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Anonymous
Your vet will SHOW you the proper way to do anal glands. It's messy, so don't wear a shirt you like. It wouldn't hurt to invest in a pair of doctory-style rubber gloves (Pack of 10 at walmart is $.98 - or just steal some from your Dr. while you're there.)
Do it before you give your dog a bath - that way, you wash the stink out of the hair AND your tub.
When your dog does the carpet scoot - that means that they're trying to express the glands themselves. Excessive licking and super stinky butt are also other signs.
(Yeah, imma pet nurse.)
Dogs usually express their own glands naturally when they perform a bowel movement. The bearing down causes their muscles to squeeze the glands and thus expess any build up. However, dogs who eat canned food or have irregular stool that is soft and not firm lumps don't require that they press down as hard and thus the glands don't get expressed as often as needed.
You need to be careful to follow the instructions your vet gives you exactly as shown. Any questions and you should pick up your phone and call them. (Phone advice is free, after all!)
People who do anal gland themselves run the risk of rupturing them or causing an infection if not done properly. TOO frequent and that also irritates them. They're a delicate area and require a little bit of gentle skill.
We use a different technique than what's in this video, and kind of looks to be a little trickier than what we do at our hospital, but you get the general idea.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yg1yey2vN3M
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