Pomeranian’s are funny little things. Like all doggies, they like to greet their friends by sniffing their friend’s bum. Dogs have an extremely good sense of smell, and they use it to interpret their surroundings. When pups smell each other’s behinds, they’re sniffing for a smell that’s unique to each dog. Amazingly, this smell can inform the sniffer of the doggie’s health, emotional state, age and gender. Your Pom stores his or her unique smell inside of the anal glands. But, sometimes the anal glands can get backed up. In these cases, expressing your Pomeranians anal glands is a good idea for everyone involved.
What Triggers It?
Your Pommy’s anal glands with a stored smelly fluid, is not as useful as it once was to them. Like other dogs, Pomeranians are able to distribute this unique scent with each bowel movement is how wild dogs marked their territories. For domestic dogs, of course, this is no longer necessary. Still, ideally the pups let out a bit of their scent with each stool. If not, the anal glands get backed up. This is especially likely if your Pom consistently has extra soft stool, which prevents the glands from successfully releasing fluids at regular intervals. Firm stool will massage and empty the glands.
When they’re impacted (backed up), you will need to express (empty) them. Most of the time, you will be able to tell when your Pommy needs his or her anal glands expressed. The most common sign is that he or she will often drag or rub his or her bottom on the ground in an attempt to relieve the irritation. The impaction of the anal glands is more common on small dogs like Pomeranians. So, while you can have a groomer do it, expressing your Pomeranians anal glands on your own will be a useful skill to have. And it’s really quite simple!
The two anal glands are located on either side of the anus, at about seven and five o’clock. If your Pommy is extra squeamish, which may well be the case the first few times. Have someone else help hold your pup steady. If you’re doing this for the first time, you may wish to do so in the bathtub or somewhere else with easy cleanup. When anal glands are regularly expressed, there’s not much to it, but if it’s been a while, there may be a lot of fluid.
How: Expressing Your Pomeranians Anal Glands
Prepare a warm, damp washcloth and lift your Pom’s fluffy tail out of the way. Take the other hand under the wash cloth and using your thumb and your index finger, feel for the anal glands. They will feel like small, round nodules. The more swollen they are, the firmer they will be. Once you’ve located them, gently apply pressure. The fluid will release through the anus. Catch it with the washcloth and wipe your Pommy clean. If there seems to be a lot, you may need to repeat. If your pup’s fluid has blood or pus in it, then you need to take your Pom to the vet. The anal glands may be infected.
Expressing your Pomeranians anal glands is an important routine to have. If swollen glands go without expressing, they can burst, which is very painful for the pup and very messy and expensive for you, since you will need to take your Pom to the vet. Indicators of a bursted anal gland include an extra foul, fishy smell, irritation and redness around the anus, and discolored discharge. If any of these occur, you should take your Pommy to the vet immediately.
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