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My dog's anal glands were just expressed. Why is she scooting again?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 3 months old | 49.7 lbs

My dog just had her anal glands expressed a week ago and a few days ago she already started scooting, licking at her but, and excreting that weird metallic smell again. Could she already need her anal glands expressed again? If so, what can I do to help her not need this as often?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 20th, 2019

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Aspen. I'm sorry she is potentially having issues again with her anal sacs. Unfortunately, some dogs have continual issues. I'd try giving her a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) with each meal. This will put more fiber into her diet, solidifying her feces more, and hopefully encouraging the sacs to express when the feces is pushed passed them. I hope this helps!

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17Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 30th, 2018

    Anal sacs should be naturally be expressed every time a dog has a bowel movement. A dog that continually has problems with them filling up likely has an issue within the intestines or the way the sacs are positioned. Smaller breeds do tend to have this problem more often. It's important to have your vet evaluate Aspen, so they can diagnose the specific problem. Once the problem is discovered a good prevention plan can be put in place. Below is a link to an article with good information about anal sacs and how to prevent them from becoming impacted. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-prevent-impacted-dog-anal-glands/ I hope that helps and all is well with Aspen.

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My dog s anal glands are bothersome for her and need to be drained every 6 weeks. Is there anything else that I should be doing to help her? She has no digestive problems otherwise except that she has to eat only HP foods and snacks due ti skin alle
Thank you for using Boop by Petco. There is a supplement called Glandex and one called No Scoot that many of my clients love for anal gland problems. In some cases it can decrease how often they need to be expressed. I would discuss with her veterinarian if either of these may be compatible with her diet.
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If my dog is having firm poop but she's not expressing her anal glands on her own will pumpkin and baby food mashed greens help naturally express her anal glands? I'm wondering if I should just not add it in at all since her food has about 3-4% fiber
Hi and thanks for you post on Boop by Petco! Plain canned pumpkin can help as can increasing the amount of fiber she eats per day. Green beans and carrots to her food may work nicely too. 3-4% fiber is fine, but a little more would be better. If she continues to not express her anal glands naturally, she may need to have them manually expressed by either a vet or a groomer on a regular basis so they do not become impacted. I hope this helps and best to you and Chloe!
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My dog is having issues with his anal glands. They have to be expressed every few days.
Anal sacs should be naturally be expressed every time a dog has a bowel movement. A dog that continually has problems with them filling up likely has an issue within the intestines or the way the sacs are positioned. Smaller breeds do tend to have this problem more often. It's important to have your vet evaluate Aspen, so they can diagnose the specific problem. Once the problem is discovered a good prevention plan can be put in place. Below is a link to an article with good information about anal sacs and how to prevent them from becoming impacted. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-prevent-impacted-dog-anal-glands/ I hope that helps and all is well with Aspen.
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Hello my dog scoots her bum along the ground. We have emptied her anal glands at home numerous times using the external pinch method. Her stools have been smaller than usual but still solid and healthy. What should we do? I don’t want to take her to
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My GS mix 2+yrs old has issues expressing her glands. We feed Taste of the Wild. Fed twice/day. When she was a puppy we added pumpkin to firm up her poo and it helped, about a Tbsp give or take. In last 6 months she has been having issues w/anal glan
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. Anal glands are sometimes difficult to determine what causes them to fill up quickly and why they don't empty on their own. What we typically recommend is switching the diet completely to a different brand / formula and adding in supplementation for the anal glands such as Glandex (which can be purchased online). I've known Glandex to reduce the time between anal gland expressions by months and sometimes the diet switch alone makes a big difference. Try this for a few months and if the problem persists after, I would speak with your veterinarian about other options. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
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Thanks for using Boop by Petco! If possible, I would recommend you check in with your veterinarian for further assessment. This is possibly an anal gland issue. Sometimes these can get impacted or infected and cause those signs. Good luck and have a great day!
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Yesterday (6/11/18) I took Emma to have anal glands expressed around 4:30 pm. Vet tech said her glands were pretty full. I just caught Emma scooting on the area rug. Does this mean her anal glands still need more expressing? Is this why her anus loo
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! Continued scooting following anal sac expression may not be related to the need to be expressed further. Occasionally the anal sac may still be inflamed/irritated following the expression which may still result in some discomfort and the urge to itch. Scooting of the hind end can also be due to a superficial itch that may be related to an underlying environmental or parasite (i.e flea) allergy. It is difficult to tell from the picture without being able to palpate the rectum, but I do not see any evidence of overt swelling in the region (the anal sacs sit at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock position at the anus). If Emma continues to appear irritated you can have her evaluated by her veterinarian to palpate the anal sacs and make sure everything palpates normally.
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Bella, anal glands expressed once in Feb & once again in August. She had a bout of diarrhea few weeks ago and was licking her butt so we went last Friday and the vet said left was empty and right was full but fluid was normal & not thick. She Had no
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! It is possible that she needs to have her anal glands expressed though it is possible that this is an isolated event. Anal glands will usually drain themselves at the time of defecation. Unless she is scooting or acting uncomfortable, I would not worry. It those symptoms are observed then have evaluated by your veterinarian then to make sure her anal glands are not impacted for example. Have a good day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog got his anal glands expressed yesterday as he was scooting and licking in the air..he is still scooting but a little less than before..I'm trying hot towel against his rectum..its helping fir a while but then he just start again..
Residual inflammation is normal, especially if the glands were already inflamed. You may call your vet and ask about a course of anti-inflammatory medication. Omega 3 fatty acids can also help. Lastly, a cool (not cold) compress may be a better option to relieve the burning. Sometimes supplements like Glandex can help. If Adam continues to have itchy anal glands, you may want to discuss ruling out food allergies with your vet. I always use a hydrolyzed protein for this. I hope this helps.
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Hello. You can certainly try to worm her, making sure you use a complete wormer like Safe Guard canine dewormer. Treat for 3 days in a row. If Tootsie continues to scoot, there is a possibility that her anal glands may be developing an infection, or she has allergies. Allergies can affect the mucous membranes, & rectal tissue can definitely be affected. So if she is still having issues several days after you finish the deworming protocol, do let your vet have another look at Tootsie. Thanks for contacting Boop by Petco.
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