Dogs and Cats Anal Glands Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

These are the 2 glands that are located one or either side of the anus. They generally contain a foul-smelling material which is expelled in urination and defecation that are used by dogs for their territory marking. Other function of these glands is that it acts as the body's dustbins. It collects the material to be evacuated and then helps in evacuation of unwanted matter from the body.

Lots of dogs have troubles with the anal glands. They cause uneasiness which leads to the rubbing of their rear end on the ground or floor.

Causes of Anal glands

Most of the dogs and cats never seem to have a difficulty with their anal glands, but the chance for infection to take hold is always there. When the anal glands are not adequately expressed, bacteria are given the chance growing and this can cause many problems. Your dog can develop an infection, which if left untreated can advance into an abscess. The abscess can then burst through the skin, causing complications.

It's supposed that dogs and cats anal gland problems can be associated to the quality of food a dog or a cat gets. Cheap brands of dog food use a lot of cereal fillers, which are likely to make soft stools. The soft stool are not able to press firmly enough against the dog's anal glands to give the necessary strain to express them and there the trouble starts. Higher quality or well prepared dog foods that produce a firmer, more compact stool really aid the expressing of dog anal glands and, thereby may be a better food choice for your pet.

Signs and symptoms of Anal glands

If your dog's anal glands fail to correctly express, they may in fact become impacted, making your dog very scratchy. Following are the sings to guess about the problem your dog faces.

Dog or cat begins scooting or dragging its rear end across the floor.
Dog or cat keeps licking or chewing near his rectum.
Dog's or cat's stools have become soft and mushy.

If you are observing one or more of the above mentioned signs, it may be a better idea to take your dog for a check up done with its doctor. The dog’s anal glands may actually need to be physically expressed, a job best left to the professionals. Some professional dog groomers will also execute this process.

Treatment of Anal glands

Some of the ayurvedic herbs do wonders when applied in treating the anomalies of anal glands.

Triphala – Triphala, though not an herb in itself is one of the finest herbal formulation. It is a combination of three herbs Amalaki, Bhibitaki and Haritaki in equal proportions. Triphala acts as a mild laxative and is helpful in full evacuation of the bowel. It keeps the excretory tract clean. It is also helpful in getting rid of the infections that might occur due to improper hygienic conditions.

Haridra – Haridra or haldi is a highly rated herb that has a very significant role in our lives especially in Indian subcontinent. Commonly known as turmeric and Curcuma longa in botanical terminology, it has been an herb of choice for treating all kind of infections occurring in our body. It is also helpful in treating the urinary tract infection also is used to treat other urine related problems. It keeps the proper functioning of the hormones and does not let any infection to creep in the anal tract. It can be applied locally or taken orally.

Sunthi – Sunthi is a dried form of ginger. It has been widely used in repairing the damage done by the infection in the body. Sunthi acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and also helps in suppressing the pain. It is also helpful in promoting the peristaltic movements there by helps in evacuation of the bowel. It is also helpful in regularizing the hormonal imbalance in the body.

Neem – One of the most powerful herbs with anti bacterial properties. It suppresses all kinds of bacterial invasion and is also helpful in suppressing the parasites growth in the intestines and the anal region. It can be applied locally to suppress the infection also used orally to suppress the bacterial invasion in the body.