# Anal Gland Questions



## ozzy'smom

I don't have much to offer. Ozzy hasn't had issues yet but our first Golden did a lot when she was younger. It seemed to be something she grew out of.


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## Elisabeth Kazup

I'm not sure how closely related our situation is to yours. I don't think I've ever smelled anything. Not even when the vet expressed them and got a little. They opened a window ahead of time because 'it will be bad'. Never smelled a thing. I don't generally have a diminished smelling ability.

However, Penny will scoot just a few days after being expressed. For us, that is NOT a sign of anything. We have her done routinely every 3-6 months and there's never anything to speak of.

Our vet is of the opinion that either 1) she just overly sensitive to the 'feeling' or 2) the scooting does the expressing.

What does the smell smell like?


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## Zombo

Penny's Mom said:


> What does the smell smell like?


Think of dead, rotting fish and you'd be close! :yuck: You'd definitely know it, if you smelled it. /shudder

Our pup doesn't really scoot, she's learned a weird fast, hard sit. Most of the time, though, when the stink comes it's after she wakes up from her afternoon nap.


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## iansgran

Maybe if you feed a lower quality food with a lot of fiber it would help.


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## mayapaya

Zombo said:


> Think of dead, rotting fish and you'd be close! :yuck: You'd definitely know it, if you smelled it. /shudder
> 
> hmmm, so I walked into our house last night, and said "what is that smell"???? It was exactly as you described--dead rotting fish, so I'm sniffing Maya, her cage, the garbarge, and I still can't tell where the smell is coming from--then, it dissapated. Is the smell continuous, or does it come and go?


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## Zombo

mayapaya said:


> Zombo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Think of dead, rotting fish and you'd be close! :yuck: You'd definitely know it, if you smelled it. /shudder
> 
> hmmm, so I walked into our house last night, and said "what is that smell"???? It was exactly as you described--dead rotting fish, so I'm sniffing Maya, her cage, the garbarge, and I still can't tell where the smell is coming from--then, it dissapated. Is the smell continuous, or does it come and go?
> 
> 
> 
> Our experience is that it lingers until we clean her behind and fur/feathering on her rear legs.
Click to expand...


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## Dallas Gold

I can't answer all of your questions about anal sacs, especially with a puppy, but I did have an older Golden that had trouble expressing them on his own and needed help with them. A couple of things come to mind here:

1. Be careful in letting groomers express them. Our vet cautioned us that you can damage nerves and things in that area if you don't do them correctly and she wanted us to have them done only by a veterinarian or a vet tech/nurse experienced with it. I'm sure there are groomers that do a good job with this most unpleasant task, but I did get cautioned about it from our vet. 

2. To clean the terrible odor, take ear cleaning fluid, soak a cotton ball or pad and use it to wipe away the anal area. It will do a pretty good job of taking away the odor. You can also spray some Genta spray there as well (it's a prescription spray). 

I wouldn't be giving your pup too many people foods just yet. Dairy may well aggravate the issue, or cause flatulence--just as unpleasant to smell. Many dogs are lactose intolerant. Sometimes a different food might help as well.


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## OutWest

My Cav spaniel had both anal glands infected at one point. We could not figure out what the awful odor was. Vet expressed them and tested the junk. He said it's usually only one that gets infected. 

I think it has to do with solidity of the stool not volume. The firmer "logs" naturally express the sacs. So adding fiber as per your vet's instructions sounds like the way to go


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## Elisabeth Kazup

By all accounts, then, I've never smelled it! Consider myself lucky! Sometimes I think she's rolled in the 'expression' from some moose's anal glands, tho!


