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Anyone express their dog's anal glands themselves?

Elcid

Banned
I love my dog and don't mind bathing her myself, but she's a 100lb American Bulldog. My wife knows how to clean her ears well and I leave her clean as a whistle, except I don't do the whole anal gland thing but apparently they really need it? But damn bathing her is an easy 100 bucks. So my question is, does anyone here do that themselves or do they defer to groomers? Cause I don't know if I'd be able to look her in the eyes after this type of thing but I really don't want to be paying 100 bucks a month for something that I can mostly do myself. Thoughts?
 

Se_7_eN

Member
Solid post Elcid Elcid ... My fiance always talks about relieving my dogs anal glands and I told her she is an insane pervert.

She got a pretty good laugh when I showed her this thread. Guess I need to learn how to do this.
 

JimiNutz

Banned
I think that's gotta be done by a groomer.
Maybe wash the dog yourself like normal and only get a groomer to do the anal glands. That may save you some cash?
 

Elcid

Banned
Of course... You gotta be a real man to be a mom. Rubber gloves for the win.
:( my friend said he used to be a vet assistant and said I should just do it.
Don't do it, it can lead to problems for your pooch.

Deal with the smell, such is life.
What kind of problems? Never heard of this. Also, every groomer does it don't they?
Who wants me to express their anal glands? PM me for rates.
Can I get a free sample first?
Someone tell me what that is, i dont want to risk googling and seeing something disgusting before breakfast
Squeezing your dogs asshole until stinky ooze comes out.
Solid post Elcid Elcid ... My fiance always talks about relieving my dogs anal glands and I told her she is an insane pervert.

She got a pretty good laugh when I showed her this thread. Guess I need to learn how to do this.
Hahaha, she sounds like a keeper. Also, I only post quality content :p
Nope, get the vet to do it.
Groomers do it too though.
Is this like playing red rocket?
I don't think so...
If you take your dog to a groomer, they usually do it for you.
I said that but do I want to pay 100 bucks each month to get them glands squeezed?!
 
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CyberPanda

Banned
:( my friend said he used to be a vet assistant and said I should just do it.

What kind of problems? Never heard of this. Also, every groomer does it don't they?

Can I get a free sample first?

Squeezing your dogs asshole until stinky ooze comes out.

Hahaha, she sounds like a keeper. Also, I only post quality content :p

Groomers do it too though.

I don't think so...

I said that but do I want to pay 100 bucks each month to get them glands squeezed?!
Then I recommend getting a mask, and a pair of gloves and push those glans in your bathtub or outside.
 

Elcid

Banned
Thanks.
"When you catch your dog dragging his behind, he's not using the lawn for toilet paper. His anal glands are full, and he is trying to relieve the pressure. Most dogs naturally empty the little sacs, located under the skin on either side of the anus, during bowel movements. Sometimes, though, for reasons unknown, the glands may fill up faster than they empty or become blocked. Emptying the anal glands will relieve the pressure and keep them from becoming infected and possibly bursting, an issue that would require surgery and antibiotics."
I've never seen my dog dragging/scooting her ass, so maybe she's good?
 

CyberPanda

Banned
Thanks.
"When you catch your dog dragging his behind, he's not using the lawn for toilet paper. His anal glands are full, and he is trying to relieve the pressure. Most dogs naturally empty the little sacs, located under the skin on either side of the anus, during bowel movements. Sometimes, though, for reasons unknown, the glands may fill up faster than they empty or become blocked. Emptying the anal glands will relieve the pressure and keep them from becoming infected and possibly bursting, an issue that would require surgery and antibiotics."
I've never seen my dog dragging/scooting her ass, so maybe she's good?
She might good then, yes. If she starts doing that, then you know you gotta drain it.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Can I get a free sample first?
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A brilliant vet of 40 years told me that expression of anal glands for shits and giggles can actually cause more issues and smells. I believe him coz he knows his shit. Also an article here.

Why Do Dogs and Cats Have Recurrent Anal Gland Problems?
In grooming schools during the ‘40s and ‘50s (and even some “old school” programs today), groomers were taught to clean the dogs’ ears, trim the dogs’ and cats’ nails, brush their teeth and express the anal glands.

Emptying the anal sacs was considered to be a courtesy, but the downside is that pets were never meant to have those anal glands recurrently expressed.

And one of the main reasons pets have recurrent problems with their anal glands is unnecessary trauma. If every single day I told you to wake up and squeeze your sub-mandibular lymph nodes or glands to express them, you could end up having glandular trauma. Or, if I told you to squeeze your salivary glands every single time you eat, you could end up with soft tissue trauma.

The two tiny glands inside your pets’ rectum have a tiny duct that leads out to the anus. When animals poop, feces come into the rectum and as the colon expands, these glands squeeze a little of this stinky material on the feces, which provides biochemical markers for other animals.

This is why your dog insists on stopping to smell poop when you’re out on a walk. They’re picking up on the anal gland material, which contains a lot of information on the dog that was there last.

All of these systems are meant to work in harmony, however, if that little duct that drains the anal gland becomes swollen shut, all heck can break loose. The area can become very irritated and inflamed, and if those glands swell up and pinch off the outflow tract, there will be no porthole for the material to be secreted.

