isn’t bulky enough it doesn’t stimulate the glands on its way out, which is what is needed to help to expel the fluid through regular means. Loose stools (not diarrhea, just loose) allow fluid to build up and then it begins to leak. Don’t know about your dog, but my cat was constantly licking that area which meant there was a stench coming from both ends. :smack:
Good to hear! Hope it continues to go well, so much better than an abscess sometime down the line. And yeah, there’s a reason many in my profession shower after work and don’t bother before. Very bad smell.