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## bonacker

*Anal Gland Remedy Worked for Hunter!*

Hi All -
MY FIRST POST! Been addicted to GRF since I was researching Lymphoma when my Golden heart dog Rusty was diagnosed in June 2009 (and went to the bridge in September 2009). I'm on the forum every night enjoying all of your posts and now have 2 Goldens - Hunter will be 2 next month, and Mako who we adopted in June, is 8 months old. I feel like you are all family and look forward to your posts every day. This anal glad post got me revved! I had to share my experience with Hunter, my first Golden ever with anal gland issues. I tried everything I read that could possibly help, but found that the salmon oil supplement I was giving him was "over lubricating" his bowel movements. I discovered this on some online article I found, discontinued the salmon (or fish) oil and added 1 cup of "Southern Home" brand "Fiber Active" - (that's the house brand for Fiber One sold in Bi-Lo here in South Carolina) bran cereal to his kibble once a day. It has no added sugar and is 60 calories per one half cup. It cured his "scootching" and biting at his butt within 2 weeks and he has not had to have his glands expressed since we added this to his diet and discontinued the fish/salmon oil. Sorry it took so long for me to come out the closet here at GRF, but just wanted to share my positive experience with the anal gland problems.
I appreciate all the informative posts I have read and love the stories and pictures of all of your wonderful Goldens. I have also cried many tears along with all of you during your losses of your beloved Goldens.
- Hunter and Mako's Mom in SC


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## KaMu

I have had this dilema with one of my Maltese. Changing food was what worked for us... Once it cleared ...*IF*.... I kept her on the same food it would just reoccur. I thought about adding Fiber into her food but decided Id change foods and see if it was this type food that was doing it. It took 3 times with her having problems with the anal glands for me to switch foods. Her stools were always the same on both foods, there was no change there at all. But there was never again a problem with the switch of foods.

Nothing with my Golden Roxy. And my pup Roo....no problems but the other night he was lying down and I was brushing him and when I finished brushing, I noticed *THE SMELL*, and he was looking back at me like...what the heck are you doing back there and whats that smell? lol. I checked out the area and it was all good :doh: Wiped his back side with some self rinse shampoo and haven't noticed anything further. Maybe the glands were ready to drain and I helped it along somehow with brushing. 

Again just my experience.


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## Zombo

So, pumpkin and green beans aren't really helping things along. Stool is a bit more dense and has a bit more volume, but is still about a 5 or 6 on the solidity scale. We're seriously considering switching her food.

Should we wait longer than 1.5 weeks on the green beans/pumpkin to see if things get better, or should we bite the bullet now?

Could it be caused by a food allergy/sensitivity? Should we switch up the protein source? The first ingredient of her current food (Life's Abundance) is chicken meal. She scratches occasionally, but doesn't seem obsessed with it. She doesn't have eye or ear problems and her coat does look fantastic.

Would love any more suggestions and really appreciate all the pointers you all have given so far!  I'll head on over to the food/nutrition sub-forum in the meantime ...


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## Zombo

Update, switched over to Blue Buffalo Lamb and Barley formula in an attempt to fix things. I figured it might be a good thing to switch up the primary protein at the same time (chicken -> lamb). Anyway, we switched slowly over the course of ~2 weeks with no real problems. Now, our pup typically has 2 pretty firm stools and 1-2 that are on the soft side in a given day. 

She was last expressed on the first of the month, and has just started leaking again today. :yuck: It's only been twelve days! I think we're going to have to try another food after Christmas. *sigh* Any suggestions?


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## maggiesmommy

I won't get into quality arguments, but IAMS natural weight control gives Maggie the hardest poops I have ever seen....like it feels like picking up day old poopies...not to get to graphic.


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## mrmooseman

ok.. so this is my first gr dog, and i have had dogs but i feel so new because its been years since i had a puppy.. when should we get betting this done? he is almost 7 months now.. is it something he should of had done long ago ? our vet has never said anything to is about it.. i haven't taken him to the groomers, we usually bath and brush him ourselves and clip his nails because around here not many groomers take large breed dogs.. but he still has some "puppy fur".. so ya.. lol when should he be getting this !


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## OutWest

Did your vet test the contents? It sounds to me like they're infected. That won't go away by itself. If not infected, increasing the fiber is probably the best solution. 

