# Anal Glands...



## DarDog (Aug 15, 2010)

Not the nicest smelling topic... But, we have noticed that Darwin expresses his anal glands a lot, and I have never had a dog before that did that. 

He's 4 months, and expresses them about once a week. Some times when he's scared (which makes sense to me), but other times when he is relaxed: on my lap, on the couch, in a hammock, etc.

I'm just wondering if this is common in the breed, and/or is it something they grow out of? Or, could he have a problem with his anal glands?

Thanks!


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

our guy, 18 months now, was recently taken to the vet to have his expressed because he kept licking under his tail and caused it to get red and dried out. he looked very uncomfortable so we took him to the vet.
you might want to have him looked at just to be sure.


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## Reggie21 (May 27, 2010)

We had the same problem a few times with Reggie and it turned out that his anal glands were full so they were leaking out. He's almost a year old now and we've had to take him to the groomer to get them expressed twice and it has solved the problem for quite awhile both times. The groomer told me that some dogs just have a hard time expressing their glands naturally and then they get full and cause the dog a lot of discomfort. They told me it's good to get them expressed otherwise they can harden and become impacted which is really painful for the dog and can require surgery. Our groomer only charges $5 to do it and it is worth it not to have to deal with that smelly stuff! Hope this helps!


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## Brodie (Feb 13, 2010)

Brodie boy (14 months) has the same trouble from time to time. After doing a little research, we found that soft stool can cause this problem since dogs naturally express a bit after a hard stool movement. We've changed his food which seems to have helped. 

If the smell is horrible, then my husband puts Brodie in the tub and gently squeezes the glands upwards (using gloves!) until the fluid comes out on to the paper towel. http://www.ehow.com/video_2275318_express-dog_s-anal-gland.html
My job is to make sure a match is lit to help dissipate the smell  

Glad we're not the only one dealing with this!


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## DarDog (Aug 15, 2010)

Thanks for your help! I'm guessing that's what his problem is, that they are pretty full, and he leaks...

We're going home for thanksgiving next weekend, and we have vets in the family, so I'll see if we can get one to show us how to do this . Video was helpful too!


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