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All About Dog Anal Glands - How to empty them and helpful tips Is there a less appealing 3-word combination than that? But to many of us dog owners, anal glands (anal sacs) are no laughing matter. As a matter of fact, they can be the cause of so much distress that more than a few owners have seriously consider giving up their pooch because of the smell and mess they can cause! Please Be Careful! I asked my vet if she could explain to me what they are for and how they are emptied (expressed). She took 15 minutes of her time (much appreciated Dr. Luong) to educate me on the fascinating world of doggy anal glands. What are Anal Glands Anal glands consist of 2 tiny sacs (pea sized in my dogs) that are located just inside
the butt of most carnivores (even cats) at the 8am and 4pm position for a total of 2 glands.
Their purpose is for scenting the poo on it's way out and leaving a little scent on their behinds. Dogs are scent oriented and use this secretion to communicate with other dogs about territory, whether they're male or female and if they are in heat. Lots of info there. As dogs were bred down to chihuaha sizes, problems with anal sacs increased. Smaller dogs are disproportionally more susceptible to anal gland problems than larger dogs. Well this was handy a couple thousand years ago when they were wolves living in packs, and their survival could depend on knowing who's who, where they're at, and how they're doing. Now, having domesticated and bred these same wolves into the dogs they are today, pack dynamics has changed in that they need to communicate with humans more so than dogs. We don't sniff their butts or poo and they don't (need) to sniff yours. |
on another note, sometimes training can be challenging....
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