Here is info from a vet that can describe it waaaay better than me!
Question: Dear Dr. Richards
I have a question regarding the anal glands. When is it appropriate to bring your pet in to the vet to clean out the glands. If it is done too much is it a problem for your pet? Is it a sign that they need to be cleaned out when a dog scoots their butt on the ground?
Many thanks,
Lauren
Answer: Lauren-
I am not aware of any problems associated with expressing the anal sacs frequently. We have had one patient in the past who seemed to need his anal sacs expressed every 2 weeks or so and we have one currently who probably needs this done about once every 3 weeks or so. Some dogs never need to have their anal sacs expressed in their entire lifetime.
The difficulty really is in figuring out whether the sacs need to be expressed at any time. Symptoms that indicate that they should be expressed include scooting the rear end on the ground, licking or chewing at the area around the rectum or any other sign of discomfort in this region. Some of my clients seem to be able to tell by odor when their dog's anal sacs need to be expressed, apparently because the dog expresses small amounts of the anal sac exudate but can't fully express the sac on their own by scooting or during bowel movements. Anytime that you see signs that the anal sacs are irritated it is a good idea to have them checked out.
If anal sacs aren't expressed and the dog can't express them on its own they may rupture. When this happens there is usually a draining tract about 2 inches below the rectum and about 1 inch from away from the rectum on whichever side the anal sac ruptured on.
Lots of dogs can express their anal sacs by scooting their rear end on the ground. If they do this once or twice and then the behavior stops it may be that they have successfully emptied the sac. If the behavior goes on longer than that it is probably a good idea to have your vet check things out.
Many of my clients have learned to express the anal sacs themselves but until you have a good idea when it is necessary it is best to have your vet check your dog to be sure that is the problem.
Mike Richards, DVM
1/4/2005 |