Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know there are threads on this already, and I've gotten a lot of good information from them on this topic. Still, I have questions.
We adopted Willie, a beagle-catahoula mix who is about 2 years old and in good health, in early October. When we initially brought him home, we would notice him, from time to time licking the carpet or couch material vigorously, and the spots he'd lick would have an awful smell, somewhere in between fish oil and rancid grease, and would have to be cleaned. He didn't seem to have undully bad breath, so we were confused. Lo and behold, we observed him and realized pretty quickly that when that would happen, he'd been licking around his butt, and then "scrubbing" the taste off his tongue by licking the rug or the couch's microfiber. But it wasn't poop smell, it was something else.
I began to research, and the first thing that came up was anal gland issues. Totally new to me. Perhaps because I've always had outside dogs, I never noticed the smell of what's expressed from the anal glands when I dog licks like that...maybe the open air made it less obvious, or maybe my dogs didn't happen to have issues. My SO had never had dogs that do this. But I researched it. What I've noticed is this:
1. He doesn't ever scoot his butt along the floor, like some dogs with anal glad issues apparently do, at least not that I've ever seen, and he's usually right where we are at home, so we'd probably see it if it were happening. The licking's the only thing we see.
2. He doesn't have loose stools. They're of a very, well, typically firm and, uh, poop-like consistency, definitely firm enough that I can't imagine the glands aren't getting expressed sufficiently when he poops. Also, when I've been close enough to observe, it does appear that a little yellowish fluid does come out in addition to the poop, which is, I assume, the normal expression of the glands.
So I'm wondering why the periodic buildup, if it seems like he's not having any gastric issues that would make the sacs not empty appropriately when he poops, even though they do appear to be? Does he possibly have some other problem that I'm not aware of?
I've noticed that it's gotten less frequent in the past few weeks (which does, perhaps coincidentally, happen to line up with a change in food)...but his stools have remained pretty similar in character on both foods (and the composition of the foods isn't that drastically different...dog food purists will doubtless criticize me, but we basically went from food that those who buy the top of the line premium dog food would cringe at to food that those same people would cringe at slightly less vigorously, but still cringe at). We started out feeding him the same thing he was fed at the refuge we adopted him from, so he was accustomed to it, but he seems to like the new food more.
If anything, his bowel movements have gotten ever so slightly more smooshy with the current food than the old, but definitely not soft or runny or diarrhea-like. I think that on the old food, or perhaps just due to getting into a new routine with new owners, his stools were actually proably a bit hard; he may have been a little constipated at that point, and now they're more normal, maybe? Again, having had outdoor farm dogs most of my life, this monitoring of poop with an indoor dog is a new thing for me. I wasn't super aware of my dogs' poop and such, before. At any rate, the issue seems less frequent now, with the change in food, but it does still crop up.
Do some dogs just naturally have glands that need more expressing, even if they appear to express as they're supposed to? He seems to be doing it himself, so we haven't done any pushing around for him, or taken him to have it done yet. Also, my understanding is that it shouldn't be smelling like fishy rancid grease when he does do it? Is that correct? What I've read suggests that the fluid expelled should be scentless to humans, and it definitely is not. Like I said, it's happening with much less frequency, but what should I be doing?
Thanks in advance. And also, thanks in advance for not telling me that I need to start buying much more costly food as my only option, because that's not going to fit our household budget at all, and it's not going to happen. I know people have strong opinions about dog food, but although we're feeding him a typical commercial brand, it's not on the "Old Roy" end of things, either. And I'm willing to supplement it with whole foods that we have hear at home. I've done some adding of oats, baby carrots, things he seems to like, to see if it has any impact. But, like I said, his stools seem perfectly normal.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
Reputation: 28903
Poop talk?!?!? I'm in!!!
I wonder if his poop is less firm than usual because of the food switch. It takes time for a dog to get fully used to new food, no matter what the food is. Although... you said that his previous poops were HARD, so maybe this is his normal firmness. I'd give it another week or so to see if he needs to get more used to the food.
Yes, some dogs need to have their anal glands expressed regardless of whether their poops are hard. Why? I don't know. Also, the frequency of needing it done varies by dog.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
Reputation: 28903
Oh, I should add... if you suspect that his anal sacs are full and do need to be expressed, if you're not doing it yourself (I couldn't!!!), then make sure that your vet does it. You don't want them to get infected -- it's very painful.
That's my thought. Other than the occasional licking (which, as noted has def. declined), he doesn't seem to be bothered, or in pain or otherwise uncomf.
