Anal glands and grooming
- Thread starter Sher
- Start date
It is more common to have anal gland issues with dogs who are fed a less than ideal food, but it can and does happen with dogs who are fed a great diet and are in over all great health. One of the suspected reasons is that while domesticated dogs may be healthier than wild animals with anal glands, they are not as muscular as their wild counterparts. In turn the external muscles that are around the gland do not flex to the extent of the wild animal which in turn helps express the gland. The reason that smaller dogs tend to fall victim to anal gland issues is that they are sometimes not as active as their larger counterparts (although they are capable!) and the loss of muscle tone can create the problem. This is also why older dogs have more issues than younger dogs aswell. Sometimes anals can still be a problem even with the best fed and active dogs but genetics may play a role in the problem.
My girl used to have issues with her glands. The last time I had them expressed was about 5 months ago. She is much better. She has started exersizing more and now stays with my mother during the day so she is outside more.
My vet said it is like someone being prone to sinus issues, you either are or you are not.
My vet said it is like someone being prone to sinus issues, you either are or you are not.
I haven't read all of the responses but I have to warn people NOT to allow their groomer to express the anal glands as a normal procedure.
Your Vet. will tell you that it is not uncommon for dogs to come in with ruptured glands or other avoidable issues after their groomer expressed the glands during grooming. There is absolutely no reason that this should be necessary with a normal, healthy dog.
If your dogs anal glands are not normal and healthy, your Vet should be the ONLY one to deal with what to do about it.
I unfortunately forgot to tell my long time groomer (who was taught how and does it as a matter of course and had been doing it for almost 30 years) not to express Amos's anal glands and he ended up in Emerg. within 24 hours bleeding from his rectum. While she was expressing, she ruptured one side.....totally unnecessary and he was in HORRIBLE pain.
This is not something that needs to be done routinely and though your groomer may be doing this unpleasant service for you as a kindness, most grooming schools are no longer even including this in their curriculum. Too many things can, and often do go wrong.
If your dog is scooting and/or licking more than usual, often after having loose stools for a few days, then go to your Vet. This is not part of normal maintenance. I would absolutely never do it just because my dog is having a bath either.
I mean no offence to the groomers on the board but I actually lost a dog after an anal gland expression. My Vet. had to express her 'over expressed' anal glands, she had a seizure, went into cardiac arrest and died in my arms.
This can be VERY painful if done incorrectly and can cause lifelong problems....leave this up to your Vet.
Your Vet. will tell you that it is not uncommon for dogs to come in with ruptured glands or other avoidable issues after their groomer expressed the glands during grooming. There is absolutely no reason that this should be necessary with a normal, healthy dog.
If your dogs anal glands are not normal and healthy, your Vet should be the ONLY one to deal with what to do about it.
I unfortunately forgot to tell my long time groomer (who was taught how and does it as a matter of course and had been doing it for almost 30 years) not to express Amos's anal glands and he ended up in Emerg. within 24 hours bleeding from his rectum. While she was expressing, she ruptured one side.....totally unnecessary and he was in HORRIBLE pain.
This is not something that needs to be done routinely and though your groomer may be doing this unpleasant service for you as a kindness, most grooming schools are no longer even including this in their curriculum. Too many things can, and often do go wrong.
If your dog is scooting and/or licking more than usual, often after having loose stools for a few days, then go to your Vet. This is not part of normal maintenance. I would absolutely never do it just because my dog is having a bath either.
I mean no offence to the groomers on the board but I actually lost a dog after an anal gland expression. My Vet. had to express her 'over expressed' anal glands, she had a seizure, went into cardiac arrest and died in my arms.
This can be VERY painful if done incorrectly and can cause lifelong problems....leave this up to your Vet.
I am so sorry that this happened to you Dr2little. I just wanted to share a story about a Pom who came to us the day after the vet had expressed his glands for an emergency groom. The owner thought that the vet had expressed his glands all over his backside and had not cleaned him up. Infact one of his anal glands had ruptured (from the vet visit) and we had to immediatley instruct them to return to a vet. Anal glands can rupture. Healthy dogs do not need to have their anal glands expressed, but a groomer can be trained to do this the right way. This is the problem with the unregulation of groomers and courses. Online courses and mediocre groomers should not be giving courses or apprenticeships. My mentor and instructor was taught by a vet, she taught me and still wanted me to be watched by a vet before she approved my procedure, and I was approved by my vet for expressing the proper way.