from working in the vets i remember the smell from the anal sacks very well, a horrible smell.

there has been 2 incidents with my GSD pup which has lead me to belive that he may well be squirting a substance from his anal sacks in fear.

firstly we were at the park the other day when another pup and my pup were playing, the other pup got a bit to close for comforst and my pup  ran off with his tail between his legs, then he sat down quickly and staryed to smell and lick his anus.

i at first thought he may of been bitten, but as i got nearer i coudl smell the styrong smell that you smell from an anal sack.

secondly today he got him self a bit scared and running past me he suddenly sat down and licked his anus again. the strong smell was again apparent and so i lifted up his tail and there was nothign apart from a brown watery liquid a very small amount, like you would get if you were to milk the anal sack (not that i do at home but did at the vets)

do dogs secreate fluid from there anal sacks when they are scared?

Yes, a frightened dog will empty his anal gland,  and your right, it smells horrific.

Idõ has done this a few times, not for a good few months but when he first started going out for walk, especially at night he did it a few times, and there is no mistaking the smell!

I just make sure now that I empty them regularly, otherwise they can start leaking but he doesn't mind, I've never had to bother with the girls but its just another of his little quirks :D

HTH

Emily

Yes they do release their anal sacks when afraid, or over excited.

Especially nice when your walking a new dog across the dog walk or A frame and you get it in the face!

Really? How weird. My boy has to have his done by the vet regularly - am seriously considering changing his diet as his poos are not hard enough to empty them naturally, and indeed have lately been getting so sofa as to stick horribly in his feathering. Unless anyone has a suggestion for firming things up without a major diet change?? I found the smell of his anal glands pungent but not particularly horrible - guess I just have a strong stomach!! :-o (wanted the shocked smiley but can't remember how to get it!)

>Really? How weird.

:) No not really, most dogs will let them go when scared, like when attacked by another dog or a lorry goes past, or whatever frightens that particular dog, such as the A-frame! ;). If you have got a bomb proof dog, like my eldest, then they don't get released that way and his get squeezed by the vet a few times a year. Youngest is also pretty bombproof although his seem to empty naturally thankfully. ;)

I found poos firmed up when fed RMB. Hard as rocks and white to boot!

The shocked smilie is : eek : without the spaces. :)

My eldest had to have his emptied nearly every month until, like colliesrus, I changed to RMB. The hard poos his diet produces seems to have sorted him out and he now does them naturally. The youngest has never needed his emptying, but does his naturally.

Erm, what's RMB?

Guessing its a raw meat bone, but could be wrong.

Yes, sorry, RMB is raw meaty bones. :) Full of calcium which makes poo go hard and white! Nice bit of description there. :p

Ah, thanks. Is that the sort of bone they sell in big bins at pet shops or do you get them from butchers? If from butchers, what do you ask for?

No it is the sort you get from Butchers or the meat part of a supermarket; chicken drumsticks are the favourite in our house! Pet shop ones aren't raw. Which ones you get depends on you and your dog but basically as long as it is raw they can eat it. Some ppl avoid weight baring bones as they are thought to be more likely to damage teeth being so much stronger. HTH