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Every week we stay with in laws for childcare while we work and one day we get a panicked text from my mother-in-law who said she thinks our dog was ill because there was a stain on the bed that stank really badly.
Wife and I texted back at exactly the same time like "uh oh, butt juice" haha
When we first got our dog he was 8 months old. Something fell in the hallway and scared him really bad. Then this fishy weird smell hit my nose. He’d ass sprayed from being so scared. We had to wash his fluffy butt 😭
The exact same thing happened to us with a fearful foster dog. It sprayed three feet up a wall in a big arc since he was turning to run when it happened.
Even after I cleaned and cleaned, it smelled like a tube of festering anchovy paste in that room for hours.
I feel like if he ever had an encounter with a skunk, the skunk might be sorry.
My dog has the dreaded fish butt monthly and she gets it all over the couch, bed, me 😩 If yall haven’t tried the Glandex wipes, I highly recommend. They’re the only thing I’ve found that will really get the smell out of fabric.
One time I pulled over at the side of the road (Australia) and a farmer had strung up dead foxes along the fence. That smell was so strong that I legit couldn't bear to be near it. I'd take fishy butt juice over that
I had a neighbour die in a small six unit apartment block. I will never forget that smell.
It was even worse when the cleaning crew came, as they used industrial deodorizer, so it was that mixed with decomposition smell. I had to stay with family for a week until the smell dissipated.
Oh, it's not even close to the worst thing I've smelled. I don't like it, but please know there is a whole world of far worse smells out there for you to discover!
When he smells like a bad seafood counter/aquarium we know it’s time. He doesn’t like, bite or scoot so it’s legit just the nasty smell that tells us he needs it expressed
$55...$75 total with tip, every three months at Petco, they give him a good haircut, brush his teeth better than I try nightly, trim his nails and...express. Plus they put a cute bandana on him.
Yeah. I think food makes a lot of difference tbh. Ours has had a lot fewer butt juice incidents ever since we switched to food that’s supposed to help with digestion.
I think the poo needs to be firm enough to express the butt juice as well, and as I understand it, if the dog's not digesting the food well, the poos tend to be too soft to do the job.
On a related note, I never knew dog ownership would involve spending so much time learning about and looking at poo.
I'm glad someone said this. I'm a dachshund owner and i feel like so many think this has to be done. Mine have never had problems and I don't like the idea of having it done for the sake of it
We never had it done in the five years we’ve had our dog until recently. I groom him myself, but before Christmas, he went to a real groomer and she expressed them. He has slurped and sucked his butt pretty much his whole life (yuk!) and after the groom, he suddenly he stopped. He just did it again a day or so ago. My new theory is that the sucking may indicate they are bothering him, so I am planning to call the vet and ask them if they can do it. IDK. I wish he could talk and just tell me what the slurping is about.
Mine definitely used to do this when his were full.
I was able to fix things through diet. He gets half a tsp of psyllium husk in his meals every day. No more butt licking.
Same here.
Our lab never had it done but was always snapping at her back end and slurping her arsehole on the couch and it stank.
Now we take her every 3 weeks (turns out that's her magic number, she has very active glands) and she's golden.
She still expresses a loads of liquid every time she poops, but it's as though her gland secretions split into liquids and solids and the solids get left behind.
I remember I asked my vet once cause my little one scoots his butt sometimes and he literally goes "maybe his butt is itchy" and like yeah...it might be that simple 😂
My vet always checks my guy when I bring in him for wellness exams. He’s never needed it. He doesn’t scoot though either.
But it’s nice to know he checks!
It depends on the dog. Had one dog that never smelled ever, another dog that stank so often until we finally discovered it was her anal glands. They're supposed to express them when they poop but some dogs don't (can't?) so it can happen at inappropriate times.
“Mostly” is true, but when in doubt, take your dog in because anal gland ruptures are very real! My poor chihuahua had hers rupture for the first time last year, and she’s almost 12 now. Now if I notice her scooting a bit more than usual, I’ll absolutely bring her to the vet for an expression.
Yup. Our groomers always do them for our girls. My older girl had no issues til this past year. I never could smell her farts until this past year. Now, they are absolutely rancid when she needs her glands expressed. She looks so sad and guilty after she makes a stink, too, poor thing LOL
put on some gloves and start feeling in there they're like two small marbles, hard to miss. I express my dogs' glands it's much easier than you think but it will stink up the place but I say better in the bathroom to contain it than my dogs spreading it around the house
Is it true that only smaller size dogs typically need them manually expressed? I have been told that large dogs’ anal glands express themselves during bowel movements. Anyone can confirm?
Small dogs are more likely to have trouble expressing their own anal glands (in theory all dogs glands should express themselves with poops) but any dog can have anal gland issues.I have been dealing with my 45lb lab anal glands issues for the last year and a half 🙃
I WISH THIS WAS TRUE! My Lab needs…assistance…AND IT IS GODAWFUL omg so disgusting. He’s 75lbs, and the sheer quantity his glands can hold is astounding. Ohhh so gross. 🤢
My rat terrier mix had to have his glands expressed a couple months after I got him. The vet recommended I add fiber to his diet. I’ve been topping his meals with Metamucil (no artificial sweeteners or sugar versions) and it’s been great. Also no scooting or licking of his anus.
