Anal Gland Care
What are anal glands and what is their purpose?
Anal glands are 2 scent glands found at either side of the anus in dogs and cats.
When a dog or cat goes to the toilet, a small amount of the secretions from these glands comes out onto the poo to let other animals know who’s been there!
Sometimes anal glands don’t empty as they normally should and this can be uncomfortable resulting in dogs scooting their bottoms along the ground.
If this is happening frequently, you should get this checked by your vet as the glands may need to be emptied manually.
What if my dog regularly needs its glands emptied?
If this is the case there are some fibre supplements (such as Pro-fibre) that you can get to bulk out the stools thereby helping to empty the glands when they go to the toilet.
Sometimes there may be underlying causes such as allergic skin disease or diarrhoea/soft stools that need to be dealt with.
Certain breeds, especially Spaniels, seem to have more problems with anal glands than others and some dogs simply need the glands to be emptied regularly. This can be done by a nurse and in some cases, owners are happy to learn how to do this themselves.
How to express a dog’s anal glands
Occasionally, if a dog has recurrent issues or develops infections or cancerous changes, surgical management (removal of the glands) is indicated.
