Dog Disease: The Anal Gland Disease

When a dog meets another, it's natural for them to go to the behind and take a sniff. This is a normal social practice among our pets that done to identify one another. Each dog has their own unique smell, which they use for marking territory or remembering a fellow pet. Again it's normal and isn't anything to be worried about – but what about doggy rear licking? Many people perceive that to be a normal thing that dogs do all the time. I used to feel the same way, only to find out how ignorant I was. A dog licking his rear is a sign of Anal Gland Disease, which by its name alone, is an infection of your pooch's anal gland.

This is a very disgusting dog disease for me to discuss, but I'll talk about it anyway for the sake of all pets. These glands are what contains that unique smell which all dogs have. They are expected to expel themselves naturally, usually from the force that is exerted upon these glands while taking a poop. But when they do fail to undergo the excretion process, all sorts of bacteria starts to build up, making your pet sick. As time progresses, the dog disease gets worse, causing minor irritations. That's when your pet will begin the “rear-licking phase”. I used to think that it was cleaning itself, but I realized that it was a gland inflammation and infestation, and that only cats lick themselves constantly.

If this ailment is left untreated, the irritations will get worse, making your pooch display another symptom known as scooting. For those not familiar with this term, this action is characterized by your pet dragging his bottom across the floor. It may seem like its dancing but it's only doing so because of the severity of the inflammation and irritation. By now any pet owner will be able to conclude that such strange behavior isn't normal, and should respond to the situation by bringing the infected animal to a veterinarian. After having it diagnosed, treatment will immediately follow – this involves the use of medicines which would help the anal glands expel the build-up and whatever has been blocking the excretion path.

Antibiotics will also be given to kill the bacteria. Having it treated by the veterinarian can be quite expensive, so preventing it from happening would be much better. Feeding it a balanced diet ensures that the poop comes out normally, which helps flush out the build-ups in the anal glands. If the poop is to soft, it doesn't apply any force on the glands, which causes it to inflame and accumulate bacteria. You may opt to natural remedies that help with the excretion naturally; and there is another option – during bathing, put on a pair of gloves, stick your fingers in its behind and gently squeeze the anal glands until it decreases in size.

This is really disgusting, and should only be done if you can stomach such a mind-blowing act. But if you have the money, you could always pay somebody to deal with the dog disease for you.