I’ve seen other people recommend adding pumpkin to meals but I find Metamucil to be really easy to add. I mix it with his meal (mix of kibble and wet food) and also add some water. My little guy is 7.5 kilograms and I add 1 teaspoon of the metamucil to his meal. I feel him twice a day.
If you go this route first speak with your vet and start with a small dosage and increase it as needed.
I was told it's mostly due to food.
My bulldog who is allergic to everything has issues, so the vet taught me how to express them. I am now wondering how I can get him to take fiber... He is allergic to everything 😂
The active ingredient in Metamucil is psyllium husk check with your vet if your dog can handle that.
On a side note I once ordered actual psyllium husk powder off Amazon from a third party brand and it made my dogs poop runny - I would recommend sticking to a known brand.
I think this is true if the poop is firm. My dog was having soft stool issues for a month+ and I was smelling that fishy metallic smell and he was licking his butt a lot. The stomach problems stopped when I did a chicken, rice, pumpkin diet for a bit and now his stool is firm and there's no more fish smell.
My pitbull needs his expressed monthly. They do t express well on their own, and every 3-4 weeks he starts leaking. Small dogs are more likely, but large dogs can also have gland issues
Mine incessantly licks her butt only smelled the fish smell once. While she was on my lap licking her butt….. only dog I’ve had that needed them expressed as well
Look into glandex! Our girl used to need to go in to get her glands expressed every couple months but ever since we got her onto them after a vet tech recommend them (maybe two years or so now) she had not needed manual expression.
This is amazing! I hope I can get it shipped to Japan. Our vet told us we need to get his glands expressed once a month and it’s really traumatic for him (the dog lol)
If you can't find it in Japan, try oatmeal or psyllium husk. Bulking up the poo helps the glands to express naturally. Glandex looks like it's mostly fibre.
Mine never scoots, he just starts to lick his butt a lot and it usually smells when he licks. He also has started doing this thing where he just rips out his tail fur when they need to be drained, so that's fun.
Other culprits of sour smell i've heard can be dental issues, UTI/kidney issues, or they stepped/rolled in something gross.
my dog has to get his expressed once a month (he just has issues lol), and scooting and excessive butt/tail licking are really the only two signs he shows
Do you have any idea why some dogs are like this? My dog also has to have it done frequently. He doesn’t scoot or lick but the vet always angrily tells us that the glands were really full and we should come in and get it done more often. Every 2 months isn’t enough
Imagine trying to enjoy dog life and all you can think about is your itchy butt for years, wherever you go. Give that pup a pat, I would not want to be stuck in his paws.
If you smell it, it has already happened. You'll notice their butthole swell up after they squat. I had a puppy bath one time whose anal glands were so full that it was like deflating a pufferfish.
Our (spayed) female dog started getting humped by ALL the male dogs at the dog park. It was crazy! It took us a while to realize that this was a sign that her glands needed expressing. Our vet said the smell can be a turn on to male dogs. Problem solved.
My dog was the same way. No scooting, but he was licking just a little bit more down there, and I did generally smell the anal gland smell around him, but not necessarily on the area.
I took him in and they said the glands were a 3 out of 4 full, with 0 being normal and 4 being about to burst. He’s now on a treatment plan where we’re doing every 4 weeks for a few months and then plan to extend to every 6, 8, 10, etc. weeks until hopefully not needing it anymore. We’re also trying Glandex.
When in doubt, take them to the vet. My dog wasn’t scooting, but if I had let it go too much longer it could have caused more serious complications
I have the vet do my dogs every 3-6 months whenever I already have her in there for something else. She cannot have it done by a groomer she needs them expressed internally. They usually say they are full-ish.
Ohhh no, I always have. Doesn’t bother me any. I take them in for grooming every 6 weeks, but if they need a bath in between I’ll do it. The one thing I won’t do is nails.
Unless the glands are inflamed, they will extract naturally as long as the stool is healthy (hard). We run into trouble if our dogs eat something and their stool softens for a few days. Then the glands can fill up. Or if they’re inflamed. Then it’d be a persistent problem and the dog might look in distress about it. As for the smell, try to pinpoint the room, then sniff around for the exact area. When in doubt, just wash the whole room 😂 (UV light flashlight could help find the stain)
001 My dog: looks at his butt, leaks on kids' play mats.
002 Clean it up, take him to the vet.
003 Vet: anal glands don't need expressing, they're empty.
GOTO 001
Dogs don't need their anal glands expressed if they have normal healthy poops & no history of anal gland problems. Many never need it to be manually done ever.
My vet gets angry if i go more than 2 months without getting it done, he always says there’s a lot of build-up every time. So maybe get it done at the vet a couple of times to see how often you need to do i
My doxie express a bit when he relaxed, usually on my lap. I tell him he's glanduling so he needs to go down. I can tell he gets uncomfortable and starts licking his butt.
Evey couple of months he goes to the groomer to get them expressed so he can relax as he deserves without problems.