Only time we ever smelled the smell, was when our spaniel's anal glands were infected.


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## Zombo

They've been checked out by the vet with no issues other than being very full.


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## Zombo

mrmooseman said:


> ok.. so this is my first gr dog, and i have had dogs but i feel so new because its been years since i had a puppy.. when should we get betting this done? he is almost 7 months now.. is it something he should of had done long ago ? our vet has never said anything to is about it.. i haven't taken him to the groomers, we usually bath and brush him ourselves and clip his nails because around here not many groomers take large breed dogs.. but he still has some "puppy fur".. so ya.. lol when should he be getting this !


From what I understand, this isn't a problem for most dogs, so you don't have to do anything. Count yourself lucky!


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## gwinn1952

We have 2 mini dachshunds that we have to do annal glands do on the first of the month along with worm and frontline...do our selfs. If we are traveling we may do it sooner. But our golden has only shown signs of the problem a few times in her first year (thank god). It is one of the most awlful smell in the world.


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## Hunter'sMom

Yuck. Anal glands are no fun. My Ella has issues with hers, and there really is no rhyme or reason to it. She has been eating the same food for years. Sometimes she can go months without scooting or needing her glands expressed. Other times, it seems to be every couple of weeks. I just take her to the clinic and they get her all done and cleaned up in no time. Unless they are impacted, our vet said it really isn't a problem at all... her dog needs to be expressed every month.


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## cubbysan

I had a dog that had issues every 4 weeks, one to two pieces of shredded wheat cereal did the trick, never had another issue in his lifetime.


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## doula1st

Zombo said:


> mayapaya said:
> 
> 
> 
> Our experience is that it lingers until we clean her behind and fur/feathering on her rear legs.
> 
> 
> 
> Yep.....that is what we have found to. I am always the one to notice it first and I KNOW immediately what it is and go to grab some wet paper towels and deodorizer! I have mentioned it several times to our vet, but he never finds anything wrong. Darbys poop is usually on the firm side and she will stil leak. It has happened at least 12-15 times over the last 3 months. I will be reading for others responses to. I just hope it doesn't happen when company is coming over!
Click to expand...


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## Zombo

I had another thought, does the amount of food we give our pup affect the firmness of her poop? She's on Blue Buffalo - All Natural and Organic Lamb Based Adult Dog Food (Blue Buffalo Adult Life Protection Lamb and Brown Rice Recipe). She's just under 50 lbs and nine months old. The bag says 2.5-3 cups for 41-60 lb dogs. We're feeding her 3 cups, as I thought you push the upper limit for puppies. Is it possible we're over feeding her? She looks trim and lean, at least to my untrained eyes ...


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## doula1st

I am also feeding Blue Buffalo, and that sounds like the right amount to me. Darby is still on Puppy for large breeds though. I am starting to wonder if I should switch food because of the gland issue....but I think I will try to add the fiber first. Darby has a LOT of raw marrow bones (every day ) , hopefully that is not making her glands worse.


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## Zombo

doula1st said:


> Zombo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep.....that is what we have found to. I am always the one to notice it first and I KNOW immediately what it is and go to grab some wet paper towels and deodorizer! I have mentioned it several times to our vet, but he never finds anything wrong. Darbys poop is usually on the firm side and she will stil leak. It has happened at least 12-15 times over the last 3 months. I will be reading for others responses to. I just hope it doesn't happen when company is coming over!
> 
> 
> 
> Unless you're trying to get rid of your in-laws!  j/k
> 
> Hope you find a solution, too.
Click to expand...


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## Jer

Ahhh thats what it is, our Trixie had smells like 4 days after a bath, and I was thinking "omg what did she get into"?? Terrible sardine smell.

Well its happened 2 _maybe_ 3 times, then the smell went away in a couple hours, but at least now I know what it is. I think, I "thought" anal glands at one point but never looked into it because it went away.

Now I will be able to track the issue, if there is one, thanks!


