# licks his butt a lot



## IslandMutts (Jul 23, 2007)

Not a joke 

My male dog licks his anus quite often. I've looked at it and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it and there is no irritation. There are no worms in his poop. I understand that dogs do this sometimes, but he really does it a lot. It's bothersome for me because he will start licking while he is laying on the floor and after a few minutes, he has broadcasted an awful stench throughout the room. And when he's done, he wants to give me kisses and I have to push him away. Could this be an issue with his anal glands? Or just normal behavior? Any ideas?


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## Dakotah (Sep 30, 2007)

You know what, My female Black Lab named Jet, does the SAME thing!!! 
If anyone answers your question then they will be answering mine to!


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## Obstacle (Oct 3, 2007)

I'm not an expert, but I have a Chocolate Lab/Weimeriner/Border Collie mix who was doing the same thing, and at his yearly vet check-up we had them do an anal cleansing on him, and for a month now he's been back to normal with licking....nothing like before which was non-stop.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

I would check into having his anal glands expressed. He might be infected. That would explain the smell and the licking. Check with your vet.


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## IslandMutts (Jul 23, 2007)

Ok thanks, Inga.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Yup, sounds like anal scent glands.

I never heard of anal scent glands until we got our big lab. I could have cheerfully gone through life without EVER hearing about them. Or smelling them.

Most dogs express them naturally in the course of defecating. Some dogs don't and the glands need to be expressed manually (by someone other than me. Someone with a full hazmat suit on.)

Symptoms of scent gland problems are excessive interest in the anal region, scooting around on the floor and a dead-skunk-in-the-middle-of-the-road smell - usually in the back seat of your car or at a formal dinner party with influential guests.

My vet charged $15 to express them and kindly showed me how to do it myself. I did it once under supervision and decided it was $15 well-spent.


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## Lorina (Jul 1, 2006)

What they all said about the anals, plus, just because you're not seeing worms, doesn't mean there aren't any. Most times, they're not visible in the stool, but the vet can check for eggs under the microscope.


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## DogDaze (Sep 23, 2007)

Sounds like anal glands need to be expressed.... _yuck_ .... have your Vet show you how & then save yourself some $ everytime they need it. 

Another sign they need to be expressed is scooting across the carpet on their butt... and you don't want that icky stuff on your carpet for sure!


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

DogDaze said:


> have your Vet show you how & then save yourself some $ everytime they need it.


Be my guest, but I'd rather let someone else do it - like these guys:


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## Lorina (Jul 1, 2006)

My inlaws asked me how to do their dog's anal sacs. I told them, "Whatever the vet charges, it's worth it."


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## Dakotah (Sep 30, 2007)

thanks for me and the OP. 
My dad said that Jet probably has worms, but like IslandMutt said, I dont see any in my dog poop.
BUt yes $15 is worth it, my dog has BAD gas so I'm not taking ANY chance of going anywhere near her butt haha.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

i need to have the vet show me how to do it because maybe its just me, but i think Chloe licks hers a bit too much. how bad could it be? i mean... literally.. ive had my finger IN a horses penis.. and vagina.... and butt.... so i guess it couldnt be much worse huh?


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i need to have the vet show me how to do it because maybe its just me, but i think Chloe licks hers a bit too much. how bad could it be? i mean... literally.. ive had my finger IN a horses penis.. and vagina.... and butt.... so i guess it couldnt be much worse huh?


Well, its not so much the sticking your finger in part that is disgusting as much as the release of the anal glad goo that is revolting. The licking & stink does really sound like anal gland issues to me. Lilly had ongoing issues from 8week to 6-7 months of age until her body would take of it on her own. Even if you learned how to release them on your own I do still feel I would want me vet to do it b/c the look of what comes out lets you know what is going on. Lilly ended up needing her glands to be flushed with a sterile solution and topical antibiotic b/c of an infection brewing that was only indicated by the look and feel of the liquid that was expressed.

Make a vet appt soon as anal gland infections can be quite serious, not to mention uncomfortable.


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## Shih-tzuLover (Oct 3, 2007)

My dog had that same problem a year ago. He kept licking and licking and wineing and I found out that one of his anal sacks burst open....which was weird because it had been a few monthes that he had them squeezed...I take him to the groomers every 2 monthes.

My poor Rocky had to have it cleaned out and he had to take pills for a week.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

theres no smell with Chloe, she just seems to lick a lot. i have go get a refill on her perscription tomorrow and im going to talk to my vet when im there and ask him... 10 to 1 he will do it for me and not charge lol... he knows how much Chloes been through and how much we have paid for her to get better... hes never given me any problems and hes wonderful... the other day he called me out of nowhere just to ask how Chloe was. he really is a great vet who really cares. its hard to find those these days!


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## Dakotah (Sep 30, 2007)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i need to have the vet show me how to do it because maybe its just me, but i think Chloe licks hers a bit too much. how bad could it be? i mean... literally.. ive had my finger IN a horses penis.. and vagina.... and butt.... so i guess it couldnt be much worse huh?


OK I use to work at a Horse Farm and everytime the equine vet came out to stick his fingers/hand/arm in a horses butt or his fingers in a horse's vagina or penis I would throw up. I have a very weak stomach. And to think I use to want to be a Equine Vet, that is SO out of the question now. haha


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

GreatDaneMom said:


> theres no smell with Chloe, she just seems to lick a lot. i have go get a refill on her perscription tomorrow and im going to talk to my vet when im there and ask him... 10 to 1 he will do it for me and not charge lol... he knows how much Chloes been through and how much we have paid for her to get better... hes never given me any problems and hes wonderful... the other day he called me out of nowhere just to ask how Chloe was. he really is a great vet who really cares. its hard to find those these days!


WOW! That is great that you have a wonderful vet like that. Do you appreciate how incredibly hard that is to find now days?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Inga said:


> WOW! That is great that you have a wonderful vet like that. Do you appreciate how incredibly hard that is to find now days?


I guess now that we've handled the butt-licking problem, it's okay to deviate from the topic a bit.

I guess I didnt realize how lucky I am. When Cubby was very sick several years ago, his vet (or sometimes a tech) would call me twice-a-day for two weeks until he was better. He even called me from his in-laws' house on Thanksgiving Day. The dog was having trouble keeping food or liquids down and there was some concern about dehydration.

This is why I will probably drive back to Appleton to have Molly spayed instead of using a local vet here.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

oh i know how lucky i am. i was at a different vet before and they just didnt care about Chloe. so i changed her to the vet im at now. they put 2 vets on her there, dr keem is her regular who sees her at appointments. but if hes not there dr tishka is there and he will look at her, also i had to take her in for an emergency at 4am to the only 24hr vet around and dr tishka works over there too and he took care of her. so no matter where i am i always have a vet who knows her history and what to do with her. theyre great. both vets call, and they always want to know how she is. also when i call the vets for any refills on perscriptions or to set up appointments the first thing they ask is how Chloe is. everyone knows here there. whenever i take her in all the receptionists from behind the counter (even ones i dont know) come out to see her and hug and pet her. and the vet techs do it too. its nice to know they like her there. i thank god every day for that clinic. i dont think chloe would have made it if i stayed at the other place. OH BY THE WAY! i learned how to get chloes butt squeezed (thats what we call it lol.) they showed me how to do it at the vet and she said that sometimes you can go from the outside and squeeze them but hers were set abnormally wide apart so i have to go from the inside. one of them was really full, but the other didnt have too much in it. it wasnt bad.... i can do it lol.


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