Dogs Anal Glands (sorry!!!!)

A question about : Dogs Anal Glands (sorry!!!!)

Please can anyone advise on this lovely subject.

My two and a half year old male neutered beagle has recently started occasionally dragging/scooting his bottom on the carpet.

He doesnt appear to be in any discomfort. Is still eating drinking walking playing same as usual but i am a little worried in case i should be doing doing something.

I rang the vet and they want Ј27 to express his anal glands!!!!!

Any ideas pet lovers!!!!

Thanking you in advance.

Best answers:

• Same with my 2 yr old choc labrador (neutered). Anal glands will probably need emptying and definitely something I wouldn't do myself having watched the vet do it (contents went all over the floor and the smell was terrible - you certainly wouldn't want that on your floor!).
  We got our dog in August (adopted him from Lab Rescue!) and noticed him scooting every now and again. The next clue was a fishy smell - have you noticed that yet? So took him to the vet who confirmed his anal glands needed emptying. A month later they needed doing again but not because they were full again, but because what did come out looked infected so he had to have a week's worth of antibiotics - that was just before Xmas.
  Apparently it can be a result of not enough fibre in the dog's diet so that when he goes to the loo if the stools aren't firm enough there isn't enough squeezing action on the anal glands to help empty them (well you did ask!!). If more fibre doesn't do the trick then the glands can be removed as apparently they are not needed and that would treat the problem once and for all.
  I think another reason for scooting is sometimes due to worms but obviously your vet would need to diagnose exactly what's causing it.
  Hope that helps!
• Ah the joys of owning pets eh? It sounds like a lot of money to pay out but do you really want the alternative? It involves you, a pair of rubber gloves, some lube (optional) & your dog's bum hole. I pay the vet
• Having worked in a small animal hospital I can say 100% that it will be worth every single last penny of the £27 to get it done in a veterinary surgery as the smell just does not go away!!! It lingers everywhere for quite some time so if it does need doing and isn't worms as marybishop said then I would bite the bullet.
  An adjustment in diet under the guidance of your vet may also help reduce the need in the future.
  It can be uncomfortable for the dog if left too long though so better to get it done. Good luck and cover up the seats in the car for the journey home
• My 5yr old Westie has the same problem. I give her some Bran sticks with her food in the morning. It;s certainly reduced the number of times she goes to the vet.
• My last dog used to suffer with this.
  The vet taught me to do it myself. If you use cotton wool over the bum-hole when you squeeze the gunge gets soaked up and you can bag and bin it.
  Ahh the memories.
• It's worth the money any day in my opinion! I asked my vet to teach me how to do it, since my Staffie needed it regularly at one point. When she demonstrated (so I was standing at the 'business' end, rather than the licking end) however, I soon decided that I'd rather fork out than do that myself. Not a pleasant sight or smell.
  That said, since I have changed foods to Burns she seems to be a lot better - I haven't seen her drag her bum for over 6 months now, and I've been told that food can have a great deal to do with the amount of waste in the glands. Burns is more expensive, but it certainly has its benefits!
• Yes, definately get the vet to do it. These glands can become infected if they aren't emptied.
  Make sure your dog has more fibre in his diet. As cluuuuur says, a good dog food like Burns should help?
  Good luck,
  MM. x
• Hi afford
  My dog has his anal glands "expressed" every few months, if left they become infected and he chews the fur/skin from his back end If you feel brave enough you can watch a "how to" video on expert village https://www.expertvillage.com/videos/...ics-glands.htm
• Get the vet to do it for you this time, then look at your dogs diet.
  Wet food and poor quality kibble is usually the culprit for blocked anal glands. Either change the diet to a better quality of food or add fibre. I find a raw meaty bone once or twice a week in place of a meal is the easiest for me. I use chicken wings but carcasses are good as well. If you dont think you can do that then add bran
• Does your vet practice have nurse appointments? When I was a vet nurse it was a routine job for the nurses to "do" anal glands and it was a lot cheaper than getting the vet to do it. Although if they are infected then a vet has to be involved.
• Hi,
  Our dog does this occasionally - he's 5 years old.
  Noticed first a few years ago, and asked at the vet when he went for his annual injections a few weeks later - the vet had a look and squeezed out some stuff and said it looked normal, so no infection or build up.
  Lately, I've noticed he's doing it when he has a poo and some gets stuck around the fur around his bum, or if he's in a new place with dog smells around - think maybe he's marking with smells, not sure though.
  Doesnt seem like anything major to me - he's due injections soon, so i'll ask the vet again to check. Maybe depends on the vet, but ours just charged the normal amount for a yearly check up - around Ј20 i think plus the cost of injections.
  BTW, that's not a pic of me, thats sam the dog. This discussion must be putting off potential dog owners...
  Andy
• That will be the best Ј27 you've ever spent. If they aren't emptying naturally and you don't get them done you've got two possible outcomes, either they will become impacted and infected, and it'll cost you a lot more than Ј27, or he will empty them whilst scooting, and you'll never get rid of the smell.
  As as been said though, once they have been emptied look at his diet, it shouldn't happen regularly. I'd also be speaking to the vet about worms as well.
• So does anyone think it could be the Naturediet I'm feeding my dog that's not helping as it is 'wet' food. Would a complete dry food be better do you think?
• It seems a bit steep to me! It costs Ј9.50 at my practice, and that's with the vet, not a nurse!
• We have a jack russell who suffers from this quite a lot,i take him to the vets who i can make an appointment with a nurse rather than the vet and they empty them for about Ј6 but i imagine you have to have been registered with the vet for a while,what i mean you can't just phone up if you never use the vets and ask for a nurses appointment to do it.
• This is something that cannot be left. I didnt know my dog(golden retriever) had blocked anal glands until i smelt "the fishy" smell. By this time he had a bad infection (caused by the dog licking the stuff from his anal glands and then his fur)- it cost a LOT to cure the infection. Since then his glands needed doing every 3 to 4 weeks for over a year until I changed to the Burns food and now its only every four months. Burns is more expensive but it actually works out the same for me as I am not spending so much at the vets. You will i'm afraid have to take him to the vet and then consider changing his diet?
• Anal gland problems can sometimes be alleviated by diet. My dog is on BARF (bones and raw food), he therefore has raw fresh meat, so far we have had no problems.
  Wet food can be a cause I think.:confused:
• Why not try giving him a raw chicken wing twice a week. That should do the trick. NEVER cooked of course, always raw. Mine crunch them like we do celery! Totally agree with getting the vet to empty the glands, or at least show you how to do them the first time.