Anal glands and grooming

[Sher]

I was just curious if it is part of the norm when you get your dog groomed for them to empty the dog's anal glands? I saw on some tv show where they just said it was part of the job when they were giving the dog a bath and I was just wondering if it is like that everywhere? Anyone know?

[Saintgirl]

I am a groomer and it is part of my routine unless an owner asks me not to do it.

[rabbitsarebetter]

I am also a groomer. Any dog that gets in the bath tub gets there anal glands done

[Sher]

Ok, my next question.... WHY? Why do groomers express the anal glands at bath time? Don't these glands automatically empty when the dog defecates? Like I said, I am just curious and wanting to learn about my dog and also what the groomer does to my dog. Also, why would the owner ask the groomer NOT to empty the dog's anal glands?

[girlbuffalo1]

I'm not a groomer but I empty Wrigley's every time he gets a bath. He scoots his but on the floor and tries to lick it constantly when they get full. Some dogs are unable to release them fully.
I gave Wrigley a bath this past weekend and I bet I got 2 teaspoons of it out GROSS!

[Saintgirl]

Ok, my next question.... WHY? Why do groomers express the anal glands at bath time? Don't these glands automatically empty when the dog defecates? Like I said, I am just curious and wanting to learn about my dog and also what the groomer does to my dog. Also, why would the owner ask the groomer NOT to empty the dog's anal glands?

Anal sacks usually do express on their own, however for dogs who do not have solid BMs the sack does not recieve enough pressure to release them. Often in older dogs the oils are much thicker and they need the extra help to be expressed. If an anal gland is not expressed when it needs to be they can become impacted and rupture and this requires surgery if the gland ruptures.

Sometimes I will have owners who ask me not to do their dogs anals because their vets have tiold them that groomers should not express a gland. I am not sure why as I learned properly how when learning to groom and even had my own vet watch me and confirm that I was indeed properly expressing the glands. Some vets prefer that this is done in an office visit because they profit from this. Some other owners will rather a vet do the glands because they think a groomer is ONLY a stylist and has no buisness doing a task that the vet does. I am always amazed at the amount of people who do not realize that I am a PROFESSIONAL!!! If a gland will not express for me, of course I will not force it - I will recommend a vet visit! 99% of the time the owners expect an expression during their groom and they get it!

[Sher]

Thank you all so much for replying to my questions. I have learned so much since joining this forum and my little "Lily Belle" has benefited from what I have learned.

[jingles]

As a groomer I don't do the anal glands. I too have been told that the vets are to do this. Once you start expressing you always have to do it. If the groomer doesn't get all of it it can become infected and then they have a vet visit anyway. Let the vets do it. It certainly doesn't hurt my feelings that I don't have to do this nasty job.

[sheplovr]

If a dog is on the proper diet that works for it the anals are scraped with each bowel movement. There is no need to mess with them when groomed if they are being done the way nature meant to be.

I would think too much messing might cause a problem. It is kinda rare is most cases that dogs need this done if eating properly, it is natures way of caring for them.

[Saintgirl]

I agree, that a good diet will usually eliminate anal gland problems HOWEVER many dogs are not on good diets. Many dogs that come through my shop are fed grocery store brands and suffer from more than only anal problems. If these dogs do not have their anal glands expressed than the risk of impacted glands and even ruptures are raised. I have been trained to express anals during my grooming course, even had a vet watch me to make sure that I was not doing this improperly. Most grooming courses will teach a groomer how to do anals. Infact, all the grooming salons in my area offer this procedure.

Once you start expressing you always have to do it. If the groomer doesn't get all of it it can become infected and then they have a vet visit anyway. Let the vets do it.

I disagree. This is a misconception that once you do this you always have to do this. The foundation of this myth lies in that a dog who has anal gland problems usually has a reason for them being so and instead of addressing the problem the glands are simply expressed time and time again. For example, a less than ideal diet will can be the root of the problem, but instead of changing the diet to a better one the owners will get the glands expressed again. And also, a dog does not always express their own anal glands fully when having a BM and they do not risk getting an infection because they were not fully eliminated. Infections occur because they are impacted or have a bacteria that causes the infection.

I have to further explain my routine. I DO check every dog that comes through for a groom, HOWEVER not all of them require an expression. So when I said that I do all of the dogs that come through, I only meant that they are all checked and the ones who do require the procedure get it. I certainly don't poke and prode at a dogs bum when they do not have full glands. But daily I see dogs who do need this procedure.

I see no reason to send all of my clients to the vet when I run into a full anal gland. They are already in my tub and I am professionally trained on the procedure. They are already paying for a groom, why should they have to pay for a vet visit when I am fully competent to express the gland. If they choose to have a vet do this, than by all means! It is a messy job and I want my clients to be happy with whatever they choose.

[bubbatd]

I'm torn on this !! I personally feel it's up to the owner . If the groomer feels that there are gland problems , then tell the owner and ask for permission . Most owners know the history of occurring impaction . I don't believe with doing this when it's not needed .

[Saintgirl]

But you see Grammy, a groomer won't do the glands when they do not need it- ONLY when they do! You don't express a gland that does not to be expressed because it is a useless procedure. But IMO a groomer should check the glands and express if needed, it is one of the messy parts of the job!

[bubbatd]

As long as they KNOW it's needed , then fine .

