hemorroids? The reason i ask is this…i’m pretty sure my dog (female terrier) has to have her anal glands expressed. Sadly i can’t get her in to the vet for a few days. She has been like this for a few days. I’m not really sure why the vet is so busy but they are. My friend (who has done it for her dog before) was going to try to help her out this afternoon but when she went to do it she noticed that my dog had a lumpy thing near her anus. It looks and feels like a hemorroid. I feel so bad for her. She is scooting but she doesn’t seem to be straining when she poops (yes, i actually do watch them when they poop). Is there anything i can do for her until i get her to the vet this weekend? Thank you.
If the lump is near her anal gland I would be concerned about an anal gland abscess or carcinoma. Hemorroids arent associated with the actual anal gland. However, if its near her actual anus it could certainly be an area of inflammation. If she is not having any other issues Im sure she will be fine waiting til the vet can stick the finger up the old poop shoot and see whats going on 
Jingles for nothing serious.
Well, you could always learn to do it yourself! Sounds horrifying and disgusting, but it can be done externally.
[QUOTE=SarahKing;6895350]
Well, you could always learn to do it yourself! Sounds horrifying and disgusting, but it can be done externally.[/QUOTE]
As far as I’m concerned, the $10 I pay the vet practice to do this occasionally is some of the best money I ever spend!
Are you sure the lump isn’t just full anal glands? I don’t know what a hemorrhoid looks or feels like, but when anal glands are quite full they can be felt as bumps on either side of the anus (may be just one side or both depending on if the dog can express one or neither of the glands)
Full anal glands can rupture through the skin.
most groomers are skilled in anal gland emptying if you can’t get into the vet. I’d try to get it expressed sooner rather than later.
And then try to find out WHY your dog needs its anal glands manually expressed- normal, healthy dogs never need them to be manually expressed. Diet is sometimes the problem- if the dog’s poops are too soft they can prevent the glands from emptying normally. There’s also a strong link between allergies and failure of the glands to empty. And sometimes they get infected, or the ducts get blocked.
Our lab mix used to get clogged anal glands regularly. I think some dogs just have problems with that. She would have to have them unclogged by the vet at least once a year (yes, it probably was the junk my mother fed her, my mother apparently thought the dog was a replacement for the garbage disposal).
small dogs are usually worse
because they tend to get canned/soft food.
Most skilled groomers can do this.
As a groomer, I CAN do this, however (other than my dog) I tell my clients to get it done at the vets since it’s an internal issue.
A lot of small dogs need for them to be expressed manually. It’s not unusual, and not just because of soft food. My mini poodle does not express his completely himself. He only needs it done maybe 5 times a year to never allow them to get at all full (as in, maybe you can slightly feel tiny bumps when I do them, never are they in NEED of being done). He is on very high quality dry food and has no allergies. My other small dog, who’s on the same food, does not ever need his done. My larger dog who’s on a slightly less high quality dry food (he can’t take too much protein or he gets the runs) never needs them to be done. It’s highly unusual for large dogs to need them to be done.
I’d be worried about an abscessed and/or infected anal gland.
My oldest Corgi has had 2 impacted/infected anal glands. After the second one (they are really painful), the vet suggested I bring her in every 3 months or so & have them manually expressed. Since we have been doing that (started last fall), she has been “full” but not infected and she’s not painful when expressed. It’s well worth the money to me to have a vet do it as if there were any infection, we could address it before it became so painful.
