[luvsdogs]

Sooty had an anal gland removed a couple of years ago after regular infections & has been fine until now. She's started scooting again. Is there anything she can have to relieve the irritation or keep the remaining anal gland clear? or should she have it expressed at the vets 1st?

[cockermom93]

You can either take her to a vet or a groomer and it should be done fairly often if she has had problems with them in the past. Another possiblity is of course internal parisites. If you are sure she doesn't have any then it is probably the anal gland and yes having it expressed should help her, but it needs to be done frequently.

[Howler]

ahh anal glands, clearing anal glands is my least favourite thing to do. if its a recurring problem you should see if your groomer or vet can teach you to do it your self, i have to clear our labs quite regularly. our old springer spaniel had problems his whole life and eventually ended up having both of them removed.

[woppitt]

Poor Sooty!! One of my dogs, Poppy, used to have a lot of problems with her anal glands. Dogs have anal glands so that when they pass faeces, a small amount of the fluid from the gland is expressed onto the faeces, so giving it the dog's own smell (this is the main reason that dogs just luuuuurrrve to sniff other dogs poop!!). However, some owners find that their dog does not express them naturally, or sometimes just not often enough. Quite often, the reason for this can be that for a few days the dog has not passed firm enough faeces - I know it sounds gross, but a nice big thick chunky poop will often empty a stubborn anal gland! So, you might find yourself checking your dogs poo to find out how firm it is, if it is not firm enough, try feeding some wholemeal bread now and again as this will bulk up the faeces to enable them to do their job. On the otherhand, Poppy was a gold-medalist in poop, but she still had problems so I had to drain them quite regularly.....
Here ois how to drain your dogs anal glands.......
Only read on if you dont mind it being gross (and you arent eating your supper!!! haha)
Here goes ...............................
Wear latex or vinyl gloves & use a small amount of water soluble lubricant on your finger.....
Bear in mind, the anatomy of a dogs rectum -
if you imagine the rectum as a clock, with the dogs tail at 12 o'clock.......
the anal glands are at "ten past" and "ten to" the hour, just inside the rectum.... you will find the process much easier if someone can gently lift the dogs tail upwards for you as this stretches and tightens the glands against the wall of the rectum (the glands are quite mobile & can ping away from your grip!! )
Insert either your first or middle finger (or both fingers together in larger dogs) into the rectum & locate the gland, then use your thumb of that hand to steady against the back of the dogs thigh.
Once you have found the gland, it will feel like a grape and may feel "mobile" against the wall of the rectum. (you will only be able to find a gland that needs emptying - you will not be able to find an empty gland).
Use your finger(s) behind the gland and squeeze the gland in a "milking" motion towards the outside of the rectum. you may have to "milk" each gland quite firmly and several times. The contents of the gland will then evacuate & if you have quite a good grip on the gland the contents can fire out quite a way so be careful!!! it is usually best to do this with either a wad of cotton wool or paper towel over the rectum!!!!
the secretion can vary, it usually has a "fishy" smell, this is normal, however some dogs can get "impacted" anal glands which is where the contents start to become much more thicker & become infected - this requires veterinary treatment.
Hope this helps!!!

[SchnauzkyLVR]

yeah those are no fun. try a groomer first, then a vet, if anything , your vet will know what to do..so it might save you a trip. good luck!

hope your dog feels better soon!

[Shara]

Heres a good video showing how to do it. Dont watch if this sorta thing makes ya squimish

http://www.ehow.com/video_2275318_ex...nal-gland.html