Whenever a dog or cat goes to the groomer, owners commonly expect the groomer to empty the pet's anal sacs. These structures are located on either side of the anal opening. Filled with a foul-smelling fluid that is used for intra-species identi­fication, these sacs should empty with each bowel movement. They usually fill back up within twenty-four hours.

Con­trary to popular belief, anal sacs do not need to be manually emptied on a routine basis (why do this when they are going to fill right back up?). Most good groomers know this. If you squeeze on otherwise healthy sacs, you could inadvertently cause inflammation and predis­pose your pet to secondary impaction and infection. And that could lead to a veterinary bill of anywhere from $200 to $400 to treat the infection.

Anal sacs only require attention if a dog or cat is showing signs of impaction or anal sac irritation. These signs usually appear in the form of scooting the rear end across the floor or carpet (they're trying to express them themselves) or excessive licking of that region. Its usually a dog problem, as cats rarely have trouble with their anal sacs.

Mildly impacted anal sacs can be expressed by applying gentle, inward and upward pressure at the four o'clock and eight o'clock positions surrounding the anal opening (check out the video on this). If this fails to empty the sacs, or if the sacs are especially tender, stop what you are doing and call your veterinarian. In these instances the procedure is better performed by him/her.

Note: If you happen to get anal sac secretion on your skin or clothes, you might lose your friends quickly unless you take appropriate action to neutralize the odor. Isopropyl alcohol works great to get rid of the smell. Better yet, many commercial odor neutralizers (i.e. Thiotrol Spray) that are available at your favorite online or brick-and-mortar pet stores can do the job even more effectively.