Anal Gland Issues In Dogs

Impacted Anal Glands may be a medical emergency and you should contact your vet.

Anal Glands are expressed naturally when your dog poops. If your dog’s poop is soft for too long a period of time, they may not be expressed naturally and could become impacted.

You may notice your dog smelling a little funky, licking, scooting across the floor, or chasing his tail.

The root cause of anal gland issues is a result of inflammation in the gut. An inflamed out of balance gut aggravates the anal glands and results in poops that are not voluminous enough to express those glands.

Ways to Support Natural Anal Gland Expression For Your Dog

• Feed Fresh Food, with quality fiber. Studies show dry food is 10 TIMES more inflammatory than raw so move from ultra-processed kibble to a Volhard fresh diet. Feed fresh quality protein that your dog likes best / put out the best stools.

• Eliminate all inflammatory triggers. Low quality treats, chemical parasite controls, grooming products, household cleaners, etc)

• Change your dog’s water. Use only clean, non-chlorinated (filtered or boiled-then-cooled) water (ask me about a Berkey Filtration System)

• Include good Digestive Enzymes, Pre & Probiotics

• German Chamomile Oil is also beneficial for soothing

• Add Soluble Fiber sources — chia seeds or psyllium husk.

  • Do not use insoluble fiber additions such as Muesli. There is GMO wheat in there which is inflammatory and indigestible by dogs, bulking the poo, making it softer and wetter and less able to express those glands.

Shop for Digestive Enzymes & Probiotics on the Volhard Site:

If your groomer is expressing your dog’s anal glands on a regular basis, it could lead to reduced muscle strength requiring even more ana gland expression. Unless they are impacted, as the vet and the groomer to leave them alone. If your dog is having problems often — it’s time to make some dietary changes and help nature do it’s thing.