How to Treat Canine Anal Sac Disease

Dogs typically express their anal glands when they defecate. Signs of canine anal sac disease include inflammation or infection of the anal glands. Your vet will determine if your dog suffers from this disease by conducting an exam.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Contact your vet and schedule an appointment. If you suspect your canine is suffering from anal sac disease, contact your vet for an evaluation. They will be able to diagnosis your dog and start treatment.

2. Anal sacs may need to be expressed. If your dog has a simple inflammation, your vet may just need to express the anal sacs. Your vet can teach you how to do this in the future, or you can ask for their help again if needed.

3. Removal of the anal sac may be required. If your dog needs his anal glands expressed regularly, you may want to consider removing the anal sac glands. This will ensure your dog doesn’t have any future health issues.

4. Your vet will check for abscessed anal glands. Sometimes the anal glands become abscessed. If this occurs in your dog, the vet will flush out the glands and administer antibiotics.

5. Your vet will remove a tumor if present. Sometimes anal sac disease occurs because there is a tumor present. If this occurs to your dog, the vet will remove the entire sac and possibly the lymph nodes as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware of funny smells. The most noticeable symptom of anal sac disease is that fishy unpleasant odor your dog emits. If you notice this, contact your vet for an exam.
• If your dog doesn’t have anal sac disease, ask your vet about worms. When a dog is infected with worms, they can scoot and have similar symptoms. Your vet should be able to conduct a test and deworm your dog if needed. In the future, you can put your dog on medication to eliminate repeat problems.

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