Has anyone had to do this to their dog (warning: gross)

[larussel03]

My dog kept "scooting" around everywhere and sometimes leaving a fishy smelling discharge where she sat or scooted. I took her to the vet today and they had to "express" her anal glands manually.

The vet said her left one was very full and we were lucky to have caught it b/c it could have resulted in an infection. Does anyone have to do this with thier dogs? The vet said sometimes people need to come monthly for it, and other times not that often.

Sorry if anyone is disgusted...I am too...just wanted to know if this is uncommon???

ick.

 

[diamondsrock]

I know the smell. It is absolutely disgusting. Usually our dog somehow takes care of her own but the vet has on occassion done it in the office at a routine visit. I''ve never had to do it myself or bring her for it and I''m not sure how I would know she needs it.
Sometimes she just smells really bad and I think, oh, it''s that again. I know it''s a dog thing but it grosses me out. Yuck!!!!!

 

[larussel03]

Date: 2/16/2007 9:01:09 PM
Author: diamondsrock
I know the smell. It is absolutely disgusting. Usually our dog somehow takes care of her own but the vet has on occassion done it in the office at a routine visit. I''ve never had to do it myself or bring her for it and I''m not sure how I would know she needs it.
Sometimes she just smells really bad and I think, oh, it''s that again. I know it''s a dog thing but it grosses me out. Yuck!!!!!

Yeah, the vet said the only way to know is if it happens alot, like so much you notice it. Not just "ew, don''t do that" but like "ew why are you doing that SO MUCH???" My poor dog just looked at the vet after like "why did you do that to me???"

 

[blingless]

My dog is from a puppy mill so it has many issues and spends considerable time at the vet but hasn''t had that problem (now 2 yrs old). I know that our groomer does do that for dogs who need it as part of grooming but again we haven''t had to have that done for our dog. I''ve seen it done and its pretty gross. It looks like something that could be done at home if necessary.

For those who might be upset that I have a puppy mill dog I should mention that I didn''t buy it I got it from someone who bought it and didn''t want it because of numerous health issues. I felt it wasn''t that dogs fault that he was ill and I took it to keep him from being destroyed. He is a wonderful pet and companion and gets regular care from a top quality vet. He has a very high quality of life and is adored by our family. I hate puppy mills and do not condone what they do but I didn''t think that letting this dog suffer or be destroyed was the right thing to do nor would it have any impact on the puppy mill industry. It would just make one very cute little dog suffer.

 

[Mara]

haha i knew from the topic and not even reading the post what this was going to be about!!

portia has her anal glands expressed (basically cleaned out) every 8 weeks at the groomer. i am so happy they do it. the vet showed us how but we are very inept at doing it and greg ended up squeezing the wrong thing the one time we tried and poor P looked like 'why me'...we are very familiar with the smell, and sometimes she expresses a bit while relaxing in the evenings, and i just get a paper towel and clean up her butt a bit...it's gross and funny at the same time. the discharge can actually stain so be careful, it's a reddish brown color and i have gotten some on my pants before and it took like 5 washings to get out the smell, ugh!!

the vet told us that most dogs anal glands express themselves naturally as long as their poo is hard enough to 'pop' the glands on the poo's way out of the butt...and it comes out into the poo (yeah this is gross i know)...and it's supposed to help dogs 'disguise' their scent which is why it's so strong of a smell. it's an iron based discharge i believe. anyway, if the dog's poo is not hard enough for a few days or similar, the glands get a little fuller and then they can express at weird times. it seems like most big dogs don't have this problem...but it seems like a lot of smaller dogs do need to be expressed manually.

in any case, a long dissertation but yes we learned about this early on with P...esp since her stomach is not always the most stable so her poo is not always the best consistencies for this type of thing...but thank goodness the groomer does it for us!!! it's apparently part of the regular grooming package so if your dog gets groomed, ask about it!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/16/2007 9:55:40 PM
Author: Mara
it seems like most big dogs don''t have this problem..

ahhh, I was sitting hear reading this thinking, I have no idea what you all are talking about, I''ve never had this issue with Zoe. yes big dogs have big poo but at least they express themselves

 

[Cehrabehra]

I''ve never had to have it done for my dog but the last time she was in the dr did it without my permission - I didn''t cause a stink but I was disappointed not only to get charged for it when I didn''t want it but also because from what I understand, too much expressing of it can lead to a chronic need to have it expressed and frankly I''d rather avoid that LOL NASTY stuff though - the charge always seems less than what it should be - it''s simple but boy, you couldn''t pay me double that to deal with that stuff LOL

 

[Kaleigh]

Callie has had this problem and thank goodness our groomer takes care of it. Me?? Nah don''t have the stomach for it!!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/16/2007 9:55:40 PM
Author: Mara
haha i knew from the topic and not even reading the post what this was going to be about!!

