Expressed Anal Glands?

[Guest LindsaySF]

Teagan was laying on my bed about an hour ago, sleeping. He had licked his butt a little before dozing off, but not for very long that I noticed. I smelled a horrific odor, but I just figured that he farted or something. Then he got up to change position and I saw what I thought was a huge pool of blood (in my sheets of course), and I totally freaked out. I lifted his tail and it looked the same there, it looked all bloody.

 

But upon closer inspection, I think the fluid is anal gland fluid. It is more of a dark brown color, a little sticky, and there is no mistaking that odor. I made him stand up and I cleaned him off, and he doesn't seem to be in any pain or anything. His tail right above the anus is a little raw, I guess he has been licking it. I didn't see him licking that much, but it might have been while I was at work. He hasn't been straining to poop or scooting on the floor or anything. I put his muzzle on him to keep him from licking it, and he is sleeping now.

 

My question is, this sounds like anal gland fluid right? Do you think he should see the vet? How would I know if it was impacted or infected or something? I can keep his muzzle on to prevent the licking. Can I put some anti-itch cream on there? I've also read that feeding something to firm up the stools (fiber, etc) can help to express the glands. Does this sound like a good plan of action, or does he need a vet visit? I've never had a dog with an anal gland problem before so I'm a little worried. And my cat just had surgery ($2,000) so I'm a little strapped on funds.....

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[tbhounds]

If your smelling it then it is AG's. Can't mistake that stench! Sometimes they do fill w/o reason. There are dogs that never need them expressed and then there are dogs that need to have them done every 2 weeks. High fiber. low fiber, allergies etc--there's a lot of theory's out there but, the plain truth is -nobody knows what makes the material fill in some dogs. Some dogs will scoot and others will lick and to further complicate things some dogs don't show any signs of discomfort until they get impacted or infected. I would suggest that you make a trip to your vet just to have the AG's checked just to make sure that they are completely empty.

[DaisyDoodle]

What you're describing sounds like an anal gland might have ruptured, or at least infected. I'd check w your vet.

[Guest LindsaySF]

He's still licking this morning (through the muzzle, no poop cup) so we're off to the vet.

 

Thank you for the replies. Let's hope it's nothing serious!

[Burpdog]

You should take him to the vet today. It sounds like he has an infection and he needs antibiotics.

[Guest greytexplorer]

Any update from the vet's office?

 

I am interested in ag info because my Mandy just had hers expressed last week by the vet.

He told me that the ag's will fill again; old fill looks like ....this..... and new fill looks like....this.... (I can't remember the descriptions, but he seemed to really know what he was talking about )

 

Mandy is a constant licker, so I took her to the vet thinking she might have ANOTHER uti. The vet said, No it's not that and just on a whim, expressed those glands.

Since then, Mandy has pretty much left her hiney alone!

 

ummmm could someone please tell me where the glands are located?

(I was not in the room when the vet did the expression)

[DaisyDoodle]

Not for the squimish to try this at home....

 

They are located at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock in the rectal area. You need a rubber glove and some K-Y to reach in there to feel them/express them. Insert middle finger and squeeqe down gently w your thumb pulling your fingers back out. (Anyone w more expertise, experience, please give a better description.)

 

Apparently, there's a way groomers do it without going inside the rectum, but apparently this doesn't do a complete job. I'd ask your vet to show you how, then you can do it, but not too often, and only if you have a strong stomach.

[Guest SillyDog]

Not for the squimish to try this at home....

 

They are located at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock in the rectal area. You need a rubber glove and some K-Y to reach in there to feel them/express them. Insert middle finger and squeeqe down gently w your thumb pulling your fingers back out. (Anyone w more expertise, experience, please give a better description.)

 

Apparently, there's a way groomers do it without going inside the rectum, but apparently this doesn't do a complete job. I'd ask your vet to show you how, then you can do it, but not too often, and only if you have a strong stomach.

 

 

Yes, most groomers squeeze from the outside. That can cause inflammation in dogs that already have some anal gland issues. Vets will express from the inside and this causes much less tissue trauma. I found this out the hard way. Prancer was having AG issues and I figured a trip to the groomers would fix the trouble. Well, I think it made it worse! He ended up on antibiotics for 6 weeks, but we were able to keep the infected glad from rupturing and eventually got him back to normal. During that time he had to get his AGs expressed one a week to once every other week because of the infection. Fortunately, once we kicked the infection he's been normal and has not needed expression.

[maximum]

Hope everything has turned out okay. It does sounds like one ruptured.

[Greytlady94]

Poor Teagan, how is he this afternoon?

[Guest Ola]

I've read that manually expressing the glands can cause scar tissue to build up over time, and somehow prevent them from expressing themselves normally? We haven't had gland issues on raw, but on kibble I would add a tablespoon of pure pumpkin to each meal if I noticed excessive bum licking. It makes the stools more bulky and thus naturally helps to clean out the glands while they poop.

 

I hope that Teagan is feeling better today! I wouldn't be so concerned with the glands expressing on their own (although yuck!) but the fact that he kept licking it makes me wonder if something else is wrong in there.

[Guest sheila]

here is a pictorial guide to expressing anal glands manually from the outside

http://marvistavet.com/html/anal_sacs.html

[Guest LindsaySF]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

The vet expressed his right gland (Teagan screamed big time ). She said it was "grape-sized", and she is glad I brought him in before it ruptured. He has some pain meds and antibiotics for 10 days. I also put hydrocortizone cream on his butt (she said it is tender and inflammed, like hemorroids in humans), and he is wearing his muzzle.

