The "fishy smell" that you are referring to is most likely being caused by your dog's anal glands. These are sacs that are located just inside the anus at 4 and 8 o-clock. They secrete a fluid that is normally released upon the animal's bowel movement. In some animals, the outflow of these sacs becomes obstructed and they become swollen and uncomfortable. The vet can evaluate if they are too full on a physical examination of your pet, and can manually express them to relieve the pressure. In some cases, if they cannot be expressed, the animal must be sedated and have the openings of the anal sac ducts cannulated and flushed with saline to allow for proper flow outward of the anal fluid. In other cases, the sacs can become infected and result in an abscess that must be opened up to drain through the skin. These cases are also treated with oral and topical antibiotics. Animals that are having inflammation from problems with these glands, will often lick at the area, which can cause a fishy smell to their breath.

Here are a couple of links to some websites that show good pictures of this, and explain it further:


http://www.dr-dan.com/analsac.htm
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html

I hope that this information is of help to you. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Dr. K

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