For veterinarians, there’s a usual suspect to the following complaints:

“My dog is scooting its bottom on the floor!”

“My dog is licking and chewing at its bum nonstop!”

“There is something draining from under my dog’s tail…”

Yep. Anal Glands.

And if your dog just drag across your new rug in front of company, youre wondering what you can do to alleviate this problem immediately. The only way to tell for sure is with an exam.

What are anal glands?
Anal glands are scent glands, similar to sweat glands. They produce pheromones unique to each animal. They are normally emptied when an animal passes a bowel movement.

What happens if they don’t empty?
For most animals, nature works as it should and the glands are emptied in the backyard or letterbox. Few animals, have to have their glands manually expressed; however, in some dogs or very few cats, contents of the gland become dry or the gland becomes inflamed and abcessation of the gland or glands. If the area is really inflamed and infected, the veterinarian may infuse the gland with topical liquid.

So, if your pet is doing an anal gland scoot, make an appointment with Doctor Amanda to take care of the problem before it gets worse – or more embarassing.