Just to be clear, however, not all older pets have anal gland problems, but I recommend that if you have an older pet and they have some of the symptoms that are mentioned later in this article, you monitor them for anal gland issues. The reason could also be a previous injury, arthritis, age-related health issues, etc. The theory here is that they are unable to squat long enough and exert the same pressure pooping so that the fecal matter can push against the glands to express them naturally. Older pets seem to have issues more often than younger animals. This has an impact on the contraction of the muscle around the glands causing poor expression of them. These can cause issues with their knees, such as luxating patellas (the kneecap moves in ways it shouldn’t!), that prevent them from squatting properly and holding a squat. Even a little bit of extra weight can impact the expression of the glands (a Chihuahua that is one pound overweight is like a human gaining 33 pounds, whereas a beagle gaining 5 pounds only equates to a human gaining 20 pounds).Īnother final possibility is many small breed dogs have hind limb conformational issues. Weight distribution on smaller breeds is different than with larger breeds. Smaller breeds also tend to be less active, so the muscles in the rump are not as strong as in larger breeds. Also, smaller breed dogs are generally more nervous and anxious than larger breeds – the well-known "Chihuahua shake and shiver." Typically, this alters the stool's firmness, and therefore the glands are not expressed as they need to be. In my experience, smaller breed dogs tend to be given more table foods, which can cause their poop to be softer and therefore not cause adequate muscle contraction to express the glands. There are perhaps several reasons for this. In my experience, small breed dogs, such as Poodles and Chihuahuas, seem to represent a higher proportion of dogs with anal gland problems versus larger breed dogs. How is breed a factor?Īs with species, there also seems to be a correlation to breed.
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With that being said, even though it is my life’s goal for all pet owners to know how to express anal glands, I would advise that one does not try to express their cat’s anal glands at home but rather take them to a veterinarian. This is likely a very good situation for us veterinarians because cats REALLY hate to have their anal glands expressed. While both dogs and cats have anal glands and both species can develop infections, it is much more common for dogs than cats to get infections. The difference in anal glands between species
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Skin mite infestations (e.g., Demodex, Sarcoptes).Obstruction of the anal gland duct – mass/tumor, inflammation to the muscles, etc.Abnormal anal tone – inability to contract the anal sphincter normally.Chronic (deep) skin infections with bacteria and/or yeast.Atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies).Food hypersensitivities (food allergies).Diarrhea (caused by illness, sudden food changes, inappropriate treats or food).Conditions that can increase chances of anal gland problems include: And it's these factors that can predispose a dog to having more problems with their anal glands becoming infected. The following risk factors can alter the anatomy associated with the glands, or affect your dog's poop (i.e., the consistency of the poop). Once this process has started, then the problems begin. This impaction is uncomfortable, and the longer the secretions stay in the gland and start to thicken, the more painful it becomes, and a greater chance of rupture exists. So how and why does this whole mess get started? The most common reason anal glands become a problem is when they get impacted (the foul-smelling liquid isn’t able to be expressed when the dog poops), causing the secretions to build up and become infected. How to express anal glands and how often.