What are anal glands?

Anal glands are little sacs that sit on either side of the anus and collect with fluid and debris. Occasionally these glands can get impacted, infected or even abscessed.

Many dogs need to have these glands emptied on a regular basis. Some dogs need it every 3-6 months while occasionally some dogs need to have it done every few weeks. Dogs whose anals fill up regularly sometimes benefit from adding canned pumpkin to their diet daily.

It is often quite a tricky thing to empty a pet's anal glands. There are two ways to do this. Many groomers will empty them by squeezing them from the outside. Often this does not fully empty the glands. By far the best way is to do an internal expression which means that a finger is inserted inside the anus and the gland is squeezed between the finger and thumb. Doing this is a learned skill!

Signs of anal gland problems:

Most animals with anal gland issues will have one or more of the following symptoms:

Scooting (dragging their anus on the ground)

Licking the anus

Brown staining in the fur around the anus (this is caused by saliva)

Sitting or jumping up suddenly as if something just bit them

An odd "fishy" odor

What about medical problems with the anal glands?

While the symptoms mentioned above usually mean that your dog needs to have his or her glands expressed, sometimes they can be a sign of something more serious. Anal glands can get impacted, infected or even abscessed. Any of these conditions can happen if we wait too long to express them. Sometimes these conditions can be treated with medications but often a surgery will need to be done to open up the anal glands and flush them out.

If you think your dog or cat is having anal gland problems and you would like Dr. Marie's opinion, click here to ask a question.