So, what happens is that when groomers get in there in an attempt to provide a service to you, it can actually create unnecessary trauma. Veterinarians who express your dog’s anal glands can cause unnecessary trauma as well.
Unnecessary Trauma Through Recurrent Expression of the Anal Glands
Unnecessary trauma is a major reason why animals have recurrent anal gland problems, so if your pets don’t have anal gland problems right now, tell your vets and groomers to please leave them alone.

Do not automatically express your pet’s anal glands.

However, if there’s an underlying inflammatory condition or low-grade infection that’s already in the anal gland, sometimes gentle manipulation by a veterinarian who’s capable of recognizing how much pressure to apply can be helpful.

It’s very important that your vet knows when to stop squeezing, as the goal is to help the anal gland retrain its muscle tone so that the body can do its job on its own.

One of the biggest issues I see at Natural Pet, my practice, is that groomers have recurrently expressed anal glands once a month or so, whether the pet needs the service or not. When this is done, the muscle around the anal gland that naturally has good tone ends up losing muscle tone.

It’s kind of like a balloon. When you buy a balloon it’s small and tight but when you blow it up and let the air out, the balloon never goes back to its original taut, small size.

When your pet’s body becomes dependent on groomers and veterinarians expressing those anal glands, oftentimes muscle tone is lost and the body ends up not being able to do its job on its own.

So, if muscle tone is lost through recurrent expression, please do not have your veterinarian or groomer automatically express the glands. Instead, your vet can check the glands on a regular basis and determine whether the glands are normal-sized, not too full, and whether the duct is working properly. In that case, the best choice is to leave them alone.
Inflammation of the GI Tract and Other Organs
The second major reason why we often see recurrent anal gland issues is inflammation of the GI tract. Keep in mind that the rectum in the anus or the very last part of the gastrointestinal tract and any underlying disease or disease cascade that can influence the gastrointestinal tract can also influence the anal glands.

So, for instance, inflammatory bowel disease. If you’ve got inflammation of the colon, the anal glands can be infected. If your pet has allergies, allergic gastritis or allergic colitis, that can also cause inflammation of the anal glands.

And most importantly, anything that can cause soft stools, such as parasites, medications, and antibiotics, are also major risk factors for causing anal gland issues

This is because part of healthy anal glands is based on firm stool. When feces pass out of the rectum, it’s the pressure of the firm stool against the colon wall that effectively expresses the anal glands. If your pet’s stools are recurrently soft or if they’re having diarrhea often, that’s really a major metabolic reason why recurrent anal gland issues can become a problem.

The underlying cause that must be addressed in that case is whatever is causing the soft stool.
 

JORMBO

Darkness no more
Usually once or twice a year I'll notice my dog scooting a bunch and take him to the vet to have them do it. It takes a few mins and they charge $15.
 

G-Bus

Banned
One of our dogs had an abscessed anal gland last year. We hadn't realised it for the first few days until one night when she was really uncomfortable, dragging her but on the ground.

Did some googling and decided to try it myself. Would not recommend this route.

Ended up going to the vet the next day and had her show us. Would recommend for the safety and health of your pet.

Not sure how I feel about groomers doing this. If done improperly you can damage the gland and can lead to needing it surgically removed.

Also... It STINKS. Bad. Wear gloves. I do it in our bathtub as I don't want that juice on any fabric.
 
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I would have a vet express the glands if they need it. I give my dogs Probiotics for dogs. I buy it in powder form from Amazon and sprinkle it on their food.
 

Elcid

Banned
A brilliant vet of 40 years told me that expression of anal glands for shits and giggles can actually cause more issues and smells. I believe him coz he knows his shit. Also an article here.


Thanks for this! I will not be squeezing my dog's ass glands now. I appreciate it seriously!
 

LOLCats

Banned
Just let it happen naturally guys.... for christ sakes.

One of my kitties gets excited and it happens, we just clean her up with a warm rag...
 
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Dagobert_

Banned
I don't understand why people go above and beyond in grooming their dogs. I mean come on, the asshole? If you abandoned that dog, I'm sure that dog will clean its asshole or another dog will. Most of ya'll ain't never washed your ass after taking a shit, but you're willing to clean a dog's anal gland? Nah B, I'd never do that.
 

Elcid

Banned
I don't understand why people go above and beyond in grooming their dogs. I mean come on, the asshole? If you abandoned that dog, I'm sure that dog will clean its asshole or another dog will. Most of ya'll ain't never washed your ass after taking a shit, but you're willing to clean a dog's anal gland? Nah B, I'd never do that.
Speak for yourself. I have to take a shower after I take a shit.
 

Humdinger

Member
I tried to learn it via Youtube, but I couldn't get the feel for it. We had a couple of aborted attempts, then I gave up.

So I paid someone else to do it. It only cost me $20 or so. Like you said, it feels kind of personal. I'd rather the techs do it than me. I'd be concerned about injuring her by doing it wrong. I'd prefer someone who has had training and knows how to do it, rather than me fumbling through it.
 
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