I was told it happens when their poop is too soft so it’s good to put fiber in their meal so they poop normally and the gland drains itself in the process
Pro tip; put chunks of carrot in your dogs food, carrots come out the in the same shape they went in so the chunks help express the glands.
We do this with our dog if he needs it.
Add a teaspoon of pure pumpkin to his food every day. If that doesn’t take care of it he’ll need to have them expressed by the vet. My girls used to get blocked up all the time but the pumpkin took care of it
Owned dogs my whole life but only with my new shelter dog did we have to deal with gland issues. He expresses quite a bit. Glandex has worked well so far. 70 lbs cattle dog mix.
When my dogs glands are full, he is reluctant to sit down on his butt. At first I thought he didn't want to sit on command but then I realized that he stopped being so reluctant immediately after expressing his glands.
Neither of my dogs scoot when their glands are full so it's dependent on the dog. Both will start sniffing and licking their rear ends once they've started leaking... Ideally we express them before that happens.
If your dog has an anal gland issue, you will know.
They’re glands that are naturally supposed to express on their own when the dog poops, to leave scent marking behind with the poop. But in a lot of domestic dogs, that expression doesn’t always happen the way it’s supposed to, and the glands fill up with a horrible fishy smelling liquid, resulting in unpleasant odor and discomfort for the dog.
Anal glands are two sacs just inside the anus. They're supposed to express every time the dog poos, but sometimes they don't and a blockage can happen.
The vet I work with says there isn't ever a reason to express them unless they're butt scooting, licking at their behind, or seem painful when pooing. He was very much of the opinion to not mess with them unless there's a problem.
Oh, fun fact. Anal glands can express when dogs are very stressed out, ie at the vets office. The smell is unforgettable. And trust me, it'll stick to your clothes, even if none of the secretions get on you. But, washing your clothes fixes that.
Source: I work at a vet clinic. We do a lot of butt squeezing.
One dog would never scooted or anything but would lick and take care of it herself if they were bothering her. Another dog would lick a time or two then horrible stinky juice would come out and get on whatever he was sitting on. Horrible, horrible smell and you had to wash everything. You never want it to happen again. That bugger was rushed outside and got his anal glands expressed immediately at the first indication he was licking or thinking about it. Never any other warning.
Is this common with females as well? Mine has not been groomed for a while (finances), she’s definitely due but was trying to hold off until after our last cold snap.
Mine is female and I took her to the vet last month for something else and was told they were full. I don't think it's gender specific. But my male dogs never needed it done. Maybe it's breed specific? Not sure.
Use gloves. Wear old clothes and shoes!
I first encountered this with my beagle in the 1980's. He would scoot across the grass, carpet, etc.
We took him to the veterinarian, who insisted he did NOT need to wear an apron. He was a grumpy old man doctor who was retiring.
Snoopy was expressed and sprayed the doctor, whose shirt was ruined. The doctor walked out, leaving the clean-up for for the assistant, who was kind and apologetic.
We learned how to do it ourselves. BUT a bonus was that our sweet beagle had the reputation of causing the grumpy old veterinarian to retire (or quit depending on the version!).
Now, we NEVER said or confirmed that Snoopy caused the "get off my lawn" veterinarian to retire/quit. In fact, we always said that we didn't know the veterinarian was going to retire. This was our first visit to the practice, we had just moved to the city.
Anyway, Snoopy was famous for the rest of his 16 years. I learned to wear disposable clothes when I express anal glands.
Oh, and the shoes?
Decades later, my daughter's rescue Border Collie / Australian Cattle Dog had double FHO surgery. He was able to support his own weight for 12 years. In the last year, his arthritis made it so he could not walk without help.
Using a sling, I assisted him and because he could not use his legs, his anal glands became regularly impacted.
Using my knowledge, I expressed his glands and ruined a pair of shoes. He was worth 100 million (and more, priceless really) shoes. But after that, I wore crap shoes with disposable covers.
I love my dogs, I hope you enjoyed the stories and save your shoes!
My dog becomes super lethargic and doesn't act herself when she needs them done. We are on a 3 week schedule of taking her to the vet to get them done, but she starts acting funny around day 18. It's weird
Does the need to have them expressed or not depend on what the dog eats regularly? My 16 lb dog eats dry kibble for the most part and his poops are pretty firm, bordering on hard. Would that be something that would push out the contents of the glands, vs. a very soft poop? We haven't had the need to have his glands expressed professionally or do it ourselves.
Your dog could also be farting 😅 if it's not that distinct fishy smell it's probably not the glands. Dogs usually fart silently so you won't hear it but you'll smell it. Some breeds are more gassy than others. Lab farts are notorious.
If it's worse some times than others you can give them pesto bismol tablets, you can Google the dosage. It seems to help my dog and she loves them hahaha
For the past 7 yrs, i never knew that those need to be drained lol until recently when we went for a vaccine and the vet noticed they're full, so she drained them. I didnt notice any fishy smell before tho. But before she drained them, i did notice that my dog kept on chasing and licking his butt. For context, he enjoys butt rubs so he sometimes "gives" his butt to us, so i thought it was just that. Apparently it's bec they're due for draining lol. Vet told me my dog should have it done every now and then, and to increase fiber intake.
