How do you do the anal glands
 

My little Jig was observed dragging his bottom across the carpet this morning. I know he does't have worms. He was just at the vet last week. I heard that Yorkies do this when their anal glands need to be emptied.

I do my dogs grooming and I always thought that I did a pretty good job, but since he's been trying to bite his butt and drag himself maybe I missed something.

How do you do the anal glands? :eek:

Dawn :embarasse:

I am so glad that you asked that! I was wonder what that was and how it is performed!!! Good question!

Me too!!!!!!!!! Bounce, when he gets nervous, lets out this nasty smell from his anal glands. Well I'm guessing it is his anal glands because it is rank smelling. It doesn't smell like he tooted it is a different smell.

And where are they located? I mean I know they are back there with the anus but...where?

Injury can happen from doing it on your own without experience. Best bet is to have a vet or your groomer do it. JMO

We only allow our vet [that we trust] to express Toto's! An "idiot" vet bruised her little gland and it was very painful and she couldn't poop for two days!! :(

When I was 16 I worked at a groomers bathing animals and one of my jobs was anal gland expressing...Let me tell ya, there is nothing worse than squeezing a gallon of nasty brown liquid out of a Rottweiler's butt!!! (exageration on the gallon, but it was alot!) I found it harder to do on smaller dogs as you have to pull the tail up and well you know Yorkies don't really have tails!!!! I took Tucker to a groomers and had them do it for $5.00 cause he was scooting his butt also.. If you really want to do it yourself, which I do not recommend, you have to hold him still and pull up the tail until it looks like his butthole is sticking out, then you take your thumb and forefinger and gently squeeze both sides of his butthole. It is more comfortable and cleaner to do this in the tub.. Do not squeeze hard, it doesn't take much to get it out..It is gross but it's kinda like popping a pimple..Good Luck!! But let me tell ya from LOTS of experience...It is SOOOO worth the $5.00......

Princess goes to her vet to have that done.
I have no idea where to begin on that one.
And really, I think I'll keep it that way.
Good Luck! :D

When I get my yorkie, I'd like to groom it myself, but this is something I'd rather pay to have done... How often do you need to have the anal glands expressed?

Does anybody have any book / website recommendations for grooming guideliens?

lmao
 

heck its worth 20 dollars if you take your dog in to be groomed ... your groomer should do this the dogs that come to me every six weeks i make shure i do every other time and big dogs are soo freaking nasty ... My mini aussie got freaked out at the vet and blew out her anal gland on him sooo bad !! i was trying so hard not to pee my pants laughing the poor vet tec looked ... like he was violated lmao

I have heard/read mixed opinions on this practice. First, I wouldn't try this at home ;) and if/when we do this to my pup it will only be by the vet.

Some (my vet) believe it is necessary because most small dogs have a problem emptying that area. I know a lot of dog owners that NEVER had this done and there hasn't ever been a problem. I have also read that some pups didn't have a problem until after this started being done.

here are a couple of interesting websites.
http://www.thedachshundnetwork.com/analsacs.htm

http://www.barkbytes.com/medical/med0029.htm

right now I am choosing the do nothing approach.

I had been doing the "do nothing" approach, but when I saw my little guy scooting...I thought I'd look into it.

I've had both my dogs for over a year and a half and haven't had any problems til this morning. Since I'm a nurse, it takes a lot to gross me out and I don't think I'd have a problem giving it a try. I just didn't know much about it. As I have researched, as long as you know where the glands are located and the dog is receptive it shouldn't be too bad (again, remember I'm a nurse).

I want to thank the person who put the websites above. The information from the barkbytes site was the best so far.

Dawn and Jig

I've never had it done and won't unless I HAVE to. Check his glands and see if they protrude and look full. If not, maybe his little bum was just itchy. My little Cowboy doesn't have worms and has scootched on the floor too. His glands don't need expressed though and he stopped doing it. They will also do this if even the littlest piece of poo has stuck to their fur in that area.

there are internal and external techs anal glands empty
 

My vet told me there are 2 ways to express anal glands. Internally and externally. He told me he prefers the external way...lilke squeezing a pimple, b/c yorkies generally have tiny poop shoots. Also, my 4.9 pound miniture yorkie was having his emptied by groomer, and he was traumatized for weeks afterwards. hiding behind doors, toilets, etc. So, i found out groomer was using internal approach. my little baby felt violated!!!!. Now, my 6 pound one is ok with the technique used by groomer, but we take the little one to vet once a month to be emptied b/c they said the anal glands can get infected if not emptied.

I had my dog for almost 17 years and never heard about this. Maybe the groomers did it without mentioning it, but I don't really understand what it is in the glands? Is it like...sebum or poo or what? lol...sorry if this is a dumb question, but me and my mom just can't figure it out. :confused:

I agree to have the vet or groomer do it. It is not a pleasant thing and is most definately worth any amount of money the anal gland emptier wants to charge. LOL! The vet tried to show me how to do it to my golden once and I politely told him he could keep the job for himself. Luckily he has only had to have it done that once. Dogs are supposed to be able to empty them themselves from bowel movements and licking, however sometimes they can not.

