Expressing dog's glands...sore afterwards??

[kellyb]

I noticed my 1 yr old JRT acting a little funny; he usually is bouncing around, very happy go lucky, tail always up. The past day or so he's kept his tail covering his bum, and keeps nipping at that area also (never does that). I figured he may need his anal glands expressed, so I took him to the vet.

They did it today, they said he was quite full, and they emptied them. My dog does not seem to have gotten better though. His low tail carriage is kind of alarming to me because he is ALWAYS so chipper. He is very sensitive to that area now. He backed into something today at home and took off screaming...

If you take your dog to get his anal glands expressed, does he ever act like he's still sore in that area for a couple days?

I would imagine if his were infected, they would have noticed/told me...I just don't know if I am being overly sensitive, or if I should take him back in...

[Laurierace]

No that is not normal, he should feel better for the most part.

[Penthilisea]

Agreed, he should feel better IF that was the only issue. Possiblities that I can think of include constipation (from holding it ...), infection, inflammation, damage, or other. Sorry, I guess that list is not too helpful. I would call your vet and tell them the whole thing. A nice soft bland diet wouldn't hurt to make it easier on him in the short term.

[JSwan]

My beagle sometimes has problems like that. Usually she is 100% after I express them (externally)

The one time she didn't perk back up I took her to the vet. The vet expressed them internally and bleh - infection. Won't describe it. Felt terrible about it - but she was fine after a course of antibiotics. Maybe expressing them internally really empties them out?

A call to your vet would probably be a good idea. Hope your dog feels better soon. Ghazzu is a vet and posts on this BB - if you can't get ahold of your vet maybe you could send her a pm.

[goodhors]

He may still be a bit sore from glands being full. Then adding in getting them cleaned out, and him being small, he could easily be sore. I would see how he is tomorrow. If still so VERY touchy, then call the Vet about it, ask some questions about pain relief or possible infection.

My larger dogs never seemed sensitive after, but larger dogs seem much less sensitive than little dogs about everything. Not sure if they are just more stoic or just truly not as touchy.

Grooming any kind of small dogs, you will get LOTS more reaction, with any little thing. Small ones are NOT tolerant of any kind of pain.

Big dogs, they just sit there and watch you, with little kids pulling hair, ears, even when you are fixing snarled hair mats, and lumps between the tender foot pads. No screaming.

[Horsegal984]

If they were really full sometimes what's in them can get really thick. It's supposed to be liquid, like oil. Infection or just the dog on his own can cause them to back up and wind up being full of paste or even clay like. Now think about the area and the amount of pressure it would take to squeeze out the 'clay' and I do think it's quite possible for dogs to be sore afterwards. I know I would be!! ;) Course I'd bite someone too for that!

If he stays sore till tomm I would take him back in, make sure there's not something else going on.

Katherine
Vet Tech

[tradewind]

He should not be sore afterwards. Perhaps they were not emptied fully, or perhaps something else. If he is not better in the am, I would take him back and insist they recheck him.

[Casey09]

Hmm. My dog has anal gland problems - they always say that they are very full, although she hasn't had an infection or abscess. When she gets them expressed, she will sometimes still seem like they are irritated - as in still scooting or licking the area. I've never seen her scream in pain though, and so I would definitely contact the vet in the morning and see if they want to take another look tomorrow. I think that would be safer, especially with the weekend coming.
Good luck with your JRT. I bet he's adorable.

[MelantheLLC]

My Great Pyrenees was neutered a month or so ago (13 mos) and they did his glands at the same time.

He had to wear the big collar so he couldn't lick at incision, but he did seem to wish he could lick at his gland area.

Anyway, I recall the vet saying he might be sore from the gland expression and to use a warm compress on the area if he was.

[BuddyRoo]

I had to do all the AGE because I had the smallest hands/fingers. You're talking about a JRT. Small. Big finger going in to express already painful glands? Yeah, I'd expect some discomfort.

That said, it's Thursday night. So if the dog isn't feeling better tomorrow or is running a fever, I'd go back in due to concern of infection.

It's finger up the rectum and some pressure. Your dog was showing symptoms of discomfort prior. I would think it would take some time for things to simmer down...but still....if not better on Friday a.m., call vet. Don't want to wait over the weekend.

[anonymoustip]

can anyone explain how to do this "expressing." my vet charges an arm and a leg for my two and claims they need it done every 3 weeks. can i do this myself or is it something a vet has to do? advice? jswan?

[tradewind]

Normal dogs do not need their glands expressed every three weeks. Some studies indicate over expressing can actually cause problems. I would ask the vet why they feel that your dogs need them done every three weeks

[Ghazzu]

Normal dogs do not need their glands expressed every three weeks. Some studies indicate over expressing can actually cause problems. I would ask the vet why they feel that your dogs need them done every three weeks


What tradewind said.

[BuddyRoo]

If you have a dog who has recurrent issues...

1) consider feeding a higher fiber diet. Normally, anal glands express a little on their own every time the dog defecates. But if the feces are too soft, there's often not enough pressure.

