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Dog licking bottom & stinky after grooming. Is it anal glands?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 3 months old | 17 lbs

My dog just had a full groom and bath on Wednesday. They took care of his anal glands durring his grooming. After his grooming, he has been licking and bitting at his bottom and at times we've noticed a stinky odor. What can be the cause and should I bring him to the vet?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Amber Da Silva, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 19th, 2017

Sometimes after the anal glands are expressed there will be some residual irritation, especially if they were very full, so Nicco may continue to lick and scoot for the next couple of days. There may be some odor released just from the licking and scooting or if there was a little bit if fluid left in the glands or stuck on the fur. You could start by putting a cone on him so he can't lick and then applying a topical steroid such as hydrocortisone to decrease the irritation. If it continues, or starts to look worse, I would recommend taking him to your veterinarian for an examination.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    The fishy odor is probably due to the anal gland emptying that they did at the groomers, this is also probably what caused the irritation, in most cases this should resolve within 48 hours but as it's been several days already I suspect that there might be an inflammation or infection at the anal gland site, which will require you to take Nicco to the vet to get it treated.

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