Gross, but serious dog question...?

Question

Do all dogs need to have their anal glands emptied?

The dog I had growing up lived to be 15 years old and he never had his anal gland emptied by the vet.

My girlfriend and I got a new dog last year and she is under the impression that all dogs need to have this gland emptied on a regular basis since her parents have always had it done for their dogs.

I don't think it is needed, but she does.

Does anyone know the truth?

I am sure I will get funny answers on this question and thats ok, but I would appreciate any serious answers I do receive.

Tanks!

Answer 1

If you see the dog scooting it may need to be done. With all the fancy foods everyone wants to feed their dogs sometimes the sack is not completely cleaned out when the feces is released. Back when you and I were young there was Purina dog chow and it feed everydog.

Now it is up to each dog and its digestive system. I would watch for signs before making a special trip to have the vet stick his finger up his butt. The gand should express itself when he goes number 2.

Answer 2

You're correct. Some dogs go their entire lives without ever needing to have their anal glands expressed. While others may need it even as often as monthly. One sign of needing to have the glands expressed is the dog "scooting" his rear end on the floor. If there are no parasites, the glands would be the cause. Every dog is different. Your vet should confirm this. Good luck

Answer 3

It is different for every dog. Some dogs don't need anal gland expressions very often because they release when the dog has a bowel movement. Other dogs have glands that don't express as easily, and in that case, they need to have them manually expressed on a pretty regular basis. The way to tell that they need expression is if they are swollen (if you can see them easily), if the dog is scooting on the floor quite a bit, or if you can smell them. Any of these things happen, you should see if they need to be expressed.

Answer 4

It really depends on the dog. Some dogs do need their anal glands emptied on a regular basis because they are unable to do it for themselves. If you see your dog "scooting" across the ground a lot, that can be indicative that he is having problem with expression. Some dogs will scoot right after they evacuate their bowel-kinda like we use TP, but if their doing it a lot take them to the vet or a groomer.

Small dogs generally have more problems with this. In severe cases infection can set in as well. Talk to your vet. If your dog has problems and needs expression I recommend taking him to your vet-as it is very smelly and can be messy.

Good luck

Answer 5

It really depends on the dog that you have! Growing up, I also had a dog that lived to a ripe old age (19) without ever having her anal gland expressed. She was a mutt.

Now, I have a Pekingese who has to have his expressed at least twice a year. It really depends on the individual dog and if they have problems with this gland. Ideally, they should never need it, but if they do, you NEED to get it done or there could be extreme complications.

Answer 6

The vets office I work at has about 10 dogs we see about every 2-4 weeks for expression. If not, the anals get impacted, infected and cause cause a ton of problems. The anals would have to be flushed out, expressed and the dog placed on antibiotics for about 2 weeks. We would recheck them, flush and express them again, and possibily repeat antibiotics. Some guys can go 6 months to be expressed, some can go longer. If the dog is over weight, that could be part of the problem. They can effect any dog at any time. It's always best to have them checked. Watch for a fishy smell, scooting on carpet, or heavy licking.

Answer 7

I have three dogs and I do not express any of them. They do not seem to need it done.
Some dogs and it depends on what they are being fed. Need to have it done. The gland can get impacted. If htey are feed a cheap dog food with lots of fillers and they poop really soft it may not express the galnd as the dog poops. When you feed a high quality dog food with little fillers the poop is hard and as they go it squeezes the gland and then most times the owner or groomer does not have to.
It depends on the dog some need to have it done and some never need it done.

Answer 8

I've researched this before online and you can, too, just type in anal glands into your search engine....

From what I recall though, smaller dogs are more prone to anal sac problems and if you see your dog dragging its behind on the grass or cement or worse, your carpet or bed linens, that's supposedly a sign that your dog is trying to empty the anal sacs himself.

Also, the website I visted said the odor is another give-away, as it is strong and truly abhorrent.
They urge you to seek a vet to relieve the anal sacs, and surgery is an option to remove them but that can lead to other problems.

Answer 9

VERY GROSS!

I have had many breeds of dogs since childhood and we grew up doing our own grooming (from french poodles to hunting dogs to shih tzus, etc) and I've only had a handful of dogs that need the glands done. I've got one now that has to have it done every week or else he's scooting his butt on the carpet and we know how gross THAT will smell, right???
The vet can show you how to do it, if the dog is one of "THOSE" that needs emptying on a regular basis--be prepared, because it is naaaaaa-sty!

Answer 10

If its a small dog, they need it on a regular basis. Usually big dogs can release the glands themselves but small dogs need it. If they don't get it done regularly, you'll have a vet bill because of an anal sact infection.