brookitar Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 As my puppy and other dog were playing today on my newly washed couch cover I noticed Loki left behind a whitish-gooey substance. It absolutely reeked of rotten fish and pooh smell. His behind smelt so bad after the little event I had to give him a bath and some dental chews (his breath smells like fish too)! Last week Loki was also treated for a minor bacterial infection with metronidazole (flagyl) not sure if the events could be related? He has a vet appointment on the 31st but should I make it sooner? Does this mean his glands are impacted or is he simply too overexcited? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I've never had anal gland fluid come out whitish, or gooey. It's always been a yellow/brown fluid. But the smell combined with bad breath sound like anal glands to me. I wouldn't panic about it. I've had our dogs spontaneously express them out of excitement or fear. (Dog got ran over by a deer, long story). Are you opposed to expressing them yourself? It's not very difficult. You can find information online about how to do it. I don't like the idea of expressing them just for the sake of it, but I've done it on our dogs if they're obviously having problems. Our big dog often has some issues, he's start licking and licking. So I'll do his sometimes. We call it "butt popping" around here. I would certainly mention this all to the vet, but I don't think it's a good enough reason to move the appointment up. Is he showing any signs of discomfort? I wouldn't take discharge as any indication of painful glands. I start getting concerned if there's excessive licking, butt dragging, etc. We have a dog that will express his any time he goes in the car. Yes, it's miserable. But he's never needed his glands expressed. If he's not showing any signs of discomfort, I wouldn't even try to express them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookitar Posted March 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 It may have had some slight yellowing to it...kinda reminded me of snot! We blamed it on Effie's runny nose at first until we smelt the nasty stench! Was a new nasty smell to us! My fiance was calling me crazy the past few days for saying it smelt like fish until he finally got a big whiff haha! Ran over by a deer lol that's intense! I'm assuming he got overly excited when he was playing...I learned my lesson no more letting doggies play on the couch!!! No I've never done it before...I may take him to the vet he doesn't do so well with restraint. I had to start taking him to the vet for shots he is so combative. He's the kind of puppy who hates being held at all. Haha are they like pimples? Butt popping is a funny name for it! So far he doesn't seem to be going after his behind too much but we will keep an eye out for it now that we know! That's good to know! I will be holding off on scheduling the vet appointment earlier. Do you know if dog groomers sometimes express their glands for you? That is miserable...is he just very nervous? Our Effie use to puke when we would go in the car every time until she was 6 months old. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Sometimes puppies do that, I think it's overstimulation while playing. Some adult dogs do it when they are scared near to death, like hit by a car scared. The cottage cheese lumps are normal for some dogs, so don't worry about that. If you see him scooting his butt on the floor or licking excessively, then you may have a problem back there, but just expressing them himself is not an indication of an issue. I have one dog that needs to have pumpkin added to his meal about nce a month so that his stool is bulky enough to express them while pottying, which is what they usually do. Food intolerance issues cause the anal glands to over produce, so if you notice that he seems to have problems with them regularly, combined with any symptom of food intolerance, itchy, red skin, ear infections, mucousy stools, greasy coat, etc., a food change is in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waffles Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Yes, groomers can express his glands for you. Will most likely be much less expensive. Where I used to work, it was $10. Some places charge up to $20 around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyQ Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I never realized this may be the reason Maple smells like garbage left out in the sun when something spooks her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookitar Posted March 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Sometimes puppies do that, I think it's overstimulation while playing. Some adult dogs do it when they are scared near to death, like hit by a car scared. The cottage cheese lumps are normal for some dogs, so don't worry about that. If you see him scooting his butt on the floor or licking excessively, then you may have a problem back there, but just expressing them himself is not an indication of an issue. I have one dog that needs to have pumpkin added to his meal about nce a month so that his stool is bulky enough to express them while pottying, which is what they usually do. Food intolerance issues cause the anal glands to over produce, so if you notice that he seems to have problems with them regularly, combined with any symptom of food intolerance, itchy, red skin, ear infections, mucousy stools, greasy coat, etc., a food change is in order. Yes it must have been that rough play with Effie that made him express the smell. Haha kind of reminds me of a skunk. I did change his food last week which was a recommendation from the vet. When we originally got Loki he was on a Pedigree puppy chow...with all the fuss going around about these over processed foods we wanted to try something more natural a few people recommended. We gradually switched him to "Fromm" puppy formula that is comparable to Taste of the Wild. Well Fromm ending up causing massive amounts of diarrhea and the vet said the protein content was probably too high so again we gradually switched him to another dog food a puppy Purina formula. He seems to be doing A LOT better almost immediately. His stools are completely hardened now but I suppose with the food changes and trauma could have caused those glands to produce some extra smelly fluid? Yes, groomers can express his glands for you. Will most likely be much less expensive. Where I used to work, it was $10. Some places charge up to $20 around here. That is good to know...sometimes vet appointments are at inconvenient times! Plus he needs his little tiger claws shaved down. I never realized this may be the reason Maple smells like garbage left out in the sun when something spooks her! Haha that is probably it. At first we thought Loki got into some rotten garbage!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Unfortunately, that's the normal amount of stink for anal glands. They really are the equivalent of anal glands in skunks. Skunks have more musk, their fluid is harder to wash out and stronger smelling, and they have more control when it comes to spraying, but it's still an anal gland issue. When I was a kid, our vet called them skunk glands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Every now and then, Celt gets the urge for the "icky lickies". I just don't go looking for dog kisses for a while after... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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