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TEACUP MALTESE AND ANAL GLANDS
Anal glands are two, very small
secretion glands that are
located just to the outside and
bottom of a Teacup Maltese's
anus. These glands were used to
allow a puppy or cat to mark its
territory by secreting a thick,
mucous substance that has a very
strong and unpleasant odor. Most
puppies no longer do this, but
the anal sacs or glands still
remain. In normal conditions the
glands empty when the Teacup
Maltese puppy has a bowel
movement with the contraction of
the anus forcing the mucous
material from the glands. In
some Teacup Maltese puppies and
dogs the anal glands become
stopped up and do not drain with
a bowel movement or with natural
friction, resulting in a painful
condition known as an impaction.
These impacted glands may cause
the Teacup Maltese to stop and
constantly lick at the area, or
may, more commonly, cause the
puppy to "scoot" across the
floor, grass or carpet. Scooting
is actually rubbing their bottom
against the floor in an attempt
to empty the glands and reduce
the pressure. If this works,
what is left is a nasty, smelly,
foul substance all over your rug
or floor that is often mistaken
for fecal material, when in fact
it is mucous from the anal
glands. Often people believe
that this scooting behavior is
seen when the Teacup Maltese
puppy has worms, and although
that occasionally may be the
case it is far more likely to be
problems with blocked or
impacted anal glands.
The reason that it is very
important to check anal glands
if your Teacup Maltese has a
history of scooting on the
ground or if it is a problem
with the breed is because they
can rupture and cause infections
and problems that can be
serious. If the gland does not
empty correctly, it can continue
to fill, eventually bursting
through the interior wall of the
anus or through the outer skin.
As can be imagined this is a
particularly bad area for
infections, plus the rupture may
continue to get worse as the
Teacup Maltese puppy has natural
bowel movements. If it becomes
painful the Teacup Maltese may
not want to go to the bathroom,
leading to more impactions and
possible problems. Often a
ruptured anal sac or gland will
first be noticed by a bloody
discharge from the anus
immediately after a bowel
movement. Excessive licking of
the area is also a sign that
this has progressed beyond a
simple impaction.
There are two different ways to
empty or clear a puppy's anal
sac. The first way is the
simplest and should always be
the first to try. Use disposable
gloves or surgical gloves on
your hands, as this can be messy
and very foul smelling. Start by
getting a clean cloth and
soaking it in clear, warm water.
Apply the warm cloth like a
compress on the anus, holding
the tail up and away from the
area. You may wish to do this a
few times to soften any material
that may be caked or dried on
the surface opening of the
glands. Using the thumb and
index finger gently push the
bottom section of the anus, at
about the four and seven o'clock
positions towards the center.
You should feel two hard,
roundish lumps just under the
skin that are the anal glands.
With very gentle pressure a
fairly liquid, gel like material
should be pushed out of the
openings just to the outside of
the anus. A tissue can be used
to wipe this secretion away. If
the discharge is very thick and
highly sticky or paste like in
consistency it is likely that
the glands will need to be
emptied several times to get all
the material out.
If, after a couple of attempts,
no secretion or a very heavy
paste-like substance is all that
comes out, you should either
move to a more internal option
or contact your vet and have him
or her perform this procedure.
If you wish to do it yourself,
you will need a small amount of
lubricant such as Vaseline.
Lubricate the index finger of a
gloved hand with a small amount
of Vaseline or other safe
lubricant. Insert the finger
gently into the anus and locate
the anal sac on one side. Using
a pincher like motion press the
thumb and forefinger together,
starting at the outside edge of
the anal gland and moving
towards the inside edge. This
should release all material, but
if it does not immediately stop
and make and appointment with
the vet. Continuing to try to
drain the glands yourself can
result in a rupture that is much
more serious than leaving the
glands impacted until the next
day when you can get a vet's
appointment.
It is very important to avoid
using this second technique on
small and toy dogs as most adult
fingers as simply too large and
will cause pain and discomfort.
A vet or groomer that has
practice in working with small
and toy breeds is the best
individual to perform this
procedure on these tiny dogs.
Puppies may be fine for a few
days and then start scooting
again, even if you have just
emptied the anal glands. This is
not uncommon and the procedure
may have to be repeated every
three or four days until they
have been fully emptied. The
good news is that most puppies,
once they understand what you
are doing, will stand patiently
while the procedure is done
since they know they will feel
much better when it is over.
Most vets recommend that puppies
with anal gland problems or a
history of impactions will
benefit from a high fiber diet.
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