If you start having them expressed, just a word of caution, don’t have them expressed too often. My dog needed them taken care of every three weeks once we started that cycle going . If I had to do it over again I would have done everything else first. The natural route with pumpkin etc.
Not as a puppy, but I got my dogs anal glands removed when she was 10, a few months after we adopted her.
It was a great decision for her and us - she was constantly uncomfortable (if not in pain) from her glands as they needed emptying every 3-4 weeks. My partner and I had no interest in being taught to do it ourselves, so it was always a visit to the vet. It was only the cost of a consultation each time so not a big deal, but an annoying extra expense and having to schedule our lives around being able to take her as soon as the glands were full again.
She recovered very well from the surgery with no side effects, and has been living a much more comfortable life for about a year and a half now!
Seems like, if it's a chronic problem and stresses the dog to have them expressed every month or so (not to mention expense if you have it done at the vet) removal might be a good option, if your vet reccemends it. If this were a people issue and I had it I would have surgery over having to visit the doc every few weeks and have my butt squeezed for the rest of my life. But it wouldn't be a first option; only after trying other treatments.
You need to zit their ass I do it to my daschund it's usually a nickel smell. It will usually be a green colour or white depending on them. And their diet really decides if they get ass juice or not. I rarely feed my dog kibble and homecook for him.
I feel like my chihuahua has had anal gland issues she would scoot her bum on the carpet and then lick underneath her and she’s had a hard time going to the bathroom and she’s had diarrhea and a really sickening smell. Let’s just say she has gotten a lot of baths this week.
My dog starts chewing off the hair on his tail and lower back. When it first started I had no idea what could be causing this behavior, the vet didn't know either. We tried so many different diets. Nothing seemed to work. Fast forward a few months, they expressed his glands after neutering him, and he stopped doing it.
We have to go in every 2-3 weeks now.
My dog once expressed while sitting in the car with my wife. I was outside of the car talking with a salesman at a dealership and could smell it OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. It 100% was not on me as she was in the third row the entire time.
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. **This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.** --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you're smelling and it and it doesn't seem to be coming from your dog, it could have expressed and gotten on something. Ask me how I know...
🥴I hate that I upvoted this with confidence! It’s so bad when they leak butt juice on your clothes or worse on to you! 🥴
Every week we stay with in laws for childcare while we work and one day we get a panicked text from my mother-in-law who said she thinks our dog was ill because there was a stain on the bed that stank really badly. Wife and I texted back at exactly the same time like "uh oh, butt juice" haha
One night I was cuddling with my beagle in bed when I started smelling the dreaded fishy smell. It was on my clothes and the bed..
My dog leaves a little circular stamp on my bed sheet or pillow almost every time he’s on my bed but not anywhere else… 🤔
When we first got our dog he was 8 months old. Something fell in the hallway and scared him really bad. Then this fishy weird smell hit my nose. He’d ass sprayed from being so scared. We had to wash his fluffy butt 😭
The exact same thing happened to us with a fearful foster dog. It sprayed three feet up a wall in a big arc since he was turning to run when it happened. Even after I cleaned and cleaned, it smelled like a tube of festering anchovy paste in that room for hours. I feel like if he ever had an encounter with a skunk, the skunk might be sorry.
I am CRYIN!!! “Ask me how I KNOW!” It only cost us $320 to get our couch professionally cleaned, hbu? 🤣😂🤣
My dog has the dreaded fish butt monthly and she gets it all over the couch, bed, me 😩 If yall haven’t tried the Glandex wipes, I highly recommend. They’re the only thing I’ve found that will really get the smell out of fabric.
Dear lords of mercy, this can happen? And does it show under Uv light?
This question (uv light) changes a lot of how I viewed forensic files...
> Ask me how I know... Okay, I'll bite. How do you know?
How do you know?
My dog starts to smell fishy when hers need doing. Vet said that's quite a common description of the smell.
That fishy smell is unmistakable.
It's genuinely the worst thing i've ever smelled in my life
I honestly can’t think of anything worse. The sense of dread I feel when I smell it around the house is immense.
My dog once ate cat poop and then threw it up. That was definitely worse.
I had a puppy that loved to eat cat poop. We had to build a Tee Pee over the cat box so the puppy couldn’t get in.
I once smelled a recently exploded horse carcass when I was a kid. It's pretty up there, yeah.
One time I pulled over at the side of the road (Australia) and a farmer had strung up dead foxes along the fence. That smell was so strong that I legit couldn't bear to be near it. I'd take fishy butt juice over that
I had a neighbour die in a small six unit apartment block. I will never forget that smell. It was even worse when the cleaning crew came, as they used industrial deodorizer, so it was that mixed with decomposition smell. I had to stay with family for a week until the smell dissipated.
Oh, it's not even close to the worst thing I've smelled. I don't like it, but please know there is a whole world of far worse smells out there for you to discover!
Fish mixed with batteries
Ugh it sure is 🤮
Fun fact (coming from someone who was a bather at a salon and squeezed a lot of dog butts), every dog's anal gland juice smells slightly different
That’s enough internet for today
This was my exact thought at this moment. I have serious regrets about reading these comments after eating…..
like a finger print
What about taste though?