SO's brother has a coonhound and he and and SO were talking poop the other night on the phone, and his dog does much the same thing as Willie...he's on a military deployment in Okinawa and doesn't have the most access to veterinarian services, so he does the expressing for their dog himself...but we haven't done that yet. I'd want a vet to show me how first, at any rate. We don't have a vet for him yet, but will be getting his checkup and rabies booster after the holidays. We'll definitely discuss the anal gland issue.
The poop consistency change definitely came in tandem with the food switch. It's still dry dog food, but it's got some softer, more moist particles mixed in with kibble than the previous food, which was all dry kibble. It's not surprising to me that the poop is less dry, that being the case, but it's still very normal and dog turd-like.
Well, I see our resident poop expert has already responded, but I'll add my 2 cents. Trust me, when anal glands are expressed, you will know. There is nothing scentless about it and it's a smell you won't ever forget! That said, it's a fairly simple procedure that I absolutely refuse to do myself! We had someone at the doggie wash place check his glands when we went last week and they were totally fine. Only a little juice came out. (I can't believe I'm discussing my dog's anal juice on a public forum!) My baby felt violated cause he looked at me like, "How could you let them do that to me." But was fine afterwards.
I think you should ask your vet to see if they need to be expressed. If not, I really wouldn't worry about it. Some dogs scoot for no apparent reason and some dogs lick for no reason. Oh, and if you'd like a video demonstrating how to express anal glands at home, I will be more than happy to post it!
When we initially brought him home, we would notice him, from time to time licking the carpet or couch material vigorously, and the spots he'd lick would have an awful smell, somewhere in between fish oil and rancid grease, and would have to be cleaned. He didn't seem to have undully bad breath, so we were confused. Lo and behold, we observed him and realized pretty quickly that when that would happen, he'd been licking around his butt, and then "scrubbing" the taste off his tongue by licking the rug or the couch's microfiber. But it wasn't poop smell, it was something else.
A dog does not need to actually 'scoot' to express their anal glands. They can also do it by just sitting down and pressing their behind at the right angle. This would allow them to express their glands on the carpet or sofa without actually scooting. My dog has done this and then licks the carpet because he is trying to clean the carpet. I wonder if that is what your dog is doing and when you see him licking the carpet, he may not be wiping his tougue off, but trying to clean the carpet.
Also, it is very easy to express the glands. I do it myself and it did not take long for me to master the technique. I asked my vet to show me how to do it many years ago. It is a very handy thing to know how to do. So much easier than going to the vet to get it done.
DandJ, I have read that you say you couldn't do it, and if you don't want to that is fine and your choice, it is a seemingly disgusting thing to do - I know - I cringed at the thought myself at first. But don't sell yourself short, you CAN do it ... you can do anything you set your mind to.
DandJ, I have read that you say you couldn't do it, and if you don't want to that is fine and your choice, it is a seemingly disgusting thing to do - I know - I cringed at the thought myself at first. But don't sell yourself short, you CAN do it ... you can do anything you set your mind to.
That's right, D. You CAN do it. Grab Artie, get a wet washcloth and stick your hands where the sun don't shine. If nothing more, you'll develop a stronger bond with the Artie. And don't forget to record it. It could be a learning experience for the rest of us.
I just took Buster to the vet yesterday for some things, one of them getting his anal glands done. When the vet brought him back to the room he said they were full so it was a good thing I had them done.
I would never do it myself for the simple fact that the smell alone would make me vomit. He, like your dog, does not scoot his butt on the floor, but he does whip his head around quickly to get at his rear, which is another sign they are full and need to be taken care of. He also will be sitting on the couch and randomly start licking it, not to get the taste off of his tongue, but he's licking the spot that taste/smell is on. (SO GROSS!) The only reason I know that is because I can smell it. Whoever said there should be no smell is out of their mind!
I also recently changed my dogs food, however Buster has had this problem since I got him at 7 weeks old.....and I know this because some of it ended up on my shirt I was wearing at the time.
Honestly I think it depends on the dog. I've come to the conclusion that although Buster has pretty normal looking poops, not too hard, not too soft, I don't think his poops are big enough to express the glands himself. Every once and a while I'll notice something that would look like what's in the anal glands coming out with his poop, but when I start to smell it I know it's going to become a problem and either take him to the groomer or to the vet.
If your dog continues to do this, or you continue to smell this, it's a problem that needs to be taken care of asap. If you don't they could become infected and that would probably be worse than the rancid smell!
So does the frequency of anal gland expression vary by breed, size of dog, gender? What's the average time between expressions? Now y'all have got me fascinated by this discussion!
So does the frequency of anal gland expression vary by breed, size of dog, gender? What's the average time between expressions? Now y'all have got me fascinated by this discussion!
This might answer some of your questions and the interactive nature of the site is quite entertaining!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
