How Dog Nutrition Turns You Into a Poop Expert
Let’s get something out of the way early. If you have a dog, you will eventually think about their bum far more than you ever expected to. And if you’re a dog parent who pays attention to nutrition, congratulations - you’ve joined an elite, slightly disturbed club: The Poop Watchers. Because once food, digestion, and overall health become a focus, you don’t just read labels anymore. You become, almost without realising it, a fully fledged poop expert.
You observe. You analyse. You compare colour, shape, size, firmness, and frequency. You mentally log changes. You quietly keep track of bowel movements like some kind of undercover gastrointestinal detective. It’s not glamorous, and it’s certainly not what you pictured when you got a dog, but here we are. And strangely enough, this fixation on poo is exactly what leads many people to finally understand