Weird dog grooming question...?

Question

My mother and I were watching a show that went through the process of dog grooming and they had a step on the show that was about "popping poop" or removing excess liquid poop from the dogs butt, b/c apparently this step in the grooming process in important to the dogs health so that they don't get infections or illnesses. The real question is if this really happens when a dog goes to the groomers. I have a shih tzu, who is 7months old, and she has never been to the groomers yet and my mother just wanted to make sure that it was a safe process of the whole poop thing, even if it is or isn't true. Please answer to the best of your knowledge.

I know this is such a weird question and I know I may have worded it wrong, but I hope we just get some answers!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Are you talking about ANAL GLANDS?????? Every dog has glands on either side of the rectum that they use to mark their territory. It is NOT fecal material, it is a musky smelling liquid. Some dogs need their glands expressed on a regular basis and some never do. It is best to have to done by a vet because they express them internally. Groomers only express them externally and usually are unable to express them completely. Sometimes if left unattended a dogs anal gland(s) can become impacted and acutally rupture. Contact your vet if you think your dog may have an anal gland issue.

Answer 2

It's called having the anal glands expressed. Not all dogs need it done, some can express them on their own, but some need it done on a very regular basis. If it's something you are concerned about talk to your groomer because not all groomers offer this service, some will only do it if requested, and others do it to every dog every time. Groomers can also check before expressing the anal glands and have a pretty good idea before doing them if it needs to be done. Most groomers express the anal glands externally while most vets go internally but it is a safe procedure. Most of the time dogs will scoot their bum on the carpet when their anal glands are full but that could also be a sign of worms or just having an itchy bum.

Answer 3

In over 3 decades of owning many, many dogs, I've never had one dog who needed his anal glands expressed. This isn't something you should allow a groomer to do if there's no need for it. These glands are scent glands which has an odor identifying the dog. It marks their stool with their smell and it's the reason dogs greet each other by sniffing their butts. The dog normally empties his anal sac automatically when he poops.

Answer 4

Yes, this is called expressing the anal glands, and it can be done at the groomers, vets, or even your own house. When you see dogs scooting their butt on the ground, this is usually because of infected itchy anal glands that need to be expressed.

Answer 5

I'm a dog groomer and YES, we do express their anal glands when possible. Sometimes we get something out , but usually not. It's not painful to the dog, but necessary to be expressed occasionally.