anal glands

[myangel167]

im a first time pug owner, and i have a 7 month old pug. I never even knew nything about anal glands, but now I hear that they need to be expressed every so often? Is this only for older pugs?

How will i know when my pug needs it?

I read online that its not good to do because then the anal glad "muscles" that they have that naturally secretes itself when they poop will stop working.

Im confused!

[pugtown]

Some pugs can have anal gland issues. They don't need to be expressed unless they do and they don't need to be routinely expressed by the groomer either. So far none of mine have issues and they are 4.5, 4.5, 8 and 10 yrs.

Your Pet's Anal Glands - YouTube

[Hellas]

Pugtown is right. All dogs have anal glands filled with a bad smelling substance. When a dog is frightened, it empties the anal glands as a warning to other dogs. The smell is quite strong, and alerts the other dogs to danger. They also empty the glands when they poop. Sometimes, the glands can get infected or have other problems. Mostly, I believe, this happens when the dog eats the wrong kind of food and has too loose stools. The stools have to be firm for the dog to be able to empty the glands naturally. A diet that is high in meat is the best. Grain (corn, wheat, rice) should be avoided. So, if you want to prevent anal gland issues, make sure your pug eats a healthy diet.

If your dogs is showing discomfort in his anal area, is scooting on his butt or is smelling really bad, you want to see a vet who can advise you about glands. I absolutely wouldn't mess around with it myself without consulting a vet first and, if necessary, being taught how to express the glands.

Some pugs do leak a little butt juice when sitting on your lap. My boy does. In general, it's nothing to worry about if there are no signs of discomfort and it doesn't happen too often.

[Tinker's mom]

Tinker has had problems in the past because of food. When hers needs attention she scouts round and round on her butt.I added pumkin which helped but when I switched her to freeze dried raw the glands are much better.You'll know if she starts to have problems.

[MopsMeister]

I usually have my 2 pugs anal glands expressed once a year when they get check-ups or when they get their shots, unless they need it done sooner. My 9 year old female occassionally "leaks a little butt juice" now & then.
Ewwww

[sugarskullz]

My little guy was a bit of a leaker, I expressed them myself twice but now that he gets a grainfree kibble with 1 tbsp of pure pumpkin and 1/4 tsp of pysillium husk, we haven't had a problem to speak of. Yay!!!

[myangel167]

thank u all for the very helpful info. my puggy eats a healthy diet so im sure she will be okay. she always seems to have solid healthy poop! yay for healthy poops! lol

[MopsMeister]

Hi Sugarskulls, That's great info. It's the second time I've heard about feeding pugs a spoon pumpkin with every meal.

[sugarskullz]

Hi Sugarskulls, That's great info. It's the second time I've heard about feeding pugs a spoon pumpkin with every meal.

It took about 6 - 8 weeks to notice the difference once we changed to grainfree and added pumpkin and pysillium to it.

Another little tip (not mine, someone else on the forum came up with it, but I can't remember who. Sorry!)

1 big can of 100% pure pumpkin (not pie filling) fills 2 ice cube trays.
Fill trays with pumpkin, freeze and transfer to zip loc bag and keep frozen.
Pop one cube in with meal and add warm water.
Works out beautifully!