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For some individual pets, anal glands can become problematic and owners must be 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.
Just like older dogs, a puppy’s anal gland shouldn’t cause them any pain, discomfort or distress unless they need emptying.
If your puppy’s suffering from full anal glands, they may display the same symptoms as older dogs including scooting, licking the area, straining when pooping or a strong, fishy odour.
However, you should also note that these are also symptoms of food allergies or worms since puppies very commonly contract worms.
If you suspect your puppy has worms, be sure to check their poop for any white flecks or spaghetti-like worms, and speak to your vet for worming treatment and advice. To find out more about treating your puppy for worms, check out our article; ‘Identifying and treating worms in puppies’.
If you suspect that your puppy needs their anal glands expressed, be sure to contact your vet. You could follow the aforementioned advice to do it yourself at home, but with a puppy being so small and wriggly, taking them to a vet will be easier and ensure a safe procedure.
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 (46)
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. :)
My dog’s anal gland we emptied by the vet 2 days ago since he was having discharge and licking his end after the discharge. He has had no relief after 2 days. His glands are still discharging throughout the day. I keep think they can not be impacted since they were released and also since they keep discharging. This happens all day. Any suggestions
Hi Christine,
As you have recently visited your vet and had their glands emptied, we would advise contacting them regarding this and hopefully they may be able to offer some help.
I have a pug, and I just had her expressed and she is already scooting and looking back as if something is bothering her. She gets her glands expressed monthly , I am very worried that something is wrong . She also has allergies and gets a shot every six weeks , we have just started those again and she’s had two so far , also she has had bladder stone surgery twice and can only eat a canned food that I get from my vet , . She has been eating cooked chicken ( no skin ) with her food for the past 9 months , I checked with my vet first and he thought it was ok. Ok so I have a six year old baby that I’ve spent a ton of money on but that’s ok , I love her and I chose her and she is my best friend. This acting like her booty hurts has me super worried tho . Please give me any info or tips . Thank you Brenda J Bolin
Hi Brenda,
Due to your vet advising specific food for your pooch, it would be best to speak with them in regards to any advice on whether there is any supplements or specific food you could give them to help here, hopefully they can offer you some advice. :)
Hi, I gave my dog pet lab chews and ever since her anal glands leak all the time, the vet said to stop giving her them and this a month ago, and her anal glands is constantly leaking to the point I have to keep pants on her all the time, as the smell is so bad, what can I do to stop the leaking, as it’s dripping out all the time
Hi Janette,
As the symptoms are still occurring after stopping the product, we would advise speaking with your vet regarding treatment for this.
Which Pooch & Mutt food is best suited for a dog with anal gland issues – are they all high fibre?
Thank you
Hi Sarah,
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. :) If you would like to discuss this further, please do reach out to the team on [email protected]
Hi The fishy smell that often comes from my 4.5 year old Cockapoo is undoubtedly her anal glands as I think she expresses them now and then herself but regrettably more so recently. I do take her to the vet every couple of months to have them expressed and more often than not they inform me there is hardly anything in them. I’ve always used P&M kibble e.g. health and digestion, calm and relaxed and in earlier years slim and slender. As she will not eat kibble on its own and I thought it was perhaps the larger size kibble that put her off, I recently changed her to Primal, the much smaller size kibble, albeit still having to tempt her with some other wet incentive on top. However, her poos just very recently have been much smaller, sometimes looser, than normal and was wondering if the change of food is perhaps contributing to that and consequently the increase the anal issues. Is it possible that Primal is perhaps not the best choice for her given her anal issues and maybe more protein in it than fibre which she maybe needs. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi my dog suffering with anal glans took her to the vets 2 weeks ago said she needs to be flushed but still got problems vets don’t want to know
Hi Lorraine, If your pooches stools are seeming loose, this could mean she has a slight intolerance to an ingredient or that the food may be a little rich for her. She could indeed also require more fibre to bulk up her stools, and our Health & Digestion range may be more suitable. You could also look at our Bionic Biotic supplement which could also be beneficial if your pooch has no intolerance to grains. Please do reach out to the team at [email protected] for further advice and they will be more than happy to help :)
Hi Irene,
Oh we’re sorry to hear this and do hope she is doing ok! It may be that your pooch would benefit from some additional fibre in their diet, Our Health & Digestion dry food can be a good choice here as it supports a healthy gut, firm stools and the natural expression of anal glands. Please do reach out to the team at [email protected] for any further advice and guidance :)
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