My golden retriever is licking his behind. Is it anal glands?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Aspen. I'm sorry she is potentially having issues again with her anal sacs. Unfortunately, some dogs have continual issues. I'd try giving her a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) with each meal. This will put more fiber into her diet, solidifying her feces more, and hopefully encouraging the sacs to express when the feces is pushed passed them. I hope this helps!

His anal glands may be full again. Normally, they are expressed during the act of defecation. You are quite brave to do it on your own! Not many pet parents would do that. If you feel comfortable doing it again, do so but gently. If the problem persists, you will have no choice but to seek veterinary attention. Clinics and veterinary ERs will see patients. If left untreated, Scooby could form an abscess which is very painful and may require sedation to lance and drain. You can consider a product, such as Glandex, to help with anal gland issues. https://www.glandex.com/

Hello. You might want to have him examined by your veterinarian to see why he is so irritated around his rectum. This could be an indication of parasites, anal gland impaction(s), or allergies. You can put a cream on, but you will need to place a cone on his head to prevent him from licking it off & ingesting it so it is best to find out what is bothering Charlie & treat it appropriately. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you think Kinsley Nicole has an anal gland problem, you may want to add some canned pumpkin to her food over a few weeks. It will make the stool more voluminous and it will press on the anal sacs as it comes our, hopefully emptying them. Should Kinsley still have problems after a while, you should schedule an anal sac expression with your new vet. It would be a great way to introduce yourself and her to the practice.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to an infection of the anal sac or possibly allergies for example. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Poor Buddy! This is a common behavior when they have full anal glands. Anal glands are 2 glands, one on each side of the anus, that holds a foul smelling material. They are there to help naturally lubricate a dog's bowel movements, but not all dogs properly express them. I would take him to your vet clinic and see if they can express his anal glands. Also, he could also act this way and lick everything if he is really itchy, anxious or just uncomfortable. If he doesn't improve after his anal glands are expressed, then I would have your vet take a look at him to ensure he doesn't have an infection or something else going on causing these behaviors. I hope this helps!

I would try feeding him some canned pumpkin with his next meal. This will sometimes help dogs naturally express their anal glands. By tomorrow, if his condition is not improved I would have a veterinarian clean them out. They can become impacted and infected.