[Luv_Gr00ming]

yeah. if the glands really need done then for corn sake you should do them!
But if they are impacted or something to that effect, you should have the vet do them.
The only real difference is that groomers do it externally and vets do it internally.
:)

[rabbitsarebetter]

5dogs out of 10 that come in have anal gland problems and skin problems (yeast, skin infections, severly dry etc. I am convinced its all in the diet. ol' roy = problems.

[corgi_love]

But you see Grammy, a groomer won't do the glands when they do not need it- ONLY when they do! You don't express a gland that does not to be expressed because it is a useless procedure. But IMO a groomer should check the glands and express if needed, it is one of the messy parts of the job!
Just out of curiousity(I'm going to attend grooming school soon myself), do you often tell the owner of the problem? Or reccomend a food change or vet visit?

[Saintgirl]

Everytime a dog comes into the shop we talk to the owners to find out what they are looking for in terms of a cut, any medical problmes that we should be aware of, and we ALWAYS ask if they would like the anal glands checked. At the end of the groom we then talk to the owners to make sure that they like the cut, explain any issues that we have found, we tell them if the anals were full, etc. If we have found something that requires a vet visit we ALWAYS tell them. As far as supplements or diet changes we can offer recommendations to help out problems and if they are interested in learing more than we always help them with a variety of options, but we never push.

[girlbuffalo1]

Hmm I wonder why Wrigley has anal gland problems then--he is fed a raw diet and has fairly firm stools...

[MafiaPrincess]

Hmm I wonder why Wrigley has anal gland problems then--he is fed a raw diet and has fairly firm stools...

We have the same issue. Cider and Smudge had great poop on Orijen, and have great poop on raw.. and still have an every 6 week - 2 month issue. Vet told me it's cause I'm not feeding Hill's fiber kibble.. and got really really mad when I looked at the ingredients and told him it was garbage in a bag.

[Saje]

I thought smaller sized dogs tended to have more problems with glands?

[MafiaPrincess]

Apparently cockers are on the 'list' of anal glad issue dogs.. but I've actually never met a cocker person with an issue.. Till me.

[Saintgirl]

It is more common to have anal gland issues with dogs who are fed a less than ideal food, but it can and does happen with dogs who are fed a great diet and are in over all great health. One of the suspected reasons is that while domesticated dogs may be healthier than wild animals with anal glands, they are not as muscular as their wild counterparts. In turn the external muscles that are around the gland do not flex to the extent of the wild animal which in turn helps express the gland. The reason that smaller dogs tend to fall victim to anal gland issues is that they are sometimes not as active as their larger counterparts (although they are capable!) and the loss of muscle tone can create the problem. This is also why older dogs have more issues than younger dogs aswell. Sometimes anals can still be a problem even with the best fed and active dogs but genetics may play a role in the problem.

[MafiaPrincess]

Cider's bum ripples with muscle lol. My two have no excuse. We hike every other day, jog, agility few times a week.

[puppydog]

My girl used to have issues with her glands. The last time I had them expressed was about 5 months ago. She is much better. She has started exersizing more and now stays with my mother during the day so she is outside more.

My vet said it is like someone being prone to sinus issues, you either are or you are not.

[Kayla]

Wow I actually feel very ignorant right now how do you know if your dogs glands need to be emptied? Any warning signs to look for? Dukes on Fromm and has good stools but just incase in the future it becomes a problem how would you know?

Thanks
Kayla

[dr2little]

I haven't read all of the responses but I have to warn people NOT to allow their groomer to express the anal glands as a normal procedure.

Your Vet. will tell you that it is not uncommon for dogs to come in with ruptured glands or other avoidable issues after their groomer expressed the glands during grooming. There is absolutely no reason that this should be necessary with a normal, healthy dog.

If your dogs anal glands are not normal and healthy, your Vet should be the ONLY one to deal with what to do about it.

I unfortunately forgot to tell my long time groomer (who was taught how and does it as a matter of course and had been doing it for almost 30 years) not to express Amos's anal glands and he ended up in Emerg. within 24 hours bleeding from his rectum. While she was expressing, she ruptured one side.....totally unnecessary and he was in HORRIBLE pain.

This is not something that needs to be done routinely and though your groomer may be doing this unpleasant service for you as a kindness, most grooming schools are no longer even including this in their curriculum. Too many things can, and often do go wrong.

If your dog is scooting and/or licking more than usual, often after having loose stools for a few days, then go to your Vet. This is not part of normal maintenance. I would absolutely never do it just because my dog is having a bath either.

I mean no offence to the groomers on the board but I actually lost a dog after an anal gland expression. My Vet. had to express her 'over expressed' anal glands, she had a seizure, went into cardiac arrest and died in my arms.
This can be VERY painful if done incorrectly and can cause lifelong problems....leave this up to your Vet.

[angelzeus]

some groomers do squeeze anal glands others do not the groomer i worked for did not do this because the smell horriable and because they can become infected

[Saintgirl]

I am so sorry that this happened to you Dr2little. I just wanted to share a story about a Pom who came to us the day after the vet had expressed his glands for an emergency groom. The owner thought that the vet had expressed his glands all over his backside and had not cleaned him up. Infact one of his anal glands had ruptured (from the vet visit) and we had to immediatley instruct them to return to a vet. Anal glands can rupture. Healthy dogs do not need to have their anal glands expressed, but a groomer can be trained to do this the right way. This is the problem with the unregulation of groomers and courses. Online courses and mediocre groomers should not be giving courses or apprenticeships. My mentor and instructor was taught by a vet, she taught me and still wanted me to be watched by a vet before she approved my procedure, and I was approved by my vet for expressing the proper way.