To express or not to express?
 

See I was wondering this for one of our friends had a poodle and she said something about this gland. I told her I don't think Yorkee's has to have it done. I'm taking Teddy to the groomer for the 1st time Tue. and she said she would do it with her fee to groom him (I groom him myself but he won't let me trim his paws) so I thought well we have to have his paws trimmed for we live in Indiana and get COLD & SNOWY weather here and I don't want that all over them or my floors when we take them out. Now on the other hand Tiffy will let me (They use to be vise versa...Teddy let me and Tiffy wouldn't...LOL but my husband would help hold her and she's bigger too, we we're afraid we'd hurt Teddy legs) and she said she would express Tiffy's for $5.00...I've notice Teddy scooting across the floor too & he has NO worms either and I've never seen Tiffy scoot. Do females have to be done? Should I have her done?? Teddy is now 13.5 months old and Tiffy is 11.5 months old NEITHER has ever had this done before for I had NO idea we had to do it on Yorkees...Until Friday when I called the groomer. I guess we all learn something new everyday! Hugs, Lee

I have heard conflicting things about how often and I do when needed. I recommend
going to a vet and have a woman vet with small fingers do it. She puts her fingers
at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock and if she has to go in her fingers are narrow enough not
to case problems in their little opening.

I agree, you do not need to have this done often and these pups , I don't think would
need it. Look at their anus and if it is protruding they may need it or if they skoot
on their bottom. Otherwise I wouldn't worry.

need to express anal glands
 

Not all dogs will need to have their anal glands expressed. If their feces are firm, then when the dog defecates, the glands are squeezed as the poop passes by the glands and some of the liquid is excreted. This is the way it is supposed to happen naturally. The key to keeping healthy anal glands is to keep the feces firm....

Small dogs especially do sometimes have problem with blocked glands. One time I noticed that Edie was licking a lot back there, and then I noticed a big red bump above and to the right of her anus. I knew exactly what it was. It was anal gland that had become abcessed. We went right to the vet.

The vet put Edie under with gas and opened up the gland so it could drain. She was on antibiotics for 10 days. Oh--here is the good part---I had to put warm compresses on the area 4X a day to keep things draining. :rolleyes: But it really did not have much to drain and there was no mess or blood like the vet told me there might be. Fortunately, Edie never really seemed to be slowed down by the whole experience. She was her normal feisty self the entire time, which is one reason it took me so long to notice the problem.

The area healed up fine, and there has been no recurrence (it has been a couple of years). Edie eats dry food, and her feces stay very firm. I keep an eye out for her licking that area but so far so good.

So---I think the answer is, if things are working right, you don't need to have the glands expressed. Some dogs are prone to this and have recurring problems. If you have an older dog that has never had a problem, then you might NEVER have a problem.....Just be aware of it.

I want to thank everyone who has replied to this thread. I hadn't planned on doing this often to my dogs, only if necessary. Whatever was bothering my little Jig must have "passed" because he hasn't been scooting or biting at his bottom anymore. Maybe the explanation that as long as they have a firm BM keeps things "moving" so to speak is the answer.

I feed my dogs a combo of dry food mixed with a bit of canned. They go once or twice a day, depending on how healthy their appetite has been that day.

I figured since I was a nurse and understood basic anatomy, I could do this if the need arose. Although, I can see how it could backfire and cause problems. Hopefully, my little ones will keep regular enough that it won't become necessary.

Thanks again,
Jig, Joy and Dawn

Anal gland problems!!!

These can certainly vary. Some dogs never have a problem. Some have problems occasionally. And, some dogs have chronic problems.

Ideally, just defecating will automatically keep the anal glands clean. If not, your little dog scooting his little butt around the ground is his way of trying to clean them (and this often works too).

If he can't keep his anal glands clean on his own and you notice that he is having a problem (you can tell by their scooting their little rear ends around on the ground) --- take him to a vet.

My dogs only have occasional problems - perhaps once every year or two - and they go to the vet. I prefer going to the vet because the vet also injects something into the glands -something that helps with healing and helps treat any infection. (Perhaps this helps them have only "occasional" problems.)

---- Diet is an important part of preventing these problems. When dogs have good firm stools, they more easily express and empty these glands when they go to the bathroom. If your dog's stools aren't firm most of the time, they may need a higher fiber diet.

Good luck - Carol Jean

PS: My daugter's poor dog suffered with chronic anal gland problems for years - had to go to the vet often and endure a lot of pain having them expressed. He finally had surgery and have his glands removed.

I used to do this on our Schnauzer when she got older and I must say it is SOO worth the money to have it done for you! The smell will make you gag!!! :thumbdown I would have taken her in for it, but I groomed her and when I was younger we lived in the country so I didn't want to go all the way into town just for that.