We no longer do glands as a part of the groom.
What are anal glands?
Anal glands are small pockets (glands) located just under the anus that
hold a substance with a strong odour. Dogs need these glands because
they use scent for communication. The scent is the dog signature. This
is one of the main reasons dogs sniff each others bums.
The gland is naturally expressed during a bowel movement. The bowel
movement puts pressure on the glands to secrets the scent on their
‘poop’. This will also let other animals know who the ‘poop’ belongs to.
You may have smelled them at some point. They have a strong odour
that can be described as fishy bum smell sometimes combined with a
strong vitamin C smell. Peeewwww!
Most dogs do not need help with glands as the are expressed naturally.
We no longer do glands as a part of the groom for this reason.
If you know your dog needs their glands checked, we can add glands as
an additional service.
Additionally, as groomers we (in Ontario) only express glands externally.
Only Vets can express the glands internally. (Required for dogs with no
tail)