My regular readers will know that I never shy away from writing about the smelly side of life and when it comes to creating smells nothing quite beats the anal glands. Anal glands are essentially two little sacks of liquid that sit either side of the bottom with a tube that empties this liquid into the back passage. This emptying normally happens when faeces (poo) passes the glands, or sometimes when a dog gets excited or nervous (and, in the worst-case scenario, when they relax on the sofa – this has happened in our house!).

If these glands do not empty properly, they can cause irritation, the dog rubs their bum on the floor or chews at their back end and the glands have to be manually emptied by a vet or vet nurse. Sometimes things can go wrong with anal glands in a more dramatic way which is what happened to a poor little dog I was called out to yesterday evening. Having never had problems before this dog suddenly showed extreme pain and irritation with her back end, she really was in a lot of discomfort. On examination a large abscess had formed in her anal gland. This is not an uncommon condition and is extremely painful. These dogs need pain relief, antibiotics, flushing at the back end and often a lampshade collar to stop them traumatising themselves. These abscesses then take a few days to settle down even with treatment.

Of course, many dogs will never have an issue with their anal glands but those that do seem to always be prone to them – it is worth getting these bottoms checked regularly so that problems do not recur.

Alice Moore is a vet at Castle Veterinary Clinic, Dorchester and Weymouth. Tel 01305 267083.