What's that AWFUL smell?

Someone has a stinky hiney.....

Fishy bottom....that's what Jim and I lovingly call that awful smell that occasionally emits from Cleo's butt. It's awful, and rare but it's a sure sign that someone needs to have their anal glands squeezed.  Until a few months ago I naively had no idea what anal glands were or let alone they would ever need to be expressed. Although this is a horrid subject I never knew anything about it and thought I would discuss it since I couldn't possibly be the only one. Besides...it's kind of funny in a really gross way.

So what is that smell? The one that reminds me of what it used to be like to cross the Cape May bridge into Wildwood, NJ. The one that would make you have to hold your breath as you drove by the commercial fisheries? It's full anal glands. Ewwwww. Every dog has them and they are little pea sized glands located at 4 and 8'oclock on a dogs rear end. These glands enable animals like dogs and cats to mark their territory and identify each other. Hence all the butt sniffing at the dog park. Normally when a dog has a bowel movement the stool is firm and pushes against these scent glands naturally expressing them. If a dog has soft stools the anal glands can get full making for discomfort and well....noxious smells. The problem can be easily solved by paying a vet tech or a groomer to express them.

It's possible to express the glands yourself but in all honesty who the hell in their right mind would want to do something like that? The stuff that comes out can squirt up to like four feet away and although it won't hurt you, it smells so bad that it might as well be as dangerous as napalm in my book. Spend 10 or 15 dollars to get someone else to do it for you. Seriously. It's money well spent.

Full anal glands are a drag. Don't torture your dog by not getting them expressed. We don't have to do it often for Cleo. It's usually right around when she goes into season. She should be going into heat soon so it was no shock she had to get it done today. But for whatever reason when the vet does this for her her butt smells like peppermint for a day or so. I have no idea why but I would imagine it has something to with whatever they do to keep the smell down when expressing. It always makes me think of when you see police detectives or medical examiners on TV when they have to put Vick's on their upper lips when dealing with decomp. Blah!! So gross. So there's the skinny on fishy bottom and that awful awful smell. Pay attention to your dogs rear end and be proactive if they smell like the salmon run. It will save you from the anal glands spontaneously expressing themselves on your carpet or floor.

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