Uh, is there a way you can determine if your dog needs his anal glands expressed?
Thor's former owner had his glands expressed every time he was groomed. When I adopted him, I decided that it wasn't necessary. He has nice, quick, solid poops, and he's never scooted his butt along the floor.
However, I've noticed over the past few weeks that every so often, he tries to bite himself in the butt, right over the tail. It's not compulsive or anything, but he probably tries a few times per day. I've been told this can be a sign that the anal glands need to be expressed.
I'm also a bit concerned that he might have fleas or allergies. He has a history of going through periods of intense scratching. In the last one, he scratched off a good section of fur off his side. I had checked him several times for fleas and hadn't found any. However, I eventually found ONE flea, definitely alive. He sleeps in my bed, so it seemed to me that if he was infested, I would be too. I gave him a dose of Frontline, and did not see another flea. He also stopped scratching around this time.
I mention the scratching, because this was another time I saw him bite his butt, which I had guessed was fleas moving in that area.
Anyway. I would prefer not to take him to a groomer, because they don't cut his hair the way I like, and I don't want to express his glands myself. Is there any other way to tell if he needs to be expressed? Again, he hasn't had them expressed in over a year, and he seems fine; I believe his stools are firm enough to put good pressure on this area naturally. However, if he is in any discomfort, I'd obviously like to fix it.
Thanks!