portia has her anal glands expressed (basically cleaned out) every 8 weeks at the groomer. i am so happy they do it. the vet showed us how but we are very inept at doing it and greg ended up squeezing the wrong thing the one time we tried and poor P looked like ''why me''...we are very familiar with the smell, and sometimes she expresses a bit while relaxing in the evenings, and i just get a paper towel and clean up her butt a bit...it''s gross and funny at the same time. the discharge can actually stain so be careful, it''s a reddish brown color and i have gotten some on my pants before and it took like 5 washings to get out the smell, ugh!!

the vet told us that most dogs anal glands express themselves naturally as long as their poo is hard enough to ''pop'' the glands on the poo''s way out of the butt...and it comes out into the poo (yeah this is gross i know)...and it''s supposed to help dogs ''disguise'' their scent which is why it''s so strong of a smell. it''s an iron based discharge i believe. anyway, if the dog''s poo is not hard enough for a few days or similar, the glands get a little fuller and then they can express at weird times. it seems like most big dogs don''t have this problem...but it seems like a lot of smaller dogs do need to be expressed manually.

in any case, a long dissertation but yes we learned about this early on with P...esp since her stomach is not always the most stable so her poo is not always the best consistencies for this type of thing...but thank goodness the groomer does it for us!!! it''s apparently part of the regular grooming package so if your dog gets groomed, ask about it!

Okay this is going to be TOTALLY TMI - probably more than even I the tmi queen is comfortable with... but... here goes LOL I think you might be right about the big dog little dog thing... my small dogs in years past had... smaller poops... but our lab practically turns her butt inside out pooping so I guess that''s why she never has any problem LOL If you can be so cool about dog gland discharge you''ll make one hell of a mommy someday if you choose to be

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/16/2007 10:01:39 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 2/16/2007 9:55:40 PM
Author: Mara
it seems like most big dogs don't have this problem..

ahhh, I was sitting hear reading this thinking, I have no idea what you all are talking about, I've never had this issue with Zoe. yes big dogs have big poo but at least they express themselves

you said that so ungrossly unlike me LOL We have a yellow lab too - your avatar looks like a lab... here's a pic of her with my youngest... our dog hates getting her pic taken... she's better in the last year or two but for many years if you pointed a camera at her she would cower like you were going to beat her with it!!! so weird!! past life photography trauma I guess?? LOL Her name is Teila (tee-la) - short for Tequila. Downtown Tequila Blues to be exact LOL My white aunt insits on saying her name Tee-ya as though she has some inside track on the spanish pronunciation but there isn't two Ls LOL

 

[jcrow]

silly question, but is it only a girl dog thing?

 

[pricescope]

No, my boy had it too after we got his from the shelter, for about a half a year. As he settled down mentally it was gone for the last 3 years we did not go to groomer to do it.

 

[jcrow]

ok, thanks. i''ve never noticed anything. i''ll have to check if the groomer handles this.

 

[marvel]

My dog has to have this done on a regular basis. If I don't catch it soon enough, she will chew her butt non stop. I have the groomer do it, or I take her to a vet. You couldn't pay me enough to do it and I don't even want to know how it's done..eewww!!!

 

[firebirdgold]

My boy dog needed it done a few times when he was younger too. But the food he's on now is better for him and he's a big boy so no problems lately.

Joining in on the tmi train!
I try to be very careful that his digestion doesn't get upset because if things are ... soft... and the ups truck drives by.... Let's just say he puts a lot of effort into barking and you really wouldn't want to be standing behind him.

 

[Lorelei]

* I * have emptied anal glands before, I was taught by an animal healthcare pro and it isn''t a pleasant job!

You can get fibre additives from your vet which might help, the fibre puts pressure on the glands when the dog evacuates and so helps to stop this from happening!

 

[CareBear]

My dog is 1.5 yrs and has only had 1 anal expression when he was able 10 months old. We bought a bath + expression package at his doggie boarding. He hasn''t had one since. How do I know if/when he needs another one? Are there any "visual" indications that he needs one? I don''t think he''s smelling funny or anything. Not that I want to sniff

 

[bee*]

Its a very common problem amongst smaller dogs, especially westies and cavalier king charles. It can happen with both sexes too. It does smell vile though!

 

[Apsara]

Date: 2/16/2007 9:47:46 PM
Author: blingless
My dog is from a puppy mill so it has many issues and spends considerable time at the vet but hasn''t had that problem (now 2 yrs old). I know that our groomer does do that for dogs who need it as part of grooming but again we haven''t had to have that done for our dog. I''ve seen it done and its pretty gross. It looks like something that could be done at home if necessary.

For those who might be upset that I have a puppy mill dog I should mention that I didn''t buy it I got it from someone who bought it and didn''t want it because of numerous health issues. I felt it wasn''t that dogs fault that he was ill and I took it to keep him from being destroyed. He is a wonderful pet and companion and gets regular care from a top quality vet. He has a very high quality of life and is adored by our family. I hate puppy mills and do not condone what they do but I didn''t think that letting this dog suffer or be destroyed was the right thing to do nor would it have any impact on the puppy mill industry. It would just make one very cute little dog suffer.

