This article explains why Alvin, a 3-year-old Bichon-Cockapoo mix, required surgery to remove his anal glands. Keep in mind that your dog may need periodic removal of the anal gland, but it will not require surgery.

Quick Background

In case you are not familiar with the location of a dog’s anal glands, they are located on either side of his anus, at approximately 4 and 8 o’clock. Its purpose is to mark the territory and to uniquely identify a dog. Any dog ​​can find out about another dog’s age, sex, and general health by sniffing its anal glands.

When a skunk releases the unpleasant odor to ward off its enemies, the excretion emanates from its anal glands. Fortunately, a dog’s glands don’t excrete such an unpleasant odor, although owners who express their dog’s glands say it’s downright offensive.

Alvin case

Let’s go back to Alvin’s problem. Her anal gland problem started with slipping (rubbing her butt against the floor). Some dogs also lick or bite their butt or chase their tails.

We tried to squeeze his glands but we couldn’t produce any liquid. So we went to the vet’s office.

On two separate visits, the vet injected antibiotics into his acorns. Note that Alvie, our first dog (we have two Cockapoos), had to be removed for the antibiotic injection procedure. It’s scary to watch your dog “sink” because it looks like the vet is putting him to sleep forever. Fortunately, a second needle brings the dog back to consciousness quickly. It may seem dizzy, but it’s okay.

Every time Alvin had this procedure, the infection cleared up, but then it came back a few weeks later. When he started sliding again, we knew it was time for another vet trip.

The prognosis.

On the third visit, the vet announced that Alvin’s glands were not releasing fluid properly during evacuation because the channel that carried the fluid was clogging. The “channel” was probably too small. Once it became clogged, the dog developed an infection. The condition was not going to resolve itself.

The vet suggested anal gland removal surgery performed by himself. Since the author had already investigated this surgery, the greatest postoperative concern was incontinence. It appears that some dogs will be incontinent forever after their glands are removed.

The idea of ​​keeping Alvin in diapers was not pleasant. Just as unpleasant were the thoughts of taking the dog to the vet every month for antibiotics. We opted for surgery.