I spend way too much of my life
dealing with the products of the anal sacs. The smell is abominable and I have, over time, learnt how to "not smell" in order that I may not be permanently assaulted by such things. Like the story (a bit too much of a vicarious laugh in this case). A bit of pedantry here tho. Strictly speaking they are anal sacs lined with glandular epithelium and not anal glands. This distinction can backfire as I have had clients who thought I was talking about "anal sex". Cats do have the ability to "fire" them and the resultant ejection can travel a fair distance. Dogs are less able to do this, hence the need for expression in some cases. However; I'm going to have one final word... If dogs were fed enough fibre they would express their own sacs and the whole problem would not exist. A soft sloppy shit does not give the requisite mechanical force to allow normal sac expression. Most commercial diets give a very poor faecal consistency. This problem genuinely didnt occur when dogs ate a more natural diet (other things did tho...). I could also whitter on about white dog shit but I think I might be accused of being faecally obsessed.
(gearanach #wankwankwank, Sat 25 Jun 2011, 14:39, 2 replies)

I have to agree.
Our dog used to suffer terribly from them; the stench was appalling and having them done is the reason why she is now terrified of going to the vets. Since we changed her a natural diet (raw meat, bones and vegetables) she hasn't had this problem at all.

And yes, her shit turns white after a few hours...
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Sat 25 Jun 2011, 15:23, closed)

Believe it or not
I actually wrote it with "anal sacs" originally, but changed it to "glands" because I think the word "glands" is more amusing.

And I utterly agree about diet. We have had many pets and have always fed good diets (either raw or high-quality kibble fortified with healthy odds and ends like meaty bones), and this is the only anal sac-related tragedy I'd ever had the misfortune to encounter.
(herbivorous, Sun 26 Jun 2011, 5:37, closed)