Anal Glands 101
Many suggest that scooting is a minor issue, but left untreated, blocked anal glands can lead to very serious problems such as infections & abscesses. Not only that, but blocked anal glands are incredibly irritating and painful for your pup causing them serious discomfort.
So, let's see what we can do about it for them!
Let's start with what anal glands actually are
Anal glands are a pair of tiny sacs that sit just inside the dogs anus. They contain a fluid with that unpleasant odour we're all unfortunately familiar with. This fluid is used for marking their territory and is unique to each dog. Strange, we know!
More than just scooting
It's important to spot the signs of blocked anal glands so you can support your pup! As well as scooting, aka rubbing their bottom on the ground, they may release a foul, fishy smell, nibble or lick their anus or lower back, or even just suddenly sit down in discomfort.
The good news is that blocked anal glands are a relatively common issue and in the majority of cases, simple to treat!
Your vet may prescribe medication, and will be able to feel inside your dog’s bottom to try and empty their glands. Never attempt to do this yourself unless you have had instruction from your veterinarian. Anal glands can burst if they are squeezed too hard or incorrectly.
Ways you can help
Getting these checks from your vet regularly is key if your dog frequently suffers from blocked anal glands, but don't despair! There are also additional ways to support them too.
Keeping them slim on a high quality diet with regular exercise is the first. Overweight pups often have weaker muscles around their bottoms which makes gland emptying far trickier.
Last but not least, adding extra fibre to their diets can help to bulk and firm-up their poo. This means that when your dog goes to toilet, their stool will press harder on the anal glands helping them to naturally empty them. Oh, and do we even need to mention how much nicer it'll be to pick up!
How to introduce that extra fibre?
Not like any other chew. Scooch chews contain ZERO NASTIES and are packed to the brim with human grade powerful plant-based ingredients from tasty banana and coconut to get your pup's tail wagging, through to flaxseed and psyllium seed husk to provide high levels of dietary fibre for optimum digestive health.
No gloopy oils, pills or powders in sight. Just tasty human grade chews dogs love.
Your pup will thank you after just days of taking them - like Ziggy (photo montage below)
These blog posts are not medical advice and If you have any concerns we'd always recommend to discuss them with your veterinarian. For any questions for team Scooch, please do reach out to us at woof@helloscooch.com