Pembroke Welsh Corgi picture from BeChewy
What Are Anal Glands
Anal glands, or anal sacs as they are sometimes called, are small, paired pouches located between the internal and external anal sphincter muscles, one on each side of the anus.
In a normal situation, they are emptied when the animal squeezes the muscle against the bowel movement or tenses during a stressful situation.
In the wild, animals use these glands as a way of marking their territory or as a distraction when being pursued by a predator. In social settings, you may have noticed that animals tend to sniff the rear end of other animals, this is because they are trying to pick up a familiar scent.
To Squeeze or not to Squeeze
Many feel that routine expression of the anal glands is helpful to prevent issues. If done incorrectly, frequent expressions can cause a rupture or irritate the openings which prevents the normal, healthy outflow. The technique plays a significant role in this. The correct way can only be done by medical personnel, which is to express an anal gland is to insert an index finger into the rectum & use the thumb to “milk” the gland.
The way a groomer (non-medical) personnel uses is the external method where glands are squeezed on either side of the rectum. If the gland is healthy & easily expressed, this can be done with minimum incident. The issue with this method is that the gland cannot be clearly defined & there is no way to adequately trap the gland. This requires more pressure & often leads to much more irritations of the area then the internal method & potentially damage/rupture to an unhealthy gland.
In our domestic animals, these functions are less significant. However, the health of the glands is still important. In most situations the animals can maintain the glands themselves. Occasionally they will “scoot if the glands become enlarged, which is usually adequate for relief. If the scooting is frequent (more than once or twice in a close time frame) or there is excessive licking of the area, the glands could be impacted or infected and need further attention.
Impactions occur from over-production of the gland, loose stools, infection or any irritation of the area that causes swelling. The anal gland secretion is normally an odiferous liquid, but can change to a thick, pasty-type debris that is very hard to excrete. If problem occurs, it is best to consult a veterinarian to evaluate the issue and to give the animal relief. Left unattended, these glands can easily abscess and create a large issue.
Worst Case Scenario
When the glands become impacted or abscessed, they often will rupture, leaving a hole on either side (ventral) of the anus. If this occurs, it is important to seek veterinary care. This can be treated surgically or as an open wound, depending on the situation. Once glands rupture, the chance of reoccurrence goes up immensely.
With all said, I do not express anal glands, I will leave that to the doctors.
The contents from this article can be found in the September 2021, Vol 40 ED.9 edition from Groomer-to-Groomer magazine.
The article was written by Dr. Cliff Faver Anal Glands “A Pain in the butt”