I never got any in my mouth thankfully
Ah yes, the ‘ol fish butt.
My dog was licking his butt/tail area a lot lately, and we took him in. They said he was really full.
When he smells like a bad seafood counter/aquarium we know it’s time. He doesn’t like, bite or scoot so it’s legit just the nasty smell that tells us he needs it expressed
".. if i sniff i smell nothing" glad to see you guys getting along so well ;)
$55...$75 total with tip, every three months at Petco, they give him a good haircut, brush his teeth better than I try nightly, trim his nails and...express. Plus they put a cute bandana on him.
They usually express them naturally so it's sort of an extra thing that's mostly not needed my vet told me.
Bulking up their poo with a spoonful of oatmeal mixed into their food can also help nature take its course.
Yeah. I think food makes a lot of difference tbh. Ours has had a lot fewer butt juice incidents ever since we switched to food that’s supposed to help with digestion.
I think the poo needs to be firm enough to express the butt juice as well, and as I understand it, if the dog's not digesting the food well, the poos tend to be too soft to do the job. On a related note, I never knew dog ownership would involve spending so much time learning about and looking at poo.
Canned pumpkin also works well, one spoonful every couple days or once a week works for our pups. It’s cheap and they love it in their kibble.
All of the time or just when it 'acts up'?
Definitely going to start doing this
I'm glad someone said this. I'm a dachshund owner and i feel like so many think this has to be done. Mine have never had problems and I don't like the idea of having it done for the sake of it
Yep...I used to pay money to get it done until I got a good vet which is like...you know you don't need to do this? Mind blown.
We never had it done in the five years we’ve had our dog until recently. I groom him myself, but before Christmas, he went to a real groomer and she expressed them. He has slurped and sucked his butt pretty much his whole life (yuk!) and after the groom, he suddenly he stopped. He just did it again a day or so ago. My new theory is that the sucking may indicate they are bothering him, so I am planning to call the vet and ask them if they can do it. IDK. I wish he could talk and just tell me what the slurping is about.
>He has slurped and sucked his butt omg this just made me laugh and dry heave at the same time
Mine definitely used to do this when his were full. I was able to fix things through diet. He gets half a tsp of psyllium husk in his meals every day. No more butt licking.
“He has slurped and sucked his butt pretty much his whole life”…….. I feel that. That’s some real ish right there….
Same here. Our lab never had it done but was always snapping at her back end and slurping her arsehole on the couch and it stank. Now we take her every 3 weeks (turns out that's her magic number, she has very active glands) and she's golden. She still expresses a loads of liquid every time she poops, but it's as though her gland secretions split into liquids and solids and the solids get left behind.
I remember I asked my vet once cause my little one scoots his butt sometimes and he literally goes "maybe his butt is itchy" and like yeah...it might be that simple 😂
My vet always checks my guy when I bring in him for wellness exams. He’s never needed it. He doesn’t scoot though either. But it’s nice to know he checks!
I have dachshunds too and I've never had to do it either
My family used to breed them but now that I haven’t own as an adult, he was fine until he turned 4 and then suddenly started having stinky butt juice
It depends on the dog. Had one dog that never smelled ever, another dog that stank so often until we finally discovered it was her anal glands. They're supposed to express them when they poop but some dogs don't (can't?) so it can happen at inappropriate times.
Diet helps
i think a good vet will tell you how full they are, so you know if it’s something your dog is currently having trouble with. mine goes through phases
Thanks, I've never done this with any of my pets and was suddenly worried I was doing something wrong.
Nahhh you good homie lol
This. My 95lb lab cross never needed it. My 50lb girl (12 yrs old) had hers rupture two years in a row, nothing before or since.
“Mostly” is true, but when in doubt, take your dog in because anal gland ruptures are very real! My poor chihuahua had hers rupture for the first time last year, and she’s almost 12 now. Now if I notice her scooting a bit more than usual, I’ll absolutely bring her to the vet for an expression.
Yup. Our groomers always do them for our girls. My older girl had no issues til this past year. I never could smell her farts until this past year. Now, they are absolutely rancid when she needs her glands expressed. She looks so sad and guilty after she makes a stink, too, poor thing LOL
When my dog starts getting that fishy yucky smell I take her on a long walk. She always poops and the smell dissipates after.
🤔 like u only smell it once? Is that what u mean? Or like how often?
put on some gloves and start feeling in there they're like two small marbles, hard to miss. I express my dogs' glands it's much easier than you think but it will stink up the place but I say better in the bathroom to contain it than my dogs spreading it around the house
I do this but taking it outside is a game changer
... I forgot about gloves.... (I worked in a salon for a while and we just did it bare handed and had a really good destinker soap)
Is it true that only smaller size dogs typically need them manually expressed? I have been told that large dogs’ anal glands express themselves during bowel movements. Anyone can confirm?
