[nitpick]Actually, it was Tricki Woo.[/nitpick] 
The stories he told about that dog were so funny! I own the James Herriot series and have read them so many times, I can quote a good bit of them!
(And since we’re on the subject of doggie butts–best of all was the story of Cedric, The Farting Boxer!)
Apparently my dog has a very healthy ass, because I’ve had her for eight years and counting and I have never had to squeeze her anal glands, thank Og.
I had always wondered why not, now I guess its just because she does it herself when she’s pooping. Huh. Learn something new every day.
With a name like that, what else would you expect him to do? 
I know nothing about dogs but you should attempt to catch Show Dogs Moms and Dads when Bravo reruns it for the hundreth time. There’s a person on the show with a whippet and an obsession with said dog’s anal glands.
I own and breed pomeranians on a hobby scale, which still leaves me with too many potentially impacted anal glands, and in an attempt to keep the vet bill down I did learn how to express the glands. On toy breeds it’s really no big deal, but on medium to large breeds it would be worth the (generally) low fee for the vet to express them as needed/monthly.
Canned pumpkin adds fiber, just don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling. Trust me. :eek:
Are you feeding a kibble? I feed a “premium” kibble, generally available at feed stores, and the larger chain pet supply stores, and my dogs have wonderfully firm, compact stools. (Yeah, TMI, sorry!). Also, no impacted glands to deal with! I also feed two meals a day, and AFAIK it is the best way to get a picky dog to eat it’s fill on a regular basis (as well as keeping chow hounds from eating all day long) and it also regulates the bowel movements. Dogs generally relieve themselves within an hour after a meal.
I also give my dogs raw baby carrots for a chewie-type treat, and they love them. I would recommend a regular carrot for larger breeds. This helps their dental health as well as adds roughage. Other raw or cooked vegetables, (in my experience broccoli works very well, but it does tend to induce flatulence) will also help add bulk. My particular chow hound who has been on a diet would pick around the vegetables, so I cook a large batch with chicken stock, puree it, bag it up in portion sized baggies and freeze. At mealtime thaw and heat in the microwave, and mix thoroughly with the kibble. Dog becomes an instant member of the clean bowl club.
As I stated at the beginning, expressing anal glands is not too much of a gross out. My next planned breeding is going to have to be an artificial insemination, and my vet offered to show me how to do it myself. :eek: I declined.
Oh, and my vet had the pleasure of meeting Dr. James Herriot. I love the books, and the PBS series was pleasurable viewing.
I have 3 Papillons , a small toy breed , and my male , Jay , needs his anals done regularly , or they abcess , which is REALLY ugly . :eek: I can do it myself , and have , it is best to di it when bathing him , so i can just wash the remnants away , but if I happen to be heading for the vet for anything , anyway , I usually just take him and have them do it for me … if a tech does it ,they only charge $5 , but if I catch Doc , I have been a regular customer for many , many yearsd , I think I put one of his kids thru college for him , he usually does it for free 
. Free is good .
I have also had Gordon Setters , a big , hunting breed (tho mine don’t hunt… ) since 1982 , and have NEVER had an anal problem with a Gordie . I think it is mostly a small-dog thing .
[hijack]My very favorite story of his was when he was trying to obtain a semen sample from a bull. I was screaming after that one.[/hijack]
When I got my dog 3 years ago and started taking her to the vet, they always have asked me if I want her nails trimmed and anal sacs cleaned.
I had no idea what that was, so I googled it and came up with this page:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html
Click it - make sure you download Shockwave if it’s not already installed. It’s worth it! 
My mom has an Austrilian Cattle Dog. The dog has papers, but I swear between taking it to the vets for the anal gland (about every three months), and the ear problems (those months in between), she’s dropped the GNP on this dog in vet bills.
I’ll pass along the info about increasing the fiber in the diet. Thanks guys!
Last time I took my cats to the vet, he did the same for one of mine, who had a problem with bloody stools that the previous vet kept dismissing as a problem. He actually had to put her under to complete the job, but as he was doing it (initially), he was telling me that I could be taught the same, but I don’t think he realized exactly what shade of green I was turning just being in the same room as him and the cat. It makes me gag just thinking about it.
[QUOTE=Daithi Lacha]
Lesson 2) Wear rubber gloves and old clothes, squint, keep your mouth closed, and have someone hold the front end of the animal.
QUOTE]
i’m gagging just considering how you might have learned that lesson.
The purpose of the anal glands is as a territorial marking device When the canine defecates a little bit of the oils are squeezed out leaving that particular animal’s scent. Wolves and other non-domesticated canines don’t have access to doggie treats and “table scraps” and so they don’t have the problems some of our pets do with their hind ends.
I do believe that toy breeds are more predispositioned for certain troubles such as anal gland impaction, just as larger breeds have troubles with hip dysplasia, etc. Right now I have 9 poms (one is a visitor, a male of my breeding which I am taking care of for the time being) and I have not had any problems with their anal glands in almost 6 years. It is my theory that, while some will have trouble no matter what, diet is the cure, at least for the dogs who haven’t a chronic impaction. It is also my theory that it is a hereditary problem, but that then opens the debate about purebred vrs mixed breed, and I am not going there. At least not in this thread!
Latex gloves are much better for the job than bulky rubber gloves, old clothes are a good idea, but you can pretty much do away with the squinting/closed mouth part if you use a tissue to cover the butt with the hand doing the squeezing. When I have expressed my dogs, there has been a negligible amount of fluid excreted onto the tissue. Not my idea of grins and giggles, but I have certainly performed grosser tasks in my lifetime!
My cats have never had a problem, at least not to the point where I needed to involve myself. Definitley would need to sedate at least two of the three for such indignities!
[continuing hijack]THAT story was hi-freakin’-larious. Of course, ANY story that featured Tristan was a hoot.
Of course, Tristan was a scream to read about, but if I’d had to live with him, I’d have had to kill him (see: The Raynes Ghost story)![/continuing hijack]
As far as diet, Voltaire eats a premium brand kibble (it’s the only one he’ll touch). He also loves fresh baby carrots which he gets regularly. Additionally, he gets one beggin’ strip per day, and the occasional treat from my plate, such as pizza crusts.
I’m not sure which part to change, as it seems that his diet is what you folks are suggesting…
I have a hell of a time getting anyone to express my dogs glands. My husband knows how, and used to do his mom’s dog all the time. But he says for some reason, it doesn’t work on our dog. The vet doesn’t like to take the time to do it, unless we already have an appointment for something else.
One time, the glands got so full they expressed on their own. The dog was stretching, with his butt in the air, and a jet of black liquid shot out of his butt, allover my new rug.
:eek:
Now THAT is a mental image…
That was one of my favorite '80s punk bands!
. . . I took Dorothy in to the vet once, and the vet said something about “I think it’s anal sacs,” and I thought she said “anal sex,” and protested furiously.