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## Willow52

When Maggie (RIP) was a puppy she had some issues with her anal gland odor. The vet explained to me that sometimes puppies can have over-active anal glands (like a teenage human with over active oil gland/pimples). They usually outgrow it. Maggie did.


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## Zombo

Willow52 said:


> When Maggie (RIP) was a puppy she had some issues with her anal gland odor. The vet explained to me that sometimes puppies can have over-active anal glands (like a teenage human with over active oil gland/pimples). They usually outgrow it. Maggie did.


Here's hoping! :crossfing How long did it take for yours to outgrow it?


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## 3goldens

having had a couple of shepherds with anal gland issues which resulted in perianal fistula's. I'll tell you what I would do if this were me...First off, the majority of my dogs thru my life I've never ever had to do anything with their anal glands.

My first shepherd had an infection in a gland, the minute the vet I was using at the time, started expressing them, it was a continuous thing I think having to continual express them ended up contributing more problems, but then again, they had to be done.

The first one I had his gland and the fistula's removed. Never had a problem after and lived to a ripe old age. The second because these were fistula's, I went the cyclo route.

At this point in time, if I had a dog with recurring anal gland issues, I would remove them. Of course I would recommend a skilled surgeon who has done the procedure prior. 

Your don't dealing with fistula's now, but you 'may' in the future or you may not. 
I know alot of people in my fistula "group", switch their dogs to fish based diets with as little ingredients as possible.

Believe me, you do not want to deal with fistula's Just thought I'd give some info from experience I've gone thru.


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## Dallas Gold

I respectfully disagree with the above recommendation on removing the anal glands, especially with a puppy. There is a risk of permanent nerve damage in removing anal glands--most vets do not recommend that now unless it is a serious situation. One of the consequences is constant anal fluid leakage/incontinence. Be very careful before doing that and get several opinions first. 

I'm not positive but I think others have posted on this forum about Blue Buffalo being too rich for puppies and causing some issues. You might want to do a forum search.


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## 3goldens

you can respectfully disagree

I should have added, my first dog was not a puppy. The second there wasn't a need to remove since the meds worked, but I would not have hesitated if they had not worked.

I'm not a vet nor claim to be one, just wanted to throw my experience into the mix. 
Having gone thru anal gland issues with two dogs, and others I know that have had the removal done, as long as it's done by a skilled board certified surgeon who knows what he's doing, there shouldn't be a problem.

I am not sure I would do removal on a puppy, all I know is, once you start with anal gland issues it seems to be never ending.

I agree I would also change foods to see if that helps.


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## Zombo

Update one year later:

This issue is mostly (~90%) resolved now, though it does rear it's head (tush?) every now and then. Perhaps once a month there might be a little "leakage" that some quick spray + blot takes care of. I suspect that her glands are always 75% full or so, but she can maintain that for the most part.

So, how did we manage to solve the problem? Well, we tried pretty much everything that was suggested (short of surgery) as far as food additives go: green beans, pumpkin, carrots, metamucil, wheat bran, mini-wheat cereal, probiotics, etc. The things that seemed to help the most were the wheat bran and/or wheat cereal coupled with probiotics and carrots. I will say that it was pretty difficult trying to figure out cause-effect throughout this process. You tweak something, and then have to wait for everything to settle out -- but how full were the glands when you changed something, etc, etc? It was all trial-and-error and we ended up with something that seemed to work for awhile.

Then, we started to eliminate the additives one by one to see if they were truly beneficial. Since about mid to late summer, we've eliminated everything! Our conclusion is that she's grown up, filled out, and can now express herself naturally most of the time. Hope this story helps anyone else that's struggling with this issue. Crossing our fingers that it's only better from here on out... 

Thanks for all the tips!


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## Buddy's mom forever

I am glad to read things improved so much. Thanks for the update and sharing useful informations.


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## Camins

*Anal glands*

How much Metamucil a day?


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## Camins

*Anal gland problem*

How much Metamucil and is it forever?


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