Anal Glands

[steeleandco]

My male Yorkie "Duke" had a swelling on his rump between his rectum and testicals I took him to the Vet and she said it was an infected anal gland and expressed it and give me a bunch of meds for him. I was wondering if anyone else has had that problem and how to prevent it.

[BamaFan121s]

It's not uncommon to happen. It can be prevented by making sure to have the glands expressed when needed by a vet--or learning how to do it properly yourself, but warning: it is naaasssstyyyy! Blech! One sign to look for is that they will drag their bottom across the ground. Or that area may be swollen, red and irritated. (Probably from the previous butt dragging.)
Don't worry though...if the vet has expressed and given you meds, it will be cleared up quickly...it's not so serious.

[tinkiem]

my groomer does this when we go to the groomer

[Wylie's Mom]

A note about anal glands: they truly *should* empty on their own and should NOT need regular forced emptying by a groomer or anyone else. Anal glands that do fill up a little should naturally empty by being "pushed against" by a dog's firm poo. If this is not happening - and/or if the anal glands are becoming WAY too full - you need to switch to a higher quality food with less fillers (fillers can cause voluminous, mushy poos) so the poos can firm up. Really, the only time a dog should need regular anal gland emptying is if there is something structurally wrong in that area.

Folks should tell your groomers *not* to empty your dog's glands because once they start this process, it can interfere with what your dog's body is already taking care of on its own.

[truejr2]

Thanks Wlyiemom for that informaton.I thought that it had to be done every time she went to the groomer. Thanks

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by truejr2

Thanks Wlyiemom for that informaton.I thought that it had to be done every time she went to the groomer. Thanks

Noooooo...it's not something that will need to be done every few months or years even.
2 of mine had a round of an severe intestinal upset with let to a bacterial infection in their digestive systems. As a result, the normal function of the glands was compromised which was probably the only reason it needed to be done then.
When a dog, male or female, has to go potty, part of the 'contents' of the glands are excreted. This is what 'marks' the dogs territory. That is why you see dogs smelling each others backside when the greet one another...they are checking out the source of the scent. (Gross, right?)

[truejr2]

Thank you so much you guys have schooled me on this. You would think every time I asked the groomers to do her glands they would say it don't need all the time. THANKS GUYS AND FANTASIA THANKS YOU TOO!!!

[maxmom]

Max had a problem last year, where they had to cut and clean, since he had an abscess, the vet told me that his body (max's of course ) was not able to get rid of this secretion because it was to thick.Does this sound logic? Could this be because of the food he was eating? Since then we've switched foods, but I always keep an eye on it, just in case.

[romeos mommy]

i feel the best way to prevent anal gland issues is to feed a healthy diet so stool is large enough to express the glands naturally.