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What are the anal glands and where are they located?
Anal glands are two scent glands located near the anus of many mammals. If you sit behind your dog, and stare at their back end, they will be located around the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock position of the anus.
They are sacs lined on the inside with glandular cells which produce a very potent fishy smelling liquid. When you are sprayed by a skunk, the liquid is actually coming from their anal glands, so obviously the strength of the odor can vary from species to species.
Cats and dogs are supposed to empty their anal glands when they defecate. It’s another means to mark their territory in the wild.
But sometimes things go wrong with these glands. Some animals produce excess volume from the glands. And other animals simply won’t be able to empty the glands naturally when they poop.
This can result in the glands becoming impacted and overly full. This is uncomfortable for the animals and they can start showing symptoms such as constipation, licking at the anus excessively, and scooting their bottoms across the floor.
In some cases the glands can become so full that they actually “rupture” and these animals (usually dogs) will develop draining sores through the skin at the location of the glands.
What should you do if your pet’s anal glands seem to be bothering them
If you have ever had an animal with chronic anal gland issues you know that these glands can be manually emptied by your veterinarian, groomer or learned at home. There are usually differences in how a groomer expresses the glands versus a veterinarian.
Many groomers and owners will express the glands externally. This means placing your thumb and index finger below the anus and then squeezing your fingers together while pushing upward. This does express the glands but in my opinion they are not completely emptied with this method. But it is an easier method to learn.
When I express an anal gland I insert my index finger rectally and isolate each gland between my index finger internally and my thumb on the outside against the skin. This allows me to truly feel the gland, make sure there are no tumors within the gland, and feel that the gland is completely emptied.
Regular anal gland expressions can keep your pet comfortable and prevent the glands from rupturing. But there are some downsides to regular anal gland expressions.
For some animals it is simply uncomfortable to have the glands expressed, but for others it is truly painful.
It also will cost you money to have someone express the glands regularly. Some of my patients only need the glands expressed about every 3 months, but others need them expressed monthly.
There do seem to be some breeds, such as Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels, more prone to anal gland issues. But any breed can develop problems. In fact some cats even need their glands expressed so this is not a species specific issue.
You may be wondering if you need to take your pet in to have their glands expressed. I will sometimes have a client who has an older dog with a history of anal sac impaction and they will wonder if they should start getting their new puppies glands expressed regularly.
I always tell these client if there are not any current symptoms that there is a problem (such as licking, scooting or constipation) then we do not need to express the glands.
In addition to it being unnecessary and uncomfortable in a healthy dog, over expressing the glands can also potentially cause issues. If we continually express the glands in patients who are able to express them naturally, this can cause the glands to increase production of the secretions which just leads to a cycle of needing manual expression.
Can we stop the issue before they need to be manually expressed?
Even if your pet doesn’t normally have any anal gland impactions it is possible for an issue to develop suddenly. This can happen if the glands become acutely inflamed or infected.
We are still learning more about anal glands, but have found that some allergic disease can cause anal sac inflammation.
In some dogs with chronic ear infections and anal sac impactions we start to consider there may be a food allergy. Although food allergy is rare, as I discussed in my post about allergies, it is worth ruling out in these cases.
So if you have a dog who has had recurrent ear infections and symptoms of anal gland discomfort, I recommend speaking with your vet about starting a food trial. I recommend starting with a veterinary prescription hypoallergenic diet when you are trying to get a diagnosis. You can always try switching to something over the counter after you confirm food allergy. But if you start with an over the counter diet and you don’t see a response, I don’t believe you have ruled out food allergy.
There are some animals whose glandular secretions are simply too thick to express naturally when they defecate, or who have narrowed ducts that don’t allow the secretions to express. These animals may require manual expressions throughout their lifetime to relieve the discomfort of impacted glands.
Another at home treatment you can try is to increase the amount of fiber in your pets diet. There are fiber supplements for pets, or you can use something from the grocery store. Metamucil powder is an option, but ask your vet first before trying this as the dosage depends on the size of your dog.
Another option is to add a little bit of canned pumpkin to each of your dogs meals. Most dogs enjoy the flavor of pumpkin and it is high in fiber. The idea behind using fiber to treat anal gland issues is to “bulk up” the size of your dogs poop.
Pets eating a higher fiber diet will tend to have larger bulkier bowel movements which are more likely to put adequate pressure on the glands when they defecate. This pressure on the glands as they defecate will then hopefully cause the glands to empty.
Sometimes the underlying issue won’t respond to just increasing the fiber. If the glands are inflamed, or the ducts are too narrowed these pets will continue to need manual expression to relieve the pressure.
Thankfully there is a permanent solution! Dogs and cats do not need their anal glands. And if they’re causing chronic abscesses or pain they can be taken out surgically.
There are some potential risks with surgery such as infection or fecal incontinence. I recommend finding a veterinarian who has performed this surgery several times, or has a mentor who will be helping them with the surgery.
I hope this post provides some information that you can help you and your pet. The truth is for many pets prevention, such as with fiber or a hypoallergenic trial, will not resolve the issue.
There are some dogs, due to genetics or breed predisposition will suffer from anal sac impaction chronically.
Regular manual expression at the vet/groomer or at home is a perfectly acceptable solution. But if your dog has suffered form ruptured glands or is one of the dogs who finds manual expression very painful please ask your vet about surgery. It is called an anal sacculectomy and could provide a permanent cure for your pet.
Have you had a dog or cat with chronic anal sac impaction? How did you and your vet manage the issue?
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