How do you squeeze a dog's anal gland?

Question

I heard it's important to take care of it, and I have seen it done (smelled it too!) But is there a trick to the technique to doing it?

Answer 1

Have your veterinarian or a technician teach you the proper technique.
There are two anal sacs. Using clock-face position references, one is situated at four o'clock and the other is at eight o'clock just inside the rectum. The sacs fill with secretions from the anal glands and when full they feel like grapes when palpated with the fingers. The best way to learn how to express a dog's anal glands is to go to your veterinarian and have the veterinarian or a veterinary technician show you how to do this properly. (Please be aware that this is not as easy as it looks.) Then you could try it while the doctor or technician watches and guides you. The veterinarian or technician could do one side and you could do the other. Once you learn the proper technique, you should be able to do it from then on without difficulty unless the glands become impacted. When expressing the anal sacs at home, I recommend that you have rubber examination gloves and Baby Wipes or paper towels handy. Put the Baby Wipes or paper towels between your gloved hand and your dog's rear end to catch the material expressed from the anal sacs. I also recommend doing this procedure outdoors. Anal glands are scent glands that produce a foul-smelling material; expressing the sacs can be a very messy task at times, especially in the home. You should also be aware that medical problems involving the anal glands and sacs occasionally occur. These include infection and abscess, tumors, and inflammatory conditions. These problems require prompt veterinary medical attention. You may wish to talk to your veterinarian about what signs of these problems to look for when expressing your dog's anal sacs. I always tell pet owners contemplating doing this at home that they may change their minds after expressing the anal glands once or twice because it isn't a pleasant job and it can be messy.

Answer 2

If the diet is correct then they should never need manually expressing. I pesonally don't think it does the dog any good to have this done and so many groomers do this as a matter of course nowadays that it is ridiculous. The anal glands are supposed to secrete small amounts every time the dog poops. To do this the poops need to be firm enough to squeeze the glands and release some "gunk"... this puts a smell on the poops as a sign to other dogs. Unfortunately, most dogs now eat a diet that softens the stools too much and therefore doesn't empty the gland "gunk" out. If this happens then the glands will need manually emptying or else they can become impacted and eventually abscess and even get a tumour in them. If you have a dog that needs manually emptying then the better way is to add fibre to the diet and try to get it naturally occurring.

Answer 3

As the previous owner of a dogs who had abscessed anal glands (yuck!), and being taught how to do it. I will tell you this - It stinks!

Have your vet express your dogs anal glands. If you see your dog dragging their butt all over your floor like they have an itch, take them in.

The next thing that will happen is that they will have two holes under their tail and you will be filling one of them with medication (gross!). A regular check with the vet and a couple extra bucks saves you a Fido a lot of hassle in the end (literally).

Your pooch will certainly express their gratitude.

Answer 4

I would have the vet do it......definately worth the money. It is important to have it done, if the anal glands become too full, they can get infected and then cause cysts which eventually leads to an operation and the possible removal of the glands entirely.

Answer 5

I know what you talk of and it helps the animal. I not going to admit to doing this. But, the best way to learn is have a Vet show you. It is a nasty procedure. My Vet is good about showing people how to do things if they want to learn. I am sure you can find one somewhere to teach this. Most of the older Vets good about teaching things people can do themselves.
Read here about this; http://dogcarebasics.com/dog_care_anal_glands.shtml
At bottom click; "How to Express a Dog's Anal Gland" AND read! It talks about safty doing this and gives reasons why it happen and how to prevent.

Answer 6

It is an important thing to take care of, if they are not they can cause abscesses. The best thing to do is to go to your local vet and have them do it first and show you how to handle it. BUT usually when a dog defecates it usually does it naturally.

Answer 7

Okay, I know what your saying, the smell I mean. What I do is when I take my dog to the vet, he does it for about $11, they told me once that they would show me how and I said "For $11 you can do it for me". Or you can have your dog groomed as they do it too. I don't know the technique but to be honest I don't want to know and would worry about the dog biting me.

Answer 8

Yuch! But yes I heard it's important to do this because the glands get backed up and that's why you see dogs rubbing their butts on the floor.... I have no idea how to do it though, sorry, but I hope you find out, ich.

Answer 9

Put the dog on a table or chair above you and lie underneath. Search around the dogs rear until you find the gland (it will feel like a ripe grape) squeeze it hard and dont forget to open your mouth.

Answer 10

Dear God.....the children are out in force tonight aren't they?

I would have the vet do it if I was you. If it gets blocked it's extremely painful for the dog and if you see him trying to get at his tail a lot it's a pretty sure sign it needs doing. It isn't expensive.