|
This anal gland thing... We took Scarlett to a new groomer who told my husband that she did not express anal glands and that you should not do this because dogs do it themselves, and if you do it (not that I would-I'd take her to someone!) the dog will forget how to do it herself. Is this true? |
From what I understand that isn't true. Georgie has never expressed them himself. We have the groomer do it. |
We never express our kiddo's glands (nor do they go to a groomer and have it done). Unless there is something wrong with your kiddo's glands, she should be able to express them herself. There is no real reason to have your groomer do this unless there is medical reason the dog can't do it herself. |
I sort of agree with your groomer. I don't actually think your dog will "forget" how to express their anal glands. From what I know, anal glad expression is just something a dog's body does on it's own...it's more of a bodily function rather than something they have to think about doing. If their poops are solid & well-formed, the anal gands express on their own over time...not all at once, so you won't ever notice anything come out. I do feel my dog's anal glands about once a month during bath time. Although I do agree that you should leave the anal glands alone unless there is a medical reason to express them, I have expressed 2 of my dog's anal glands once. I've never done it for my 3rd. Scooting or biting the bum is usually a sign of impacted anal glands. Also, an intense yucky fishy odor (hard to describe the smell) is a sign as well. If you feel uncomfortable about checking them yourself, you can ask your vet to check anal glands during any visit. It's a quick 3 second check. Personally, I'd feel more comfortable having my vet do it over my groomer...but that's just me. |
|
I had a Pom that had anal gland problems. It ruptured twice. But he has small and didn't eat much. Other then not having an appetite he was very active and health . He live to 13yrs and would have lived longer if it wasn't for the accident. But after his first rupture I had him expressed every year. I had a Yorkie that had a rupture when he was 5 yrs old. But could have been the food? Dunno. |
Thanks for the article reference, Jenny. I will definitely speak to Dori's groomer about this. We don't have issues, but I certainly don't want to start any! |
Yes anal glands are expressed when they poop and that's why their poop has such a strong smell.but with today's diets dogs can sometimes not express them so well so we have to express them to avoid infections. Whichever groomer that told you that should not be grooming. They are supposed to be expressed. Lets say you feed your dog wet food and your dog does not poop very solid so if its not solid enough it won't express its glands and that fluid starts to turn hard and then it can cause infection or pain that's why some dogs scoot their behinds on carpets or the floor because it bothers them. Every dog and cat should have their anal glands expressed to avoid any health concerns. |
Can one actually see these glands on casual observation? Oh lawd, guess i have to go to Youtube. |
I don't know if you can see them. I was always under the assumption they expressed their anal glands themselves because our Boxer did. However, about 4 years ago I noticed all of the sudden Georgie wasn't wagging his tail (he does that like a mad man) so I went to lift his tail up and he yelped. To the vet we went and I found out his anal glands were infected. Since that point we just have our groomer do it to be sure. |
Quote:
|
Our beagle, Benji had that problem. He was never groomed, we bathed him ourselves, so whenever he had a problem the vet took care of it. The vet asked what he was eating and we told him Mighty Dog. He said alot of dogs that ate Mighty Dog had anal gland problems. We switched dog foods (I don't remember to what, it was a long time ago) and he didn't have the problem again. |
I am a groomer and small breeds are the ones that mostly have to have their anal glands expressed. Big dogs seem to not have a problem expressing them. And yes you can see the anal glands and under those little two pea size holes you can feel how full are their glands. |
Quote:
My family has had 9 dogs and my aunt and cousin have had 5, none of them had anal gland issues. 3 of those dogs are medium sized, the rest are small. We didn't even know anal glands existed until a few years ago. I'd leave them alone unless there's a problem. |
Quote:
I have to chime in, not every dog & cat needs to have their anal glands expressed. I have 4 Yorkies & only 1 needs to have her's expressed (once or twice a month), all my other 3 do not. They all have firm stools, I check every bowel movement x's 4 loll. The groomer should check the anal glands by feeling it & if they feel full, it can be expressed. If they're not, no need to express them, it will cause more problems trying to express an anal gland that doesn't need expression. Yes, toy breeds are more susceptible to having problems emptying their anal glands, so adding fiber to their diet is a good idea. Like frozen thawed green beans, fruits & veggies. My guys are on a grain free diet bc grains gives them softer stool. Soft stool=anal gland issues. |
I wouldn't get them expressed unless you have a reason to.. if your dog was acting off, any signs of discomfort back there, licking excessively back there, or if he was butt scooting. Butt scooting is a major symptom they will do, if they need them expressed. I would also never let a groomer express them, groomers don’t go all the way in- most of them will express from the outside. This will not get all the liquid out. I would highly recommend if you need to get them done, get them done at the Vet. They will “go into” the rectum and express all the liquid out. |
I read that dogs that do their business outside are more likely to empty their anal glands, whose purpose is to leave a scent for other dogs. My view is don't do it if you don't need to do it. I don't think it should be done routinely unless their is some type of problem, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't visually check them and see if they are too full. They say if you start doing it you make you dog dependent on it, but some dogs require it. Adding a little fiber to the diet may help, but walking after meals may even help more. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I've been expressing Mimi's @ home b4 her bath for years. B4 I got her when she was 7 months old, she's been to the groomer several x's & has had her anals expressed. She would lick her bum area & I knew it was bothering her, so I took her to the vet & they said her glands were full. It seems like she needed her's emptied every 2 weeks or so, so I asked my vet to teach me how to do it. It was externally & we've had no problem for years, she's 6 years old now. Not too long ago, I switched their kibble just to give them something different & it gave her major anal problems. Her glands were really bothering her & I took her to the vet & they had to internally express it. 1 side was impacted & the stuff that came out was pasty. No infection, but it gave her anal sacculitis, inflammation. So IDK if it was my fault, over the years not expressing everything out & it caused the impaction, or if it was the diet change. I'm not gonna even learn how to internally express (they'll probably show me if I ask)...will let the vet techs handle it loll! |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Mimi sounds like Peanut. He needs his about 3 weeks to once a month. I know how to express them. I would have to do it at the Vet, however Peanut will not let me- he won’t even let him cut his nails! LOL I had issues when I had the groomer do it. They didn't get it all and it would build up faster. We were getting it done way more frequent. Now getting them done at the Vet he can go a month. I like getting it done at the Vet because they will cut his nails for free.. plus they would be aware of any other issues down there if he had any. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Another thing about anal glands...some say (on the internet) that domesticated dogs lost the ability to spray the glands when they're threatened, like wolves do in the wild (or something to do w/territorial marking? I'm not sure on this, my memory is bad). Not true, Turbo can spray! I took him in to the vet to have his ear hairs pulled bc he won't let me do it. He seriously turns into Hulk Yorkie. Well, they (it took 3 vet techs!) managed to clean & shave the inner part of his ear hairs real good, but he also managed to spray the vet techs w/his stinky juice lolll! Can you believe they didn't even wash his bum, I had to request it & they also left bloody scratches in his ear.:(:thumbdown |
Didn't read the full thread - but here's what our vet said - don't do it or have the groomer do it until there are signs that your dog needs them expressed (scooting etc.) otherwise it will stimulate them and then it's almost like a production thing where the more they are expressed the more you will need to get them done. Vet said around 1.5 2 years of age she notices dogs will either start needing them expressed or won't and will be fine - usually it's the small dogs and the large dogs that end up having issues. Pluto was fine until around 1.5 and now we have to have his done every few months... |
Quote:
And dogs need kibble to help their teeth. Wet food 100% of the time isn't healthy. We don't touch our dogs anal glands, nor do groomers or vets. |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:08 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use