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Most non dog owners will never have heard of an anal gland but, for us pet parents, they can be quite important. For some individual pets, anal glands can become problematic and it is important that owners are aware of what they are and what can go wrong with them.
Dog anal glands are small sacs; about the size of a cherry, that sit inside the anus. If we were to say the anus was a clock face, the glands are found at about 4 and 8 o’clock.
The sacs are lined with sebaceous glands and they produce a strong, foul-smelling liquid that dogs use to mark territory and communicate with other dogs in the vicinity.
Anal glands cannot be seen externally and can only be felt by inserting fingers into the anus. This is done with a gloved hand, using lubricant to minimise discomfort.
One of the quintessential signs of anal gland issues is ‘the scoot’. Scooting or bum dragging is a dog’s way of trying to relieve the irritation they are feeling. Many owners mistakenly assume that this is a sign of worms, but it is simply an indication that the anal area is very irritated.
You might notice your dog sitting down abruptly and/or quickly looking behind them with an alert or concerned expression on their face.
A swelling may be visible around the anus and we might also detect a fishy smelling, brown discharge being leaked from the anus.
Some dogs will stretch to lick and chew at their back end. While some can reach, others may lick and chew their rump and legs instead. This can lead to fur loss and red skin.
We see anal gland issues much more commonly in small breeds, due to their conformation. They seem to be more prone to narrow openings of the anal glands. Obese dogs are also at higher risk. This is thought to be due to them having weaker muscles.
It is relatively uncommon for larger breeds to suffer with chronic anal gland issues, but it certainly happens.
Pedigree dogs are at highest risk. This is likely due to the fact that atopic dermatitis (allergies) is more common in these dogs and anal gland issues go hand in hand with atopy.
Anal glands will need to be squeezed and emptied if they are impacted. This is something owners can be taught to safely do at home. We should only empty glands that require emptying; if the dog has no anal gland issues, there is no need to empty them.
Many owners are (understandably) not confident to empty the glands at home and this is always something a vet will be happy to do. Some dogs require their glands to be emptied very regularly (every 4 to 6 weeks), while others may only need it a few times in their life.
If there is an infection, the dog will need a course of antibiotics and anti inflammatories.
A dog who is licking at their back end due to the discomfort should be given a buster collar to protect the surrounding skin and tissue.
Uncommonly, surgery is needed to treat ongoing anal gland issues, particularly if they cannot be managed medically and are significantly affecting a dog’s quality of life.
Thankfully, there are lots of things we can do to help prevent anal gland issues. This includes:
Comments (34)
Hi Val, if your pup does have firm stools, it might be worth speaking with your vet; as firm stools do help with naturally expressing the anal glands and it could be more related to the positioning of their anal glands.
We are feeding Dakota kibbles and bits is there a better food that would help with her anal glands
Hi Joyce,
You may find changing Dakota to a high fibre diet helps with their anal gland troubles.
If they are over weight, our slim and slender may be the most appropriate. If they’re a healthy weight, Health & Digestion may be best, as it contributes to a firm stool, which helps in the natural expression of the glands. If you have any questions, reach out to the team on [email protected]
Hi, my Cockapoo is 8yrs old and suffers with his anal glands, we have to get them emptied every 4 weeks. He is fed pooch and mutt healthy digestion dry food also the turkey and duck wet food. Can you help with anything else we could feed him to help with his anal glands. Thank you
Hi Lynn, it might be worth adding in some of our Bionic Biotic supplement to see if this helps with their anal gland trouble, to help firm up the stools and also help with digestion, along with the benefit of additional prebiotics to aid in gut health. :)
We have a 3 year old red fox labrador. We are having to empty his anal glands every 4 weeks, usually get a sign of a fish smelling odour/discharge.
Is this normal? Is there anything we should include or exclude from his diet?
Greg
My 1 year and 5 month puppy, as her anal gland empty today. How long will the discomfort last
Hi
I have a 10 month old pocket bully female and she was on a raw diet but started refusing to eat it. She is now on kibble and meat. She has solid toilet everyday but she let’s of her anal glands nearly everyday and will do it anywhere ie sofa, car etc. I have ordered her some fibre and help would be good please 🙏
Hi Gregory,
It all depends on the individual and some dogs do need their anal glands expressing every 4-6 weeks. We would advise ensuring they are on a high fibre diet such as our Health & Digestion dry food, which contributes to firm stools and the natural expression of anal glands. :)
Hi Keisha,
Your pooch should only feel discomfort for around 24 hours, any longer than this we would advise speaking with your vet. :)
My dog had a smelly discharge, some leakage, occasional scooting. Took her to the vet today and she has one infected gland. She was prescribed an antibiotic, should I have asked for anti inflammatory meds too? We have a great veterinarian, I just worry about discomfort. She’s had the smelly discharge for a couple weeks so I’m worried she’s been in pain this whole time. The only reason she only saw her vet today (two to three weeks after i noticed the scent) is because we couldn’t get an appt two weeks ago due to holidays. But now I’m worried she may be in pain. She got her first dose of flagyl a few hours ago.