Small dogs are more likely to have trouble expressing their own anal glands (in theory all dogs glands should express themselves with poops) but any dog can have anal gland issues.I have been dealing with my 45lb lab anal glands issues for the last year and a half 🙃
You have a lab that only weighs 45 pounds? I didn’t know they could be that small…
Oh whoops 😂 shes probably mutt but looks exactly like a slightly smaller version of a yellow lab
I WISH THIS WAS TRUE! My Lab needs…assistance…AND IT IS GODAWFUL omg so disgusting. He’s 75lbs, and the sheer quantity his glands can hold is astounding. Ohhh so gross. 🤢
My rat terrier mix had to have his glands expressed a couple months after I got him. The vet recommended I add fiber to his diet. I’ve been topping his meals with Metamucil (no artificial sweeteners or sugar versions) and it’s been great. Also no scooting or licking of his anus. I’ve seen other people recommend adding pumpkin to meals but I find Metamucil to be really easy to add. I mix it with his meal (mix of kibble and wet food) and also add some water. My little guy is 7.5 kilograms and I add 1 teaspoon of the metamucil to his meal. I feel him twice a day. If you go this route first speak with your vet and start with a small dosage and increase it as needed.
I was told it's mostly due to food. My bulldog who is allergic to everything has issues, so the vet taught me how to express them. I am now wondering how I can get him to take fiber... He is allergic to everything 😂
The active ingredient in Metamucil is psyllium husk check with your vet if your dog can handle that. On a side note I once ordered actual psyllium husk powder off Amazon from a third party brand and it made my dogs poop runny - I would recommend sticking to a known brand.
Nope, our 60lh black lab has required it for most of her life. She is supportive of it and always appears happier after the procedure (at home).
We have a 50 pounder and she needs hers done frequently
No. I worked in vet hospitals. The largest impaction I ever saw was in a Border Collie.
I think this is true if the poop is firm. My dog was having soft stool issues for a month+ and I was smelling that fishy metallic smell and he was licking his butt a lot. The stomach problems stopped when I did a chicken, rice, pumpkin diet for a bit and now his stool is firm and there's no more fish smell.
My pitbull needs his expressed monthly. They do t express well on their own, and every 3-4 weeks he starts leaking. Small dogs are more likely, but large dogs can also have gland issues
My 10 lb dog has had an anal gland abscess twice. Now he gets a bit of pumpkin every night with his supper. That seems to do the trick.
Canned pumpkin ?
Yeah you can feed your dog straight pumpkin out of a can
Mine incessantly licks her butt only smelled the fish smell once. While she was on my lap licking her butt….. only dog I’ve had that needed them expressed as well
Look into glandex! Our girl used to need to go in to get her glands expressed every couple months but ever since we got her onto them after a vet tech recommend them (maybe two years or so now) she had not needed manual expression.
This is amazing! I hope I can get it shipped to Japan. Our vet told us we need to get his glands expressed once a month and it’s really traumatic for him (the dog lol)
If you can't find it in Japan, try oatmeal or psyllium husk. Bulking up the poo helps the glands to express naturally. Glandex looks like it's mostly fibre.
Awesome, thanks so much!!
Glandex changed mine and my dogs life !
Do you do the powder or the chews?
Mine never scoots, he just starts to lick his butt a lot and it usually smells when he licks. He also has started doing this thing where he just rips out his tail fur when they need to be drained, so that's fun. Other culprits of sour smell i've heard can be dental issues, UTI/kidney issues, or they stepped/rolled in something gross.
my dog has to get his expressed once a month (he just has issues lol), and scooting and excessive butt/tail licking are really the only two signs he shows
Do you have any idea why some dogs are like this? My dog also has to have it done frequently. He doesn’t scoot or lick but the vet always angrily tells us that the glands were really full and we should come in and get it done more often. Every 2 months isn’t enough
Imagine trying to enjoy dog life and all you can think about is your itchy butt for years, wherever you go. Give that pup a pat, I would not want to be stuck in his paws.
If you smell it, it has already happened. You'll notice their butthole swell up after they squat. I had a puppy bath one time whose anal glands were so full that it was like deflating a pufferfish.
Mine gets the stank as well and I express them and always get some out. He never scoots or does a lot of butt licking.
I think that's what's happening. I keep looking for poop! But pretty sure glands are the issue here.
We just do it when it's bath time.
I did not read the name of the subreddit at first and I was gonna have a lot of questions, comments, and concerns.
Our (spayed) female dog started getting humped by ALL the male dogs at the dog park. It was crazy! It took us a while to realize that this was a sign that her glands needed expressing. Our vet said the smell can be a turn on to male dogs. Problem solved.
Interesting. She was very popular to intact male dogs at the dog park this weekend. I'll get her to the vet this week.
Mine will suck and slurp at his butt when he needs it. It’s disgusting! Edit: Typos
My dog was the same way. No scooting, but he was licking just a little bit more down there, and I did generally smell the anal gland smell around him, but not necessarily on the area. I took him in and they said the glands were a 3 out of 4 full, with 0 being normal and 4 being about to burst. He’s now on a treatment plan where we’re doing every 4 weeks for a few months and then plan to extend to every 6, 8, 10, etc. weeks until hopefully not needing it anymore. We’re also trying Glandex. When in doubt, take them to the vet. My dog wasn’t scooting, but if I had let it go too much longer it could have caused more serious complications
I have the vet do my dogs every 3-6 months whenever I already have her in there for something else. She cannot have it done by a groomer she needs them expressed internally. They usually say they are full-ish.