2) it can just be genetics...especially in smaller dogs where the ducts are pretty small, it seems to be problematic. If you don't stay on top of it, the secretion can get inspissated and totally block things off. You can get an abscess or a rupture. Surgery on this area is tricky because the area is innervated by the nerve that controls the sphincter and if you damage it, you can have incontinence.

If you want to do it on your own, it's not rocket science. But if you ever get a face full of anal gland secretions, you'll start feeling a lot better about paying someone else to do it! LOL

I don't feel like expressing externally is very effective...but I'm not a vet nor do I play one on TV.

If you want to do it yourself....get gloves. Get lube like KY. The glands are at about 8 and 4. Insert a finger (I use my middle finger) and then gently squeeze with your thumb. By using the middle finger, your hand is essentially covering the spray zone just in case. Turn glove inside out, dispose in outside garbage cuz it will stink. Wash the area with soap and warm water.

[anonymoustip]

Normal dogs do not need their glands expressed every three weeks. Some studies indicate over expressing can actually cause problems. I would ask the vet why they feel that your dogs need them done every three weeks

Just a little background, the dog in question is a 7-year-old Italian Greyhound. She had one of these sacs rupture (I think that is the right way to describe -- it got very full of fluid (blood/pus/etc.) and we initially thought she had been stung by a bee near her butt due to the appearance and swelling. Well, she was really uncomfortable and finally it exploded! Now, I had no experience with this and really felt like a horrible mom for not realizing what it was. When we took her to the vet, he expressed the other sac and said it was VERY thick and had almost a paste-like consistency. For that reason he said she should be expressed between every 3 weeks and 60 days.

I really appreciate the advice on this, because Sofie really doesn't like this vet at all (however, she loves the female vet in the practice) and I just wanted to see if this was something I could do myself or if it had to be done by a professional.

Thanks BuddyRoo for the explanation and advice.

[Dune]

Am I a horrible dog mom for never having this done to my dogs?? I mean, really, I've NEVER had this done and I've had dogs my whole life. :confused:

[anonymoustip]

Am I a horrible dog mom for never having this done to my dogs?? I mean, really, I've NEVER had this done and I've had dogs my whole life. :confused:

Someone on here said that most dogs do this on their own when they poop. If I understand correctly, it is in many cases the smaller dogs who are more likely to get "stopped up". I had never heard of this either (we can be in the doghouse together Dune), in fact we thought that our Iggie had been stung by a bee, when in reality it was her anal sac!

[BuddyRoo]

I would say that the majority of dogs and cats never need to have this done.

As I mentioned before, the glands are normally expressed a little each time the animal defecates. So as long as that's happening as it should, you don't need to intervene.

It's relatively common for groomers to express the anal sacs as part of the grooming service, but it's not always necessary.

So no...you're not a bad dog mom if your dog is like most and never has a problem.

In all honesty, the WORST cases of anal sac abscesses and infections I've ever seen were all in cats. It seems like with them it's an all or nothing proposition. They either have no problems or they have MAJOR ones.

But anyway...my dog is nearly 6 and I've never had to express his. I don't go looking either. If there's a problem...if he's acting concerned about the area or I notice swelling, then I'd do something. Else, benign neglect of that region. :)

[Laurierace]

I have to express my pom all the time. At least every couple of months. She is so funny because she rarely scoots when its time, instead she hides her butt so I can't see it. She will go into a corner and try to disappear against the wall, or up against one of the steps. Sort of like "what butt, where?" My 12 year old lab on the other hand has never been done. They eat the same food, so there may be something to the smaller dogs being more prone.

[tradewind]

Smaller dogs are more prone to problems than large dogs, many large dogs NEVER need to be expressed. A ruptured anal sac is a medically emergency. High fiber diets do seem to help dogs with recurrent issues. Internal expression is best done with someone with knowledge as doing it wrong can rupture the gland, although a vet should be able to show you the correct techinique. External expression helps a fair bit in so much that the glands do not tend to get overly full when this is done on an as needed basis.

[anonymoustip]

Smaller dogs are more prone to problems than large dogs, many large dogs NEVER need to be expressed. A ruptured anal sac is a medically emergency. High fiber diets do seem to help dogs with recurrent issues. Internal expression is best done with someone with knowledge as doing it wrong can rupture the gland, although a vet should be able to show you the correct techinique. External expression helps a fair bit in so much that the glands do not tend to get overly full when this is done on an as needed basis.

thank you for all of your advice on this! You and Buddyroo have both been extremely helpful on this topic and I really appreciate it.

[Paula]

There is also a genetic/breed component to anal gland issues. My dog Darcy is a clumber spaniel and these dogs have a lot of anal gland issues. Darcy is a medium sized dog for reference (about 60 lbs). For the first two years of his life he had constant anal glad issues - they were impacted, infected, and had to be expressed at least every four weeks by the vet because they were so painful. We tried diet changes and they didn't help. Finally on the advice of my vet I had Darcy's anal glands removed. They did it with a freezing technique were a substance was injected into the gland and then the gland was frozen and removed. Examination of the glands after removal showed that they were congenitally malformed and could not be properly expressed. The surgery was in and out in one morning and Darcy didn't even have to wear an e-collar afterwards. He had little/no recovery. It was the best thing I could have done for my dog. He was so much more comfortable after the removal.

