The ever-popular anal gland issue (poop descriptions and other fun)
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My dog was scooting, but it wasn't her glands (they were checked out and are ok). The vet felt it was an allergy and she was itchy. We made a slight diet change and put some medication on her bottom and so far, no more scooting
Buster seems to have a lot of issues lately and I don't think the vet can really pinpoint one. He has now chalked it up to seasonal allergies because of the certain times he's been in. I think this last round of rear chewing is a mix of allergies and anal glands especially since the vet said the anal glands were a bit full when he extracted them. He's back on antibiotics and antihistamines along with a cortisone shot so we'll see lol
But I knew he needed some help in the anal gland department about two days before taking him to the vet
It definitely sounds like anal glands to me - my dog didn't scoot either, she licked like yours. In fact, she ended up having to have surgery to remove them, because I took her to the vet every two weeks (!!) for them to be expressed and they would fill right back up again!
The fishy, rancid smell is absolutely the anal gland material - that's exactly what it smells like, so that's surely the problem.
When things are happening naturally, the dog empties them while pooping, when poops are good, hee. High fiber foods. But many times that just doesn't work, and the vet needs to express them. It's important that you take your dog to the vet for this to be checked, because when glands aren't expressed the secretions get thicker, and it is very uncomfortable for the dog. They can also get infected and cause an abscess. Groomers do it but they usually only push on the outside; vets will push on the inside. At this point the secretion is probably very thick at needs to be "expressed" internally. The vet showed me how to do it and a full gland felt like a large, hard grape, which is very uncomfortable for the dog! I actually didn't manage to do it and had her do it.
In my dog's case, the vet recommended the surgery - as it turned out, her glands were spaced too far apart to ever empty while pooping, no matter what food she was given! So it's good that they are gone. But that's a last resort.
You may need to take her to the vet every month or so for 'routine maintenance' but it's very important that you bring her in. Good luck!
I'm a vet med student with a dog (australian cattle dog/border collie mix) with anal gland issues. To answer your question, yes, some breeds are more prone to anal gland retention than others, but I can't say if any mix of your pup is or not. Mine isn't. Glands express naturally every time a dog defecates (to quash some of the other things you have read/been told). It's a perfectly normal process, but unfortunately, some dogs just retain the fluid instead of expressing it naturally. I have to empty my dog's every 3 to 4 weeks. As far as what's causing it, for mine, it is most likely a food allergy. Dogs with food allergies can show many subtle signs not involving the GI, and anal gland retention happens to be one of them. You said that since his diet has been switched, you don't notice it as much, which is a good sign that he was allergic to something in his previous diet. Chicken and beef products do this to some dogs. If you're happy with how he's doing now, keep the diet. I took mine off all chicken-based products first and didn't see improvement in the first 2 months (that's really how long you have to analyze the situation for food allergies), so I took him off beef-based and chicken-based and it helped a little. He's now on one that is fish-based and is doing okay, but I think I'm going to have to switch to hypoallergenic. As far as the dog's stool goes, it's not an indication of anal gland activity, so as long as the dog is comfortable and not having diarrhea all the time, don't worry about it. They will need to be expressed though. While infection isn't much of a concern, they can be very painful for the dog, thereby decreasing his quality of life. When I empty my dog's, he goes from dumpy to crazy and wanting to play. There's no harm in doing it yourself, but the people above are right in saying it's a smell you won't soon forget. A couple of things though- wear gloves (for bacterial safety and for the sake of not soaking that smell into your skin), use lube (how would you like a proctological exam without lubricant), and never ever EVER place a washcloth into the rectum. It can easily cause tares and trauma which greatly increases risk of infection which has nothing to do the glands themselves. A gloved finger is more than sufficient. There is 1 gland on either side located at about 3 or 4 o'clock on the right and 7 or 8 o'clock on the left. Get in front of the swollen pocket, squeeze and move backward using your index finger (inside) and thumb (outside). Do not stand directly behind your dog when doing this unless you want to get covered in the juice. Do it in the tub or outside or catch it on a rag. You don't want that smell lingering in the house. If you don't want to do this, your vet will generally do it for less than $20. The issue is that most vets will charge for an office visit and want to do an initial exam before diving in to the rectum if it's not one that you already go to.
Ok I have a quick question. My dog is doing exactly what everyone is taking about. No scooting licking area he has just sat on or turning head really quick licking at his rear. He is 4 years old and never done this before. Also there's NO smell. Any ideas what could be going on. He's licking at his rear very often. Thank you ahead of time.
It could be so many things. Flea? Gnats annoying his bottom? His poop is a little more acidic that usual? Pinworms? Allergies will also make him more reactive to everything.
He don't have any fleas or worms. There hasn't been change in food,soap anything like that. Everything is the same. Just all of a sudden he's licking his rear and where he was just sitting. He also has been sitting an pressing his rear on my husband's foot a few times.He's a pitbull so he don't have long hair bothering him. No yucky smell. Right now I am not able to take him to the vet and I'm very worried. He's licking a lot. I did notice my other dog sniffing at the others rear more then normal.
He don't have any fleas or worms. There hasn't been change in food,soap anything like that. Everything is the same. Just all of a sudden he's licking his rear and where he was just sitting. He also has been sitting an pressing his rear on my husband's foot a few times.He's a pitbull so he don't have long hair bothering him. No yucky smell. Right now I am not able to take him to the vet and I'm very worried. He's licking a lot. I did notice my other dog sniffing at the others rear more then normal.
I would think anal glands. Needs a visit to the vet.
I would think anal glands. Needs a visit to the vet.
Agreed....
My Davey-Long-Legs had one of his anal glands burst a couple of years ago.... and the ONLY sign I ever saw that there was an issue was him licking the area.....
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Gland issues
