Hi, this may sound like a stupid question, but what exactly are anal glands? And what do they do? My pup was asleep this afternoon on the lounge floor and i noticed a small puddle on the carpet. At first i thought he might have done a wee in his sleep, but it was brown in colour and smelled AWFUL!! :-( It was also on his rear end and tail (not much). Is this something to do with anal glands? And also, any tips for getting rid of the smell from my carpet?? Thanks

Anal glands are just inside the bum my dog suffered very bad with them kept having the emptied until enough was enough so the vet decided to remove one of them and touch wood he has been fine since what breed of dog is yours? also biological washing powder to remove the smell then a good old fashion spray of frebreeze dont the trick for us good luck

When your dog has a 'poo', the anal glands are expressed, providing scent. 
A good quality 'poo' (we're talking 'poo' again!) should clear the glands better than a soft one as, I believe,  it is the motion of passing the 'poo' that expresses them.
Having said that, my old mongrel was always a good 'doer' and I had to empty hers about every 9 or 10 months.
Your vet is the best person to empty the glands for you, there's quite a knack to it (if you can cope with the smell!!) 

Thanks for the advise! My puppy is a 12 week old Mastiff. His poos are nice and bulky, so i dont know why this would have happened in his sleep. (he had just done one in the garden 15 mins before!)  I will try the washing powder to get rid of the smell. I hope it works!! Coz it smells NASTY!! lol
Thanks again :-)

Dont get confused as my dogs anal glands used to just decide to empty if he went to the loo or not also they can get so clogged up they smell terrible so please make sure you keep an eye my dog got an infection there before and he had to have an abcess lanced twice thats why in the end the vet removed the one that was the pain in the bum (lol) pardon the pun

It's not bulky poos that clear anal glands, it's firm poos.   Firm, small poos do a better job than large, soft poos.   What a subject :-). 

Stacey

im having the same problem with my sheltie.she has had anal gland problems since she was young.even after emptying,they begin to smell again a few weeks later! she stinks the whole room out! she had them emptied at the vets but i cannot afford to take her for another 2 weeks and i dont know how to empty them,also not sure if i could stand the smell without throwing up!!!!!!! anything i can do in the meantime????

sorry, i forgot to add that she has bad diorreah(?) about 3 times a week and i have to keep starving her!she has been on bakers complete dried food for 6 months now.could it be connected to her anal glands??

Hi Rachel,

If your dog has loose or runny stools 3 times a week you could well have more of a problem than just anal glands :(  Have you had her checked by the vet?   Also, if you do a search on here you'll find that Bakers is not exactly a preferred food choice for many.  But that aside, *any* diet that causes regular tummy or bowel problems is obviously unsuitable - you really ought to be seeking vet advice to investigate the cause of these symptoms so that the reason is identified and if food related the offending ingredient(s) removed permanently from her diet.

Good luck, Teri :)

not stating it is but bakers made my dogs glands worse ive however found that naturediet or butchers has solved the problem though plus having the one that it was removed

My hubby says he's going to start taking photo's of the dogs poo's, he's always saying "oh thats a good poo, better than one he did earlier". What a subject!!

Sorry, by "bulky" i meant that they were a good size and firm. Although it varies, and i have nothing to compare with, so i dont really know what is considered a large or small poo for a puppy. He is my first. :-)
Thanks for all the advise. He doesnt smell now. It was just when this happened last night. Do you think it was a one off, or should i ask the vet about it next time we are there? We go in again for a weight check a week on saturday.
Thanks again! :-)

personally i would ask the vet to check the glands to see if they are full then he will empty them for you or advise you on what to do next

Thanks again. I will ask the vet next week and see what he says. :-)

Mackleback

Our husky cross had what looked like a prolapsed anus a few months back - caused by blocked anal glands.  We put him back on the BARF diet and he has never looked back.  Completely OK now.

You may want to consider giving it a go?

Nikki123

Hi Nikki, my puppy is on the barf diet. But thanks for your advise. He is going to the vets on friday, so i will ask the vet about it then. :-)

Oh bless, poor little chap.  I do hope he is OK.  Best of luck.