# Bathing



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I usually bathe Aspen every 4-5 months in the winter, but now I have started to bathe him every 2 months or so because he smells a little. Is it because it's warmer?


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

Very likely. Also, I know that he has been resting a lot lately because of his shoulder. Maybe the inactivity has made him a bit more smelly...?? He hasn't really gotten to "air out" by running around and rolling in the grass??


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^A little while BEFORE he hurt his shoulder is when he started to smell a little.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Is it his breath? Anal glands? Is he rolling in something in the backyard? 

I catch Lucky rolling from time to time in our backyard. Not real sure what she's rolling in as I check and there is nothing there. Some kind of scent that she likes it guess....I bath her about every 2 months or so.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^It's definitely not his breath, nor is he rolling in something. But now that you mentioned anal glands, some off white liquidy fluid is coming out. Not like the consistency of water, but a little thicker. Does this mean they have to be expressed?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What does he smell like? Is he still getting primarily fish in his diet?

ETA: The off-white fluid doesn't mean his anal glands need to be expressed...it means that he did express them. When are you noticing this fluid stuff, during a bowel movement?


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

danemama08 said:


> What does he smell like? Is he still getting primarily fish in his diet?


I can't describe the smell, but it's just barely. I mean, you have to get close to him to notice it. He still gets fish maybe like 4-5 times a week, but not as much like before.



> ETA: When are you noticing this fluid stuff, during a bowel movement?


Throughout the day. And, call me weird and nasty but I have even smelled his butt and it hardly smells.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Nah, not weird at all. We are all kinda like that here LOL :wink:

So...this fluid is just coming out on its own throughout the day? If so then it means he's expressing his anal glands on his own at random. Which is unusual because they usually do this during a bowel movement. It might mean that they actually are super full and do need to be expressed since they may not be during a bowel movement.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

danemama08 said:


> Nah, not weird at all. We are all kinda like that here LOL :wink:


Okay good. :wink:



> So...this fluid is just coming out on its own throughout the day? If so then it means he's expressing his anal glands on his own at random. Which is unusual because they usually do this during a bowel movement. It might mean that they actually are super full and do need to be expressed since they may not be during a bowel movement.


He's getting a bath this Thursday so I'll go in there and see if they need to be expressed. Thanks!


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

So, why wouldn't he be expressing them on his own? His poops are solid...


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Not necessarily. Firm stools do help with anal sac expression, but considering that dogs on a raw diet have much smaller stools they may not be expressed during every bowel movement. Every dog's anatomy is just slightly different so its hard to say, but if he had a week or so worth of very hard, but very small stools, his anal sacs would fill to the point of being too full from not being expressed.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

My female has to be manually expressed for some reason on one side, I won't do it so we go the vet techs and let them do. I think every dog is different and some are easier for some on their own to express than others.:biggrin:


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