How To Express Your Dog's Anal Glands

After having my anal gland abscess and rupture, I've been trying to learn about how I can prevent this from happening again. At the emergency animal hospital the veterinarian was rather vague stating she is not sure why it happened, that they should express naturally, and that I may or may not need to have the anal glands expressed regularly. I decided to do some research on my own, and discovered some contributing factors, signs and symptoms, and how you can express the anal glands at home.

Some dogs may require the anal glands to be expressed once every month or two, some dogs may never need it at all. The anal glands will naturally express when your dog is having a harder than normal bowel movement. If your dog's bowel movements tend to be on the softer side, they may not be adequately expressing the anal glands. Many sources suggest a high fiber diet is helpful, although studies have not proven this conclusively. Plenty of exercise, and staying physically fit can also reduce the risk of impacted anal glands.

If the anal glands do not express naturally, your dog may start scooting his bottom along the ground in an effort to express his own anal glands. If this is not successful, you'll notice your dog paying a lot of attention to his backside with licking and biting. Some other signs may be reluctance in defecating and sensitivity when that area is touched. If left untreated, the anal sac could develop an infection, and you might notice one side of the rectum becoming red and swollen. This will form an abscess, and can even cause a rupture in the skin next to the anus, in which blood and pus will drain out.

What I would suggest, is to feel the size of the anal glands after they have been expressed or before your dog shows any signs of having a problem. The normal size of the anal glands will vary depending on the size of you dog. The normal size may be the size of a pea or kidney bean. They are located in the four to eight O'clock position or the five to seven o'clock position around the dog's anus. You will know it is time to express the anal glands if your dog starts scooting, or paying unusual attention to his back end. In addition, you can also note if they seem larger than normal.

Feel for the glands with your thumb and forefinger just beneath the skin under the anal gland openings. Press in and squeeze with your finger and thumb in an upward motion. You want to get the anal gland under your fingers on each side, and force the contents to the surface and out the opening of the anus. You should use firm pressure, but do not press hard enough that it hurts your dog. When you express the anal gland, a brown-green discharge should be released.

If you watch out for the signs and symptoms of impacted anal glands, you can avoid unnecessary trips to the veterinarian, and save your dog from much discomfort.