One subject I don’t bring up too often is anal glands. A big reason for this is that it tends to be a gross topic. A modified version of these glands are what skunks use to spray when they are scared.

Did your dog ever do the “boot scoot” across the floor? Aside from just cleaning themselves (on your carpet or rug), the scooting could be an indication that there is another issue brewing. Their anal ...

Dear Dr. Fox: Please tell me the best way for dogs to empty their anal glands without having a vet express them. My dog is a 2 1/2-year-old border collie, and I assume his issue may be partially ...

Q I have two spaniels, and one of them seems to have recurring issues with her anal glands. I have tried all sorts of things I have read about online and nothing seems to work. About a month ago, I ...

A: Dogs (and cats) each have two small pouches inside the anal sphincter muscle and are located at roughly 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock of the rectum. Those pouches are lined with sebaceous glandular cells ...

The function of the anal glands originally was to use their pungent secretion as a marker in the wild. They have no real function in the domestic dog, although they are often emptied when the dog is ...

Q: My 5-pound teacup poodle had to have his anal glands irrigated with antibiotics and steroid medicine in December because of inflammation and a bad infection. He also had it done 2 1/2 years before ...

My 4-year-old spayed female Havanese has had several episodes of infected/impacted anal glands. The last time this happened was about 10 months ago and we ended up taking her to an emergency clinic.