[AiryFairy]

I have been told that what's largely to blame is commercial dog food, for a long time it was made with little fiber in order to make the dog logs smaller to pick up, for the human's convenience, in other words. High fiber diets, with some raw (I feed raw chicken wings a couple of times a week) will add some bulk to the stool similar to what they'd eat 'in the wild' and get the glands to express on their own.

If your dog has recurrent problems, consider finding a GOOD homeopathist, from Dr. Pitcairn's referral list. One of my dogs had never had a problem, and suddenly a few months after she had started being treated, her anal glands blew, opened right through her skin. Antibiotics did nothing, she blew out through the skin a second time while on antibiotics. The homeopathic vet changed her remedy, the glands healed and were never heard from again. He said that it was another level of disease coming to the surface, she had been dx'd with 'vaccinosis' and a screwed up immune system and had been treated first with phosphorus which brought all that out. He changed it to silicea and the glands healed fairly quickly.

If your dog is still uncomfortable, before you can get to the vet again try soaking the area with warm compresses and gentle massage to try to get them to empty on their own and relieve the pressure.

[goeslikestink]

I noticed my 1 yr old JRT acting a little funny; he usually is bouncing around, very happy go lucky, tail always up. The past day or so he's kept his tail covering his bum, and keeps nipping at that area also (never does that). I figured he may need his anal glands expressed, so I took him to the vet.

They did it today, they said he was quite full, and they emptied them. My dog does not seem to have gotten better though. His low tail carriage is kind of alarming to me because he is ALWAYS so chipper. He is very sensitive to that area now. He backed into something today at home and took off screaming...

If you take your dog to get his anal glands expressed, does he ever act like he's still sore in that area for a couple days?

I would imagine if his were infected, they would have noticed/told me...I just don't know if I am being overly sensitive, or if I should take him back in...

thats not normal and he could have what my dog has of which he has to have his anal glands removed -- its froncololitus not sure if i spelt it right which can effectthe dog so much so that treatment is expensive and the dog end up being put down as it in basic terms is bum rot ehat happens is the dog is allergic to his own gland excrement which irrates his skin and cuases ulcers of the back passage there no cure

[Guin]

All these stories make me VERY glad neither of my dogs have ever had any issues like this!
I have heard that adding a couple of tablespoons of canned pumpkin to their food is very effective for adding fiber/bulk to diets.

[Brio]

Just as a side note to anyone thinking of trying this at home. Wear protective eye wear and close your mouth. I would also suggest having one person to hold said pet and you having a large cotton square/rag/beach towel to protect yourself.

[glfprncs]

There is an excellent chapter in this very old book in which a Mrs. Pomfrey keeps calling Dr. Herriot because her Pomeranian, "Tricky Poo" keeps going 'flop bott.' What she means is he keeps scooting on her carpet. Of course, Mrs. Pomfrey feeds little Tricky Poo all kinds of things that little dogs should not eat and he is quite rotund. Alas, his anal glands would get full and Dr. Herriot would have to come express them. Of course, seeing Tricky Poo's new comfort level, Mrs. Pomfrey thought Dr. Herriot was a genius.

Anyhow, this whole thread reminded me of that section of the book. If you haven't read it, it's WONDERFUL...about a young veterinarian (in England), fresh out of vet school who agrees to become the '2nd vet' for a country vet who is very well respected by the local farmers. There are three in the series...all good.

[Ghazzu]

That'd be "Tricky Woo".

[JSwan]

can anyone explain how to do this "expressing." my vet charges an arm and a leg for my two and claims they need it done every 3 weeks. can i do this myself or is it something a vet has to do? advice? jswan?

I'd say get a 2nd opinion - maybe Ghazzu or another vet will see your post and be able to help you.

ETA - oops - read the whole thread. Never mind.

[veebug22]

So if one of my dogs is sometimes obsessed with licking her butt -- I mean devoted -- and it stinks while she does it... does that mean she probably needs her glands expressed? I've never had any of my dogs glands expressed!

[Penthilisea]

I have noticed it tends to be the overweight cats who have noticable issues in this area. Hot compresses to the ass help a bit, but ugh does it stink!@

[BuddyRoo]

I have netflicks...so as a dedicated All Creatures Great and Small watcher as a kid, I've started renting them again. Love it. Loved the books, loved the TV series...

And yes...That's Tricky(ie?) Woo with the case of flop bot. IIRC Dr. Herriott also took the dog to his place to teach it to be a dog for awhile...that was pretty funny too.

Veebug--yes, have her checked out to find out for sure.

[CatOnLap]

so maybe this is why my dogs like to eat hay?

They don't scoot butt, their stools are firmish and there's plenty of cooked veggies in their diet and fresh grass they can eat- but they LOVE the fresh soft hay and will steal mouthfuls from the horses as they eat.

[Penthilisea]

Ah see Herriot was the Proto Cesar Milan with his dog pyschology center ;)

Stealing mouthfulls of hay would worry me a teeny bit- enough to ask a vet?