Surely you have ever noticed a terribly unpleasant odor coming from your dog, specifically from its rear area. It is a very characteristic and unforgettable smell that can disconcert us to the point of asking ourselves why our dog's anus smells like fish In general, the smell of rotten or fish coming from the dog's anus is due to a problem related to the anal glands, either due to lack of hygiene or other reasons. In this article on our site we are going to explain exactly why it occurs and how we can avoid it, as it may be a symptom of a problem that needs to be treated.
Origin of the fishy smell: the anal glands
To find out why your dog's anus smells like fish, you need to go to the anal glands, which are two sacs that they are found under the skin on either side of the anus (seen like a clock, they would be found at five and seven). They contain an oily and viscous liquid, with an unpleasant smell, which is expelled to facilitate the elimination of feces. It also works as marking, hence dogs greet each other by sniffing each other's butts. Sometimes these glands can spontaneously empty when the dog is in a very scary situation. Some drops that we can find on your bed or the floor in the form of small brown spots can also be emptied. This emptying is produced by strong contraction of the anal sphincter. Sometimes, this liquid is not eliminated correctly and is the source of various problems, as we will see below.
Symptoms of malfunctioning anal glands in dogs
The explanation for why a dog's anus smells rotten or fishy can be found in the fact that the anal glands are not working properly. Our dog will show the following symptoms:
- Drag the anus on the ground. In severe cases, on the contrary, the dog will have difficulty sitting down and, if it does, it will get up quickly.
- Lick and nibble the area.
- Manifestar pain on defecationr.
- Constipation, affected dogs avoid defecation due to this pain.
- Turn to chase tail.
- The perianal area may be swollen and/or red.
- Fever and malaise may occur if infection has developed.
Not eliminating this lubricant correctly causes the glands to remain full, which can cause the pathologies that we will see below.
Anal Gland Disorders in Dogs
If they are not emptied, the glands can cause the following problems:
- Impaction or retention: refers to the fact that the glands remain full and become distended, due to poor emptying or very dense fluid, causing symptomatology that we have mentioned. The glands must be emptied.
- Infection and inflammation (sacculitis): the impaction can end up causing an infection. In these cases, the fishy odor of the year will be much stronger, the discharge will turn yellowish and, once diagnosed, it will require antibiotic treatment, in addition to emptying and cleaning. In this way, it is not surprising to observe that the dog excretes liquid through the anus with the aforementioned characteristics.
- Abscess: would be the third step after impaction and infection. The inflammation produced by the infectious process causes an abscess that is capable of opening the skin and even creates a fistula through which it will drain. Causes fever. Of course, you need antibiotics, drainage and cleaning. In more severe or recurring cases, surgery to remove the glands may be necessary.
As we can see, all these disorders can explain why our dog's anus smells like fish. In addition, tumors may occur in the anal glands, such as adenocarcinomas, benign or malignant, generally testosterone-dependent. The latter can metastasize to the lung, although surgical removal is recommended for both. Sterilization is also recommended because it favors the regression of tumors, since they occur more in intact males over 7 years of age.
How to avoid anal gland problems
Once we know why our dog's anus smells rotten or fishy, we are going to expose the ways to reduce this unpleasant smell. The measures that we must observe are the following:
- Attend the dog at the first symptom, that is, let's not wait for the picture to get complicated to seek veterinary help.
- If our dog is prone to accumulating this fluid, we should include emptying the glands in his routineAlthough it is a technique that can be done at home, many caregivers prefer that the veterinarian or dog groomer perform it. It is about pressing on the area, with the precaution of keeping a gauze pad on the anus to collect the secretion that is going to come out. Gloves must be worn.
- Stool characteristics are known to influence voiding. Chronic diarrhoea, small or too soft stools do not press well on the glands when they come out, so that it will be easier for them to accumulate the lubricating fluid. A correct feeding helps in this elimination.
- It is also known that there are breeds with a propensity to suffer from gland problems. If we live with a German Shepherd, a Chihuahua or a Poodle, for example, we must pay special attention to this aspect.