Hi Corey,
Sometimes vets do prescribe an anti-inflammatory alongside other meds and it might be worth contacting your vet about this if you are concerned she is in pain, so they can re asses her needs to include any if needed. :)
Hi There!
I have an 8 year old, 9.6 kg westie mix who was diagnosed with IBD a few month back. He still on prednisone we tried to reduce it as much as we could but he had flare ups on 1.25 so now he is back on 2.5mg. He has been diagnosed with reflux at age 3 and he always needed his anal sacks expressed at least every 4 weeks. He never in his life had a loose stool. My question is could it be that his occasional IBD/reflux flare ups are linked to his anal glands? Thank you so much, Linda
My one-year-old male Chow, Fozzie Bear has had his anal glands release three times in the house. I think it’s happening because he gets scared when a stranger comes into the house. I don’t know if this is indicative of a problem or just normal because he’s scared. My last two male chows couldn’t empty their anal glands themselves, I had to have them manually drained. I gave one of them Metamucil twice a week to help. Should I try this with Fozzie?
Hi Linda,
We would advise raising this with your own vet, as they know your pets history and would be best to comment on this. If there is anything we can help with in relation to your dogs diet, please let us know :)
Our 6 year old Maltese started dropping little poop nuggets (size of a marble; normal consistency) after eating, sleeping (dropping them all day – recently). She does have pancreatitis, so eats a low fat prescription kibble diet. She seems unaware that the nugget is beginning to come out – and begins to shake as it finishes forming (I believe she thinks she’s done something wrong). The vet has cleaned her anal glands and suggested adding psyllium powder to her food. We’ve done this for a couple of months, but it seem to have done nothing at all (and sticks all over in the hair around her mouth). We quickly take her outside to let her finish (after one falls) – but she never thinks she has anything left to excrete. 10 or 15 minutes later, it will be the same thing. We can almost walk behind her, and use a tissue to catch them as
they fall out. Is there anything that you can think of that would help? Thank you.
My dog has an annul abcese and is on antibiotics and anti inflammatory but has not been able to pass a poo for 24 hours is this normal
Hi Kathy, as you have tried what the vet has already suggested, we would advise checking back in with them for further advice, as they will know your pets history and be in the best place to advise. :)
Hello, my vet thought my dogs anal glands were infected so she prescribed antibiotics and anti inflammatory medications. He seemed to feel better, was licking the area less but now he’s back at the licking of his anus. Could it take another round of antibiotics to clear an infection? I need to bring him back In for a recheck
He has never had anal gland issues in his 8 wonderful years of life – we rarely ever need to express his glands, I think he has had it done twice.
Hi my female dog wake up with pee spot we’re she lays every night.. usually on my bed..help.thank you another load of laundry
Hi Jen,
We would advise speaking to your vet regarding this as they know your pets history. It might be that they need a higher fibre diet, to help with the emptying of their anal glands. :)
My 4 year old dog got an anal gland removed 5 weeks ago and he is still oozing out of the surgical wound. He has been back on antibiotics but he is still oozing. Is this normal. How long does it take for the wound to heal.
Hi Christine,
We would advise speaking with your vet regarding this, as every dogs recovery is different and they would be best to advise. :)
Is there always an underlying cause for anal leakage? My dog was severely overweight (due to her prior owners) & has since lost about 25 lbs. She also just had corkscrew removal surgery. Now her anal glands have become a huge issue. Her poop is solid and her glands were empty when the vet checked. The vet said that this was part of her new “construct” & just something I would have to deal with. The surgeon said everything looked great and she retained full sphincter control.
So my basic question is do dogs anal glands leak for no reason? Shouldn’t there be a reason why this is happening? It doesn’t seem like something that I should just have to “deal with”. Thanks
Hi Sophie, it’s also to do with the dogs build etc, as well as diet. This does sound like it could potentially be an issue you may have to deal with if the anal glands were empty and that is what the vet has advised, but adding a pro-biotic may help potentially here. :)
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