Ah yes, Who doesn’t like to express their anal glands every now and then? No… it’s not that! During our last trip to the vet which I mentioned yesterday, while checking Butch’s teeth, Dave asked has Butch been scooting lately? I thought, Here we go… Butch is not going to like this! I told Dave that he has scooted a couple of times over the last month but nothing really repetative. He said, ”Its been about 9 months since we last cleared those anal sacs so we better do it. Once they are infected it’s too late and they go through a lot of pain, we have to keep them clean.” So he cleared them much to Butch’s dissapointment. It was quick and Dave said that they were pretty full but not infected. Thinking about this, I realize that this is an important, albeit unpleasant, part of being a responsible dog dag for my little buddy. I’ll bet that many new owners of dogs do not realize this facet of keeping their new dog healthy. This is not just for small dogs either but it does vary by breed so please check with your vet if you have never heard of this to make sure! All Boston terrier owners must have this done. This should really be done every 6 months or so, during a vet check up to insure that everything is ok. If you notice frequent scooting then absolutely have them checked sooner.
There are other things I noticed about Butch during the course of a 6 month period. If his anal sacs are getting full he will scoot, but he also exibits an unusual interest in his hind end. Also, I try to watch him 3 or 4 times a week to see what is coming out of his hind end when defacating (him not me!). If he is having trouble going normally or sometimes he will sprint just after he completes his business and turns to see if anything is back there following him, this is a signal that he may need attention! If there is nothing hanging out of his butt that he ate like a piece of string, this should raise a suspicion that maybe his anal sacs are getting full. One other thing soon after coming back from the vet I noticed that Butch had a much easier time going and did not sprint right after. One item of note is that his talent for flatulence peaks once this is done, and he usually routes me during our evening flatulence contests but it usually only lasts a day or so then he is back to his regular flatulente schedule! Is this a little too much information? We’re just a couple of ordinary average guys!
