Dog owners always made sure that their furry companion got all the basics to protect them, from vaccination to de-worming, for that reason, dog owners really think that they are 100% secure that their pets are protected against internal parasites as well as external parasitism but still it frustrates them when they see that their beloved pet still do some scooting from time to time.
Anal sac glands are a pair of sacs located at five o’clock and seven o’clock below the dog’s anus. A Dog anal glands are associated with scent marking, these sacs usually secret its content when the dog is stressed or during defecation (only when the dog have a hard stool, because of the pressure that builds up in the anal sphincter thus releasing the anal sac glands content as well along with the hard stool). The gland has had a distinct odor and the dog version of the skunk’s scent gland, the only difference is that the dog’s anal gland secretion doesn’t smell that bad. The anal sac secretion is clear or pale yellow-brown in color. A forty pound dog should have more than a quarter of a teaspoon of fluid in his anal sacs but what is the relationship of these anal glands to dog scooting? Well, here are some of the hidden reasons why your dog is scooting due to the anal glands anomaly:
- When a dog is having a diarrhea
- When a dog is constipated
- Secondary bacterial infection
When a dog is having a diarrhea, soft and watery stools came along, with that, there is not enough pressure in the anal sphincter that will trigger that release of the secretion of the anal glands. When a dog is constipated, for prolonged periods of constipation, anal sac glands halt its secretion because of the same obvious reason which is the lack of pressure that will trigger the release of the fluid inside the anal sac glands.
Rendering the anal sac glands not able to release its content, the dog will literally scoot it’s rare to force its anal sac glands content because it is irritating and itching. Constant scooting leads to self mutilation by licking and biting its rare ending with infected wounds that further worsen if not treated right away.
You can avoid this scenario by visiting your veterinarian when you saw your dog scooting its rare even if you have given them vaccination and de-worming. Your dog might be having a problem emptying its full anal sac glands.