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My dog's anal gland ruptured. Will antibiotics heal or need surgery?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 7 months old | 5 lbs

My chihuahua dog had one of his anal glands open up very little blood and pus came out , I took him to the vet and he give me some antibiotics and I have been cleaning the spot with a half water and half peroxide, my question will it go away on it’s on or does it required surgery? Thank you

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 12th, 2018

Lobito is so cute! It sounds like he had an infected anal sac that opened up, and you did exactly the right thing by taking him into the vet. Antibiotics should help clear up the infection, and there is a chance the anal sac can heal on it's own. Without seeing it in person, I can't say for certain, but definitely keep an eye on it and if it doesn't appear to be healing over the next week, have him seen by a vet again as then surgery may be needed to close it completely. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Christie Long, DVM

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on

    Usually once the gland has ruptured, and I think that's what you mean when you say it opened up, they don't require surgery. The surgery for an uncomplicated (i.e., first or second time it's happened) anal gland infection/impaction is to lance the gland with a blade while the pet is under anesthesia, drain the contents of the gland, then flush it and usually instill anti-inflammatory medications into the empty gland. If this is a chronic problem, it's possible the Lobito will need surgery to remove the gland. This is necessary when the duct leading from the gland to the anus gets blocked and scars. Hopefully this won't happen! I would say this only happens about 15% of the time. If you need veterinary help, PetCoach provides veterinary housecalls in the San Diego area. Visit https://www.petcoach.co/house-call-veterinarians/ or email us at housecalls@petcoach.co.

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