Good for you! I have a "puppy mill dog" that I adopted from a local rescue after she was dumped there. I didn''t care where she came from--she was abandoned and needed love. And she''s gottten it! We adore her.

But you are right--puppy mills are one of the great blights in this world, IMO. We must do all we can to end their existence and spread awareness.

 

[jaz464]

My dog had the same problem. I never smelled anything but she would constantly lick that area and I could tell it was driving her crazy. I took her in to have them expressed by the vet many times. It is a bit of a cycle because she was not doing it herself and once the vet starts having to do it on a regular basis, often the dog will not or can not do it themselves. So we had reached the point where we had to go to the vet once a month to have it done. It was always stressful for her and she would often cry out when it was done. The vet finally recommended we have them removed and I am so glad we did. Turns out she had the largest glands the vet had ever seen and she is only a 50 pound dog. They were very sensitive for her and caused her a lot of anxiety so I am glad we did it. She came home the day of the surgery and was back to normal in no time. Not for everyone but something to discuss with your vet if it is happening very frequently, like once a month or more. As our vet said, if you need to come in 12+ times a year to fix something, there has to be a better solution.

And yes you can learn to do it yourself, if you so desire.

 

[anchor31]

Date: 2/16/2007 10:01:39 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 2/16/2007 9:55:40 PM
Author: Mara
it seems like most big dogs don''t have this problem..

ahhh, I was sitting hear reading this thinking, I have no idea what you all are talking about, I''ve never had this issue with Zoe. yes big dogs have big poo but at least they express themselves

Actually, my sister''s dog is a husky, and she does have that problem. It''s disgusting, but the vet takes care of it when we go.

 

[Girlrocks]

I had a Brittany Spaniel and the vet wanted me to do this every 8 weeks, i think she knew by the look on my face that WAS NOT going to happen. I was happy to take her to the vet or PetSmart and pay them to do it...they really could have charged me three times as much, and it would have been worth every penny, because there was no way in heck I was doing it.

 

[Mara]

lol GR i know ... after they showed us how and i found out the groomer did it...i was like oh how much extra and they said it was included. i was like YAY...but i would have paid extra...haha!!

 

[lizz]

LOL, I knew what this post was about too before I even read it! Our black lab had this problem (so it does happen to big dogs, too) a few months ago. The vet manually expressed her and showed us how, but we haven''t had to do it since we started her on Beneful healthy weight food (our dog isn''t overweight), which is high-fiber and is supposed to make the stools harder. We haven''t had any problems since then. Hope this doesn''t happen again. I could tell it was really painful for her, and our other dog kept licking her butt, which made it worse because he made it raw.

 

[risingsun]

I have a male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. When this job needs doing from the "inside," the vet takes care of it. The groomer can express the anal glands from the outside. This may be a case of "too much information," but it works for us!!!

 

[Lynn B]

OK, I don''t mean to thread-jack, and if you guys think I should post a new thread, I will... but I wonder...

Does this ever happen to cats??? My kitty is an occasional butt-scooter across the living room carpet (which boths cracks me up AND horrifies me!

) but he never leaves anything behind on the carpet... no stain and no smell. (Thank goodness!)

We had him to the vet once (for another reason) and the vet checked him all out... no worms, no parasites, "clean as a whistle"... so why''s he scoot?!!!

 

[pricescope]

Lynn, you are too funny. Do you think we have to make Stinky Dogs, No Stinky Cats Allowed thread?
It's also hysterical to my non-English ear to hear "self expression" as something so much hmm...not related to art or poetry...

 

[anchor31]

Date: 2/17/2007 10:01:04 PM
Author: Pricescope
Lynn, you are too funny. Do you think we have to make Stinky Dogs, No Stinky Cats Allowed thread?
It''s also hysterical to my non-English ear to hear ''self expression'' as something so much hmm...not related to art or poetry...

Haha... My first language is French and we go to a French-speaking vet, so when I read "expressing glands" I was like Huh??

 

[monarch64]

Another vote for I knew exactly what this thread would contain before reading...lol. We have beagles, a 3.5 yr. old and a 5 month old puppy...we haven''t had to have either of them "expressed" yet, as they spend a lot of time outdoors and the oldest seems to do it on his own now ( and has healthy solid poo''s). We are fortunate enough to live 2 blocks from our vet, so if there is ever a problem when one of the dogs can''t "express" themselves we can swing right over to the vet after a phone call, at least.

I first noticed the smell while lying down on our couch in the living room one afternoon for a nap...I started to lay my head down on one of the throw pillows but stopped before I made contact due to an ungodly smell, which I realized was not the human kind! I had heard of this kind of thing before we even got a dog, so I knew straightaway what was causing the odor...we promptly disposed of all throw pillows and had my husband''s friend who runs a carpet/upholstery cleaning biz on the side come over and clean everything that same week. Jeez.

Needless to say, the doggies aren''t allowed on the furniture now, and we make sure they spend plenty of time outdoors and we watch their diet carefully now as well.

 

[flopkins]

can I just say... that I think all of you have convinced me that I am NOT ready to get a dog...