Does anyone else's dog "express"?

[WeRQ4U]

My bigger dog (she's a honest to goodness MUTT) goes through periods where she absolutely REAKS. She gets riled up and actually releases this foul smelling liquid. It gets on the couch. It gets on the carpet. It gets on US. It's disgusting. I want to know what I can do about it. Today I got some on my hands and I almost passed out from the smell. It was AWFUL.

Just some background too. She's been fixed for years. And like I said, I haven't a clue as to what type of dog she is. She's a rescue. She's really scruffy and wirey, so I would imagine some kind of terrier, but I don't know.

Any help would suffice. It's nasty.

Sorry if I grossed anyone out. It grosses me out too.

[Orrex]

1. A friend's dog had a similar issue (WARNING: GROSS)

My friend had to, um, massage some kind of glands around the dog's anal area, at which time a foul liquid was discharged. I don't own a dog, but what you're describing sounds like what my friend described.

Have you taken the animal to a vet? Maybe you could try peppermint-scented doggy-pants?

[Cathyclysmic]

4. I took my cat to the vet's

Sorry to bring up cats in your dog thread, but cats have the same problem. I saw my cat's ass was swollen. All these websites were advising me to lance it and do weekly 'maintenance'. Beast Man made an appointment with the vet faster then you can say anal seepage.:puke:

[fleabert]

2. anal glands.

take the dog to a groomer occasionally and they will express them for you, if you cannot stand to do it yourself. I take care of flea's myself, and it is horrid. Even in such a small dog the smell is unbelievable. I take her outside or put her in the bathtub, hold my breath, and pinch. :puke: a little TP for the drips and run away!

if your dog scoots their butt across the floor, the anal glands are probably clogged, and really need to be expressed. You should probably ask her vet if it's a problem that it's expressing without pinching.

so gross!

[China_cat]

3. If it gets too bad

the anal glands can be removed.

[NewWaveChick1981]

5. True, but many vets hesitate to do it because...

...it can make a dog incontinent. That's worse than the gland problem, IMO. I've had dogs that had to "ride the Anal Sac Express" (it showed up on a bill that way once, and hubby and I laughed ourselves silly singing "'Cause you know she's ridin' on the Anal Sac Express...") once every couple of months and I've had dogs that never had a problem in their lives. It just depends on the dog. If there's an infection, it can be a very nasty discharge. Vets are the best ones equipped to "express" the glands, since doing it the wrong way can cause impaction and worse problems. If you try to do it yourself (NOT RECOMMENDED) and you fail, it can be painful for the dog, not to mention awful for yourself.

I'd take the dog to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. It's a pain, but it's worth it.

[China_cat]

14. We had a mini-dachschund

who had them removed before we adopted her. Never had a bit of problem because of it. Of course it's only now...in over 30 years of owning my own dogs...that I have one that needs to go in about every 2 months and have it done.

That's one I'll leave to the professionals. My gag reflex has a hair trigger.

[NewWaveChick1981]

6. Oh, one other thing... (GROSS WARNING HERE TOO!)

...in some cases, there may not be much in the sacs, but the dog may have tapeworms and lick his/her butt furiously, releasing the stinky stuff in the glands. (I only say this because one of my dogs had this exact problem. :( ) It's best to take the dog to the vet to determine what the root cause is.

[Bunny]

7. Yeah, I have two female dogs and it is real nasty.

I have to take the big dog to the vet to get her glands expressed. Sometimes she gets impacted, which is even harder for her. The groomer won't do it, so off to the vet we go.

The little dog seems to be able to express her own glands, by dragging her butt across the floor occasionally. Her odor is the rankest of the two, as well. Pee yoo.

[jukes]

8. amply covered

& excellent posts.

only 1 addition i can make. if you need or choose to cleanup your animal yourself, try the cop/coroner trick they use when handling decomposed cadavers: apply a generous plug of mentholated chest-rub to your upper lip or nostrils. it won't negate the unpleasant odor but it does help.

[hippiechick]

9. Yes, it's perfectly natural. It's a dog's version of "skunk"...

Hop over to the pets forum or do a google on 'anal sacs'.

[Orsino]

10. A vet will express those glands...

...or treat any more serious condition.

When you take your doggie to the vet, you'll know when it happens: it's the moment every dog in the place goes nuts. They communicate via scent, and expressing those glands seems to be the canine equivalent of yelling, "HEY! HEY! HEY!"

[NewWaveChick1981]

11. LOL! I never quite thought of it that way, but...

...you're exactly right! And after it's over, your dog will come running to you with a big smile and wagging tail, which says, "THANK YOU! I FEEL BETTER NOW!!!" :D

[AllegroRondo]

12. You may want to switch to a high-fiber dog food

it helps them 'express' naturally.

[Scout]

13. we add 1/8 tsp. of Citrucel to each doggie meal...

my dog just had anal gland problems ... we thought at first it was cancer, the mass was "so solid"...

anyway, it's not cancer, it was an infection, and we've added the citrucel to increase the fiber and help keep the anal glands cleaned out.

that 1/8 tsp. per 2 cup meal is for a 75 pound dog ...
works out to 1/4 tsp. per day mixed into the 4 cups food

be sure the dog has enough water to drink with the added fiber!

and do see your vet as everyone else recommended.