Last week I was given a real treat, but if you’re wishing that you were given it too, I suggest you don’t. It’s all about a subject I have been avoiding but which I knew I’d have to broach as it is such a common problem with dogs.
The usual symptom that could indicate that your dog has swollen anal glands is that it drags its backside along the ground
What started off last week’s topic was Basil. That is, Basil as in Basil Fawlty, and not Basil as in Basil Brush, as I initially thought. You see, the owner is a fan of the popular sitcom. So, Basil is a three-year-old white, black and tan Jack Russell.
Jack Russells are very small energetic terrier dogs, originally bred in England for fox-hunting. One of the most interesting aspects of the Jack Russells is that they have regularly featured in both popular and fine art.
The most well-known and iconic paintings of a Jack Russell is His Master’s Voice (1898) by Francis Barraud, which became the famous HMV record company logo, picturing a white and black Jack Russell listening attentively to a phonograph.
This time, Basil needed his anal glands emptied. Anal glands, or anal sacs, are two glands found on either side of the anus of some mammals, mostly in carnivores. The glands are paired, located underneath the skin on the outer side of the anal sfincture at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock respectively.
They are also known as scent glands, as their function is to enable the animals to mark territory and identify one another. The secretion is typically very foul smelling, and the most notorious is the smell emitted by the anal sacs of the skunk.
Under normal circumstances, anal glands do, from time to time, void on their own accord without giving any cause of concern, apart from the odour they emit. However, in some circumstances when this fails to happen, the glands swell up and cause discomfort.
The usual symptom that could indicate that your dog has swollen anal glands is that it drags its backside along the ground, sometimes licking or biting its behind or sitting uncomfortably. If left unchecked, anal glands can develop a deep and painful infection.
It is mainly the smaller breeds like Jack Russells that suffer most with anal gland problems, but the firmer the stools the less likely your dog will suffer from such problems. Though less common, I have seen a number of cats with the same problem. However, in their case it is overweight cats that are mostly at risk.
When you see the first signs of anal gland problems, it is important that you pay a visit to your vet with your dog to have them emptied or expressed. While you are there, you can discuss with your veterinarian whether there are any changes in your pet’s diet that may or may not reduce the problem. Dogs that suffer this problem are likely to relapse after three or four months. Surgical removal of the anal glands can also be considered in extreme cases.
By now you may have realised that expressing anal glands is not likely to rank high on a vet’s to-do list, since this is one of those tasks which the better executed, the worse the sensation and the fouler the odour... so why the treat?
Well, two weeks ago, Poppy, a Staffordshire bull terrier that lives in the same household with Basil, was at the clinic undergoing a difficult upper canine tooth extraction. Upon hearing that Poppy was now perfectly fine and that the procedure had been succesful, I remarked: “Well, that is really good to hear as it was such a delicate intervention that, compared to Poppy, attending to Basil is a real treat.” I realised only afterwards what I had said.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.