Anal gland disease causes significant discomfort in affected dogs and is frequently underappreciated by owners. Prevention and management protect dog welfare from this common condition.
Anal gland disease causes chronic discomfort that owners frequently fail to recognise or take seriously, sometimes attributing scooting behaviour to worms or dismissing it as attention-seeking. In reality, anal gland impaction and infection cause persistent pain and discomfort that significantly affects quality of life. Chronic sufferers benefit from dietary management to increase fibre intake and stool bulk, which facilitates natural gland expression during defecation. Regular manual expression provides relief but does not address the underlying problem. For dogs with recurrent severe disease, surgical removal of the glands under anaesthesia provides permanent relief, with a brief post-operative recovery period followed by resolution of all related welfare problems.