# Oh my gaaaaaaawd! What's that smell?!



## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

So, last night I get home and my sweet little dog is sitting on my lap... All of a sudden, there is this awful stench and it's coming from a tiny little stain on my sweater. The stain was the size of a dab a felt tip marker would make, but it was powerful! Whoa! It kinda smelled like a really concentrated odor of rotting fish or seafood. Is this anal gland secretion? She was just professionally groomed a week and a half ago and they are supposed to be expressing the anal glands. Could it be building up this quickly? Can someone tell me how to clean my doggie's little toosh so it won't smell? I've wiped her little butt with baby wipes, but I don't think it took it completely away. Will this fix itself? What should I do until her next grooming appointment this weekend? Help!


----------



## drshdw (Sep 30, 2010)

Yup anal gland secretion. My dog only does it if she's really really scared. It goes away after a while (aka they clean themselves).


----------



## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

She was definitely not scared, but super happy because I had just returned from a business trip and she was happy to be sitting on my lap... odd. I'll have to ask the groomer about it because I did notice her scraping her butt last week.


----------



## drshdw (Sep 30, 2010)

Yes, double check with the groomer.


----------



## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

No, this is not something that will go away on its own. And if it builds, you could have a dog with impacted anal glands, infections, and other major problems.

Do ask your groomer whether the glands were expressed. If not, they should be. But it is something you want *right* before a bath.

And, may I ask what you are feeding? More fiber may help - if stools are solid, not soft, the anal glands should express every time the dog defecates.


----------



## drshdw (Sep 30, 2010)

Sighthounds4me said:


> No, this is not something that will go away on its own. And if it builds, you could have a dog with impacted anal glands, infections, and other major problems.
> 
> Do ask your groomer whether the glands were expressed. If not, they should be. But it is something you want *right* before a bath.
> 
> And, may I ask what you are feeding? More fiber may help - if stools are solid, not soft, the anal glands should express every time the dog defecates.


Oh I meant the smell goes away after a while..


----------



## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

drshdw said:


> Oh I meant the smell goes away after a while..


I'm not sure what you're asking. Do you mean the smell on your clothes, or the smell from the glands themselves?

regarding the clothes, you'll need an enzymatic spray to get rid of the smell. Anal glands are the reason dogs sniff each others' rears. It is a scent marker. Skunks' anal glands are modified to produce their spray, and I'm sure you are familiar with how pervasive that odor is.

Regarding the glands themselve, the only way the smell will go away is if the glands express. This should naturally occur as the dog defecates, but if the feces is not formed well (usually due to a lack of fiber), this won't happen, and they'll need to be expressed manually by a groomer or vet. If it does not happen, the glands can get infected and cause major pain, infection, etc.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Dogs can express them when they get excited too..and that may be what happened. If she is scooting alot, take her to the vet. Groomers express glands externally...and many times, we cannot get even full glands to express. Sometimes its just the way the dog is built, many times its because the dog is overweight, or is tense when we try. The vet does them internally and can get any gland expressed if needed. I try to remember to tell people if the glands don't express, but honestly, I forget alot, because unless they are VERY full, its generally a non-issue as most dogs don't need it and I don't express em unless they feel very full. A groomer can do alot of damage to those sensitive glands by pushing and squeezing around back there on a fidgety or tense dog, and then it is better left to the vet.


----------



## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Groomers can't do our dog's - she is so muscled back there and the glands are deeper inside her than usual. So she gets hers done at the vets internally. Just as well since I can't get her near a groomer without her going into a major panic.


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> Dogs can express them when they get excited too..and that may be what happened. If she is scooting alot, take her to the vet. Groomers express glands externally...and many times, we cannot get even full glands to express. Sometimes its just the way the dog is built, many times its because the dog is overweight, or is tense when we try. The vet does them internally and can get any gland expressed if needed. I try to remember to tell people if the glands don't express, but honestly, I forget alot, because unless they are VERY full, its generally a non-issue as most dogs don't need it and I don't express em unless they feel very full. A groomer can do alot of damage to those sensitive glands by pushing and squeezing around back there on a fidgety or tense dog, and then it is better left to the vet.


^This
:::hands you a gold star!:::

If the dogs' glands were expressed by the groomer and 10 days later she's scooting again...I (as a groomer) wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. If they need expressed that much, there's something else going on IMO. I'm no vet, but glands shouldn't need expressed that often, and if I had a dog (of mine) that was having problems I would explore other ideas. 
This (anal glands) and ear hair is something I usually question the owner on, and am on the fence whether it's best to leave them both to the vet.


----------



## hobogirl (Nov 22, 2009)

I have 4 dogs and have had to start taking all 4 to the vet to have their glands cleaned. I thought that my groomer was doing them all these years. My vet told me that dogs have 2 sets of glands, inside and outside. Groomers usually only clean the outside. I have started taking my 4 dogs to the vet to have them cleaned before taking them to get groomed. One of my dogs glands was so bad before that one of hers was almost abseced and she had to be put on mediciation.


----------