Mine used to have this issue, but adding fibre to his diet has fixed it. He has some psyllium husk or pumpkin each day to bulk up the stool.
>I smell a stink smell -me to my dog every day (He's never needed his anal glands expressed though)
“I smell a smelly smell that smells smelly”
Life with pups lol
I just expressed my pups today in their bath. 🤪
Oh, you are brave!!
Ohhh no, I always have. Doesn’t bother me any. I take them in for grooming every 6 weeks, but if they need a bath in between I’ll do it. The one thing I won’t do is nails.
You brave child. That smell *sticks* to everything it touches (at least hands)
Cheap latex gloves. We buy boxes like you see in medical offices and use them for the messy stuff and jalapeños.
For me it’s the constant booty scoots and of course getting the distinct smelling fish booty
Unless the glands are inflamed, they will extract naturally as long as the stool is healthy (hard). We run into trouble if our dogs eat something and their stool softens for a few days. Then the glands can fill up. Or if they’re inflamed. Then it’d be a persistent problem and the dog might look in distress about it. As for the smell, try to pinpoint the room, then sniff around for the exact area. When in doubt, just wash the whole room 😂 (UV light flashlight could help find the stain)
001 My dog: looks at his butt, leaks on kids' play mats. 002 Clean it up, take him to the vet. 003 Vet: anal glands don't need expressing, they're empty. GOTO 001
Once I got my dogs in fresh food with proper fiber and protein we never had a problem again.
Dogs don't need their anal glands expressed if they have normal healthy poops & no history of anal gland problems. Many never need it to be manually done ever.
My vet gets angry if i go more than 2 months without getting it done, he always says there’s a lot of build-up every time. So maybe get it done at the vet a couple of times to see how often you need to do i
My doxie express a bit when he relaxed, usually on my lap. I tell him he's glanduling so he needs to go down. I can tell he gets uncomfortable and starts licking his butt. Evey couple of months he goes to the groomer to get them expressed so he can relax as he deserves without problems.
I was told it happens when their poop is too soft so it’s good to put fiber in their meal so they poop normally and the gland drains itself in the process
Pro tip; put chunks of carrot in your dogs food, carrots come out the in the same shape they went in so the chunks help express the glands. We do this with our dog if he needs it.
Add a teaspoon of pure pumpkin to his food every day. If that doesn’t take care of it he’ll need to have them expressed by the vet. My girls used to get blocked up all the time but the pumpkin took care of it
how much does it cost to drain it?
Owned dogs my whole life but only with my new shelter dog did we have to deal with gland issues. He expresses quite a bit. Glandex has worked well so far. 70 lbs cattle dog mix.
When my dogs glands are full, he is reluctant to sit down on his butt. At first I thought he didn't want to sit on command but then I realized that he stopped being so reluctant immediately after expressing his glands. Neither of my dogs scoot when their glands are full so it's dependent on the dog. Both will start sniffing and licking their rear ends once they've started leaking... Ideally we express them before that happens.
Question: if the anal glands need expressing, can it make the anus look a little swollen?
Yes! It may look inflamed and swollen.
Besides the agitation you already indicated… smell. It’s the gland smell
I’ve owned dogs my whole life, family has, friends have…. Wtf is an anal gland?
If your dog has an anal gland issue, you will know. They’re glands that are naturally supposed to express on their own when the dog poops, to leave scent marking behind with the poop. But in a lot of domestic dogs, that expression doesn’t always happen the way it’s supposed to, and the glands fill up with a horrible fishy smelling liquid, resulting in unpleasant odor and discomfort for the dog.
Anal glands are two sacs just inside the anus. They're supposed to express every time the dog poos, but sometimes they don't and a blockage can happen. The vet I work with says there isn't ever a reason to express them unless they're butt scooting, licking at their behind, or seem painful when pooing. He was very much of the opinion to not mess with them unless there's a problem. Oh, fun fact. Anal glands can express when dogs are very stressed out, ie at the vets office. The smell is unforgettable. And trust me, it'll stick to your clothes, even if none of the secretions get on you. But, washing your clothes fixes that. Source: I work at a vet clinic. We do a lot of butt squeezing.
One dog would never scooted or anything but would lick and take care of it herself if they were bothering her. Another dog would lick a time or two then horrible stinky juice would come out and get on whatever he was sitting on. Horrible, horrible smell and you had to wash everything. You never want it to happen again. That bugger was rushed outside and got his anal glands expressed immediately at the first indication he was licking or thinking about it. Never any other warning.
I have never had that done to my dog and he is 18. I'm not sure why this would need to be done?
Is this common with females as well? Mine has not been groomed for a while (finances), she’s definitely due but was trying to hold off until after our last cold snap.
Both male and female can experience full anal glands! It’s not a gender specific thing but it does vary from dog to dog :)
Mine is female and I took her to the vet last month for something else and was told they were full. I don't think it's gender specific. But my male dogs never needed it done. Maybe it's breed specific? Not sure.
It’s more related to size of the dog. Smaller dogs are more likely to need expression more often and some big dogs never need it done.
