Anal glands are two small scent glands sitting just inside your dog's anus, at roughly the four and eight o'clock positions. Each holds a strong-smelling fluid that normally squeezes out a little whenever a firm stool passes, marking the stool with scent. Most dogs empty theirs this way for life without any help. This article is about the other group: the dogs whose glands fill instead of emptying, and the signs that tell you a clinic visit, not home guesswork, is the next step.
The Behaviour Signs Owners See First
Scooting is the classic: the dog sits and drags its bottom along carpet or grass, trying to relieve the pressure of a full gland. Close behind come licking, chewing or sudden spinning toward the rear, as if something just bit them there. You may notice a persistent fishy smell that survives bathing, because a leaking or overfull gland produces an odour unlike ordinary dog smell and it transfers to bedding and soft furnishings.
Watch for quieter signs too: reluctance to sit squarely, shifting weight off one side while sitting, discomfort when the tail is lifted, or a dog who has started guarding the rear end during grooming. Any one sign can have other causes, which is precisely why the clinic's job is to check rather than assume.
The Signs That Raise the Urgency
Some findings move this from a routine appointment to a prompt one. Swelling or redness beside the anus, a visible sore or any discharge, pain when sitting or passing stool, blood, or a dog who is off their food and miserable alongside rear-end discomfort all suggest a gland that may be impacted or infected rather than simply full. An infected gland can form an abscess that swells quickly and may burst through the skin, and that is far kinder and simpler to deal with before it bursts than after.
Do not squeeze a swollen, painful rear at home. Expression of a sore gland is a clinic task, assessment comes first, and glands that turn out to be infected need veterinary treatment, not pressure.
What the Clinic Actually Checks
At the appointment the vet will usually examine the rear, feel the glands to judge how full they are and whether the contents feel normal, thickened or gritty, and empty them if that is appropriate. The vet is also ruling lookalikes in or out: allergies, worms, skin infection and irritation around the rear can all produce scooting and licking that mimic gland trouble, and emptying healthy glands does nothing for those. Tell the vet when each sign started, how often it happens, what the stools have been like, and whether this has happened before, because pattern and history shape the advice far more than a single day's scooting.
If glands keep refilling, expect a wider conversation about weight, stool firmness and underlying skin disease, and a suggested checking interval tailored to your dog rather than a universal timetable.
Keeping Episodes From Blurring Together
Owners of repeat offenders benefit from a simple habit: after each episode, jot down the date, the first sign you noticed, which side seemed involved if the vet said, and what was found and done. Six months later, nobody remembers whether the scooting started in spring or autumn, and the interval between episodes is exactly what the vet uses to judge whether the plan is working. Recheck sooner than planned if swelling, pain or discharge appears between visits.
KinsLe stores episode dates and clinic findings in the Pet Passport, a single dog record any practice can pick up and continue.