Puppies have two anal sacs located on each side of the anus (5 and 7 o’clock position). The sacs contain a strong-smelling liquid which is unique to each individual Teacup Puppy. They use it to mark their territory (I was here!) or when frightened, and also to identify each other—which you often see puppies sniffing each others rear end when they say hello.
The sacs normally release a little fluid (grayish or brown in color) through tiny openings whenever your dog defecates. They are then refilled every day. When the stools aren’t firm enough, they can’t exert enough pressure to empty the sacs. When this happens, the fluid will accumulate in the sacs and eventually becomes overfull and impacted, making the anal area itchy and sore.
Anal sacs problems are more common among smaller breed dogs, which many vets aren’t sure why it is so.
Although more common in puppies than cats, scooting is the action of a pet that drags its bum on the floor. The cat or Teacup Puppy literally moves using its two front paws while its whole backside gets dragged. It may look like the animal has broken or injured its back legs and is using its front legs as crutches, but this is rarely the case. It's a very unique movement that usually denotes a problem with a dog or cat's anal sacs. It is also a condition that gets progressively more painful for the animal and should be dealt with as soon as possible.
The anal sacs or anal glands are a pair of glands that are located just inside your dog's or cat's anus. These glands contain an extremely smelly substance. Most dogs empty their own anal sacs through normal defecation and most dog owners never have any problems during their dog's lifetime. However, sometimes these anal sacs get blocked or irritated and the dog will scoot in order to try and relieve the problem. They may also start chasing their tails and licking their anal region and fur around their tails. Cats will often obsessively start licking their anal areas and fur around their tails.
In order to relieve the problem, the anal sacs must be emptied or expressed by either gently pushing on the exterior parts of the anus (at 4 O'clock and 8 O'clock if you imagine your pet's anus to be a clock) or if that doesn't work, by seeing your veterinarian who will squeeze the glands inside your pet's rectum. Any puppy owner can learn how to do this but the horrific smell and possible mess make the majority of puppy owners seek a veterinarian. If you would like to learn this technique, we recommend that you ask the vet for a demonstration the next time your dog has a problem.