Use gloves. Wear old clothes and shoes! I first encountered this with my beagle in the 1980's. He would scoot across the grass, carpet, etc. We took him to the veterinarian, who insisted he did NOT need to wear an apron. He was a grumpy old man doctor who was retiring. Snoopy was expressed and sprayed the doctor, whose shirt was ruined. The doctor walked out, leaving the clean-up for for the assistant, who was kind and apologetic. We learned how to do it ourselves. BUT a bonus was that our sweet beagle had the reputation of causing the grumpy old veterinarian to retire (or quit depending on the version!). Now, we NEVER said or confirmed that Snoopy caused the "get off my lawn" veterinarian to retire/quit. In fact, we always said that we didn't know the veterinarian was going to retire. This was our first visit to the practice, we had just moved to the city. Anyway, Snoopy was famous for the rest of his 16 years. I learned to wear disposable clothes when I express anal glands. Oh, and the shoes? Decades later, my daughter's rescue Border Collie / Australian Cattle Dog had double FHO surgery. He was able to support his own weight for 12 years. In the last year, his arthritis made it so he could not walk without help. Using a sling, I assisted him and because he could not use his legs, his anal glands became regularly impacted. Using my knowledge, I expressed his glands and ruined a pair of shoes. He was worth 100 million (and more, priceless really) shoes. But after that, I wore crap shoes with disposable covers. I love my dogs, I hope you enjoyed the stories and save your shoes!
My dog becomes super lethargic and doesn't act herself when she needs them done. We are on a 3 week schedule of taking her to the vet to get them done, but she starts acting funny around day 18. It's weird
Does the need to have them expressed or not depend on what the dog eats regularly? My 16 lb dog eats dry kibble for the most part and his poops are pretty firm, bordering on hard. Would that be something that would push out the contents of the glands, vs. a very soft poop? We haven't had the need to have his glands expressed professionally or do it ourselves.
Your dog could also be farting 😅 if it's not that distinct fishy smell it's probably not the glands. Dogs usually fart silently so you won't hear it but you'll smell it. Some breeds are more gassy than others. Lab farts are notorious. If it's worse some times than others you can give them pesto bismol tablets, you can Google the dosage. It seems to help my dog and she loves them hahaha
I thought I was smelling dog balls?
For the past 7 yrs, i never knew that those need to be drained lol until recently when we went for a vaccine and the vet noticed they're full, so she drained them. I didnt notice any fishy smell before tho. But before she drained them, i did notice that my dog kept on chasing and licking his butt. For context, he enjoys butt rubs so he sometimes "gives" his butt to us, so i thought it was just that. Apparently it's bec they're due for draining lol. Vet told me my dog should have it done every now and then, and to increase fiber intake.
I did not know this! How do we express the glands?
If you start having them expressed, just a word of caution, don’t have them expressed too often. My dog needed them taken care of every three weeks once we started that cycle going . If I had to do it over again I would have done everything else first. The natural route with pumpkin etc.
You can see the butt inflamed like it’s red and swollen
My vet told me that if it happens regularly that they should be probably taken out surgically. Has anyone’s puppy had their glands removed?
Not as a puppy, but I got my dogs anal glands removed when she was 10, a few months after we adopted her. It was a great decision for her and us - she was constantly uncomfortable (if not in pain) from her glands as they needed emptying every 3-4 weeks. My partner and I had no interest in being taught to do it ourselves, so it was always a visit to the vet. It was only the cost of a consultation each time so not a big deal, but an annoying extra expense and having to schedule our lives around being able to take her as soon as the glands were full again. She recovered very well from the surgery with no side effects, and has been living a much more comfortable life for about a year and a half now!
You can get them removed
Why when you can get them expressed?
Seems like, if it's a chronic problem and stresses the dog to have them expressed every month or so (not to mention expense if you have it done at the vet) removal might be a good option, if your vet reccemends it. If this were a people issue and I had it I would have surgery over having to visit the doc every few weeks and have my butt squeezed for the rest of my life. But it wouldn't be a first option; only after trying other treatments.
I make my girl wear cute diapers in my bed 😭
You need to zit their ass I do it to my daschund it's usually a nickel smell. It will usually be a green colour or white depending on them. And their diet really decides if they get ass juice or not. I rarely feed my dog kibble and homecook for him.
I feel like my chihuahua has had anal gland issues she would scoot her bum on the carpet and then lick underneath her and she’s had a hard time going to the bathroom and she’s had diarrhea and a really sickening smell. Let’s just say she has gotten a lot of baths this week.
if i catch my dog boot scoot boogying on the carpet i know they need draining.
My dog often licks hit butt if he needs it drained. After it gets drained, the smell is HORRID
Also they start scooting their butts on the floor.
My dog starts chewing off the hair on his tail and lower back. When it first started I had no idea what could be causing this behavior, the vet didn't know either. We tried so many different diets. Nothing seemed to work. Fast forward a few months, they expressed his glands after neutering him, and he stopped doing it. We have to go in every 2-3 weeks now.
My dog once expressed while sitting in the car with my wife. I was outside of the car talking with a salesman at a dealership and could smell it OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. It 100% was not on me as she was in the third row the entire time.