Cleaning Anal Glands of a Dog

A dog's anal glands are the two small sacks bracketing from the anus. If you notice that your dog is continually licking his rectal area or dragging this area across the ground, it may indicate that the anal glands of the dog are full or infected. Make sure to consult your veterinarian about this. Usually, the way to deal with this problem is by regularly emptying out or expressing the anal glands. In order to do this, the dog must be standing in its bathtub with his head to the left and his behind area on the right, in the case of right-handed people that is. Next lift the dog's tail upwards firmly with your left hand and press on both sides of the dog's anus using your thumb and your index finger with your right hand.

When beginning this procedure, often times you will be able to notice a bulging and this indicates that the anal glands are obstructed. When the anal glands are emptied out correctly this bulging usually goes away. Next, wash out the black, brown, or gray substance that comes out with shampoo in order to get rid of the unpleasant odor. If you see that this procedure is complicated, if the dog seems to be in a lot of pain, or if the substance that comes out of the dog's anal glands is green, it could mean that there is an infection in the anal glands. If this happens make sure to get ahold of your veterinarian.

Cleaning your dogs eyes: In the case of small dogs or those that are white, it is very important to keep a close eye on their eyes. These dogs tend to have the bottom area of their eyes wet and a lot of times a reddish stain forms. The humidity causes this to happen. The best way to prevent this problem is to regularly clean the dog's eyes. There are products that can be used to cover the stains around a dog's eyes but you should always make sure to wash that area with the appropriate type of products.