 

I asked about the other gland, did she think it ruptured, and she said he probably expressed it himself by licking it. Does that seem plausible?

 

He is acting totally fine, and even this morning (before the vet) he had a nice solid poop. Who knows why he had this problem now. He is on the same food and everything as he was before. Anyone else with AG issues ever determine a cause?

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest LindsaySF]

here is a pictorial guide to expressing anal glands manually from the outside

http://marvistavet.com/html/anal_sacs.html

Here is a snippet from that page:

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF AN IMPACTED SAC DOES NOT GET EMPTIED?

 

An abscess can form and rupture out through the skin. This is a painful, messy and pretty smelly condition often mistaken for rectal bleeding. If an anal sac abscess forms, it must be properly treated by your veterinarian. Antibiotics will be needed.

Now I'm worried that this is what happened to Teagan.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest CyndiW]

One of mine does this about once a month. He usually leaves it on my leg (after sleeping scrunched up with his butt pressed against me) or on the couch. It is very dark brown and the smell is horrific. Nature's Miracle does a nice job cleaning it up and taking care of the smell. If his butt isn't red tomorrow and he isn't bothering it, you may just want to have your vet check it out the next time you are in to make sure there isn't a problem. I think it is fairly normal for some dogs but I know that can be problems too sometimes. If he messes with it anymore very soon or seems uncomfortable down there, you may want to have it checked out sooner.

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

here is a pictorial guide to expressing anal glands manually from the outside

http://marvistavet.com/html/anal_sacs.html

Here is a snippet from that page:

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF AN IMPACTED SAC DOES NOT GET EMPTIED?

 

An abscess can form and rupture out through the skin. This is a painful, messy and pretty smelly condition often mistaken for rectal bleeding. If an anal sac abscess forms, it must be properly treated by your veterinarian. Antibiotics will be needed.

Now I'm worried that this is what happened to Teagan.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

 

If it had ruptured or there was an abscess, I'm sure your vet would have noticed. Just keep an eye on him, as you are already doing, and I'm sure the antibiotics will definitely help the situation.

 

 

Scritches to Teagan!

[Guest LindsaySF]

Well Teagan is still acting fine, which is good. He has to wear his muzzle when I'm not there to watch him, but it looks less raw back there. And he is officially The Easiest Dog to Give Pills To Ever. I just plop them on top of his breakfast in the bowl, and he eats them. Good dog!

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest sassichari]

My non-grey Coco needs his AG expressed once every few months, neither of my greys has needed theirs done yet but my vet always checks at routine

exams or if I ask. It is just one of those things that happens. Don't get yourself too upset over this. My friends grey routinely needed his done and it never turned into a major problem.

Teagan will be back to himself in no time-no worries!

[Guest LindsaySF]

A little update. Teagan is still on antibiotics, and still licking, but last night there was blood around his anus. I took him to the vet again today and my vet expressed the right gland, she said it was huge again. Blood and pus came out this time. He got another type of antibiotic to try to combat this infection. He is acting totally fine thankfully, and he still has his appetite, but he licks it a lot so I know it is bothering him.

 

My vet suggested Benedryl (50 mg) to stop the itching and licking. Is this safe for Greys?

 

Also, she said if by next week this is still a problem, she wants to do exploratory surgery to check for a tumor. To the tune of $800. I'm kind of freaking out here.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[DaisyDoodle]

Has Teagan had a normal, solid stool? It not, the glands will not get expressed, and I assume this would allow the infection to stick around. Once I got Daisy on a food that agreed w her and her stool firmed up, her anal glands have been okay. We avoided surgery this way. Also, when Daisy had this problem, folks recommended to me that I keep her on antibiotics for several weeks otherwise the glands wouldn't clear up.

 

FWIW,

 

DD

[Guest LindsaySF]

Thank you for the reply. His stool has been ok, but definitely not as solid as my other dogs' stool. He has always been fine on this food, could the antibiotics be making the stool softer? I am going to get some canned pumpkin to try to firm it up.

[Batmom]

Oh, ow, poor booger. Yes, benedryl is safe but I would start with 25mg twice a day until you see how he reacts to it. Greys are ... different ... and sometimes even just 25mg will make them a bit sleepy. Don't let him have access to stairs by himself, until you see how he does with the benedryl.

 

Firm stools do help express anal glands, but some dogs' just fill up regardless. Batman needed his done every 9-12 months. Zema has never needed hers done, in 6 years. I usually have the pups checked at their "annual," or if they need to go under for something.

[Guest DorianGreyhound]

Ouch! Poor pupper and poor sheets. They always have great timing don't they? Hope your boy is all better in no time! That smell is definitely ONE OF A KIND!

[Guest StriderDog]

The old James Harriot books talked about a little dog getting what his owner called "Flop-Bottom" where he'd flop down and scoot his bum on the ground. He needed his anal sacs expressed!

Well, my mutt-puppy, Daza, gets Stealth Flop-Bottom where she shows no signs other than a wicket case of Stink Butt. The vet says she'll probably be one of those dogs that needs constant expression. *sigh* So I feel your pain.

Here's to many more years of Flop-Bottom!

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

Sending good thoughts for Teagan. Hopefullly these antibiotics will knock out any infection