Anal Glands

[archiesmom]

Icky subject, but important!
How many Yorkie owners have to express their pups anal glands? My Groomer does it occasionally, but not enough. If I don't do it, Archie leaves little stinky (& I mean STINKY!) targets on our clothes!

[rubymoon2072]

mine are pretty good at mostly being able to express themselves but if lola gets stressed out i do have to take her to the vet to have them done.

[MandiesMom]

I think it's very common in Yorkies and all small breed dogs. I haven't had this issue with Mandie as of yet, but I have definitely read up on it so I will know what to look for in case she needs it done.

[DexterBoy]

How do I know I need to do something? My vet said that when I see him dragging on his butt or licking it all the time.

[FionaMom]

Originally Posted by DexterBoy

How do I know I need to do something? My vet said that when I see him dragging on his butt or licking it all the time.

Maybe someone else will help with how to identify a problem, I just wanted to add that that's not always the case, that the dog will drag or lick. Our yorkie had a problem with her anal sac and she didn't do anything that pointed out the problem. From now on, I'm going to look more often. It's easy to miss when they have long hair like a yorkie.

[RileyDC]

Riley will be 3 in May and I have never had to have his expressed... Hope I didn't just jinx myself!! LOL

[TxVicki]

I have had Yorkies for over 20 years and I have never had one with Anal Gland problems. I have a note at the groomer office they are NOT to express anal glands. If it's not broke don't touch it. A lot of groomers don't know how to do this properly and this can cause problems.

[Maximo]

I agree with Vicki -- avoid manual expressing glands if possible. My understanding is once you start, the dog will not do it naturally or cannot do it naturally.

Various things can cause full glands or impaction and abscess, including incorrect manual expression. If poops are too small or not firm enough. With my boys, they need daily outdoor activity to do it. They don't express their glands when they poop indoors on the pad.

Here is a YT poll with more info and opinions that you may find interesting: oops! wrong link . . . one second

[Maximo]

Here is the YT poll on expressing glands: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/pol...al-glands.html

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I agree with Vicki -- avoid manual expressing glands if possible. My understanding is once you start, the dog will not do it naturally or cannot do it naturally.

Various things can cause full glands or impaction and abscess, including incorrect manual expression. If poops are too small or not firm enough. With my boys, they need daily outdoor activity to do it. They don't express their glands when they poop indoors on the pad.

Here is a YT poll with more info and opinions that you may find interesting: oops! wrong link . . . one second

Yes, I read about this, apparently it stems from the fact that the release of the scent is a calling card to other dogs and they are much more likely to do it if they poop outside. So adding outside time/walks could be very good for the dog’s anal glands. While I think they should be "checked" often, I do not think they need to be expressed in all dogs, and I believe it may be possible to break the dependency of the manual expression, by adding fiber to the diet and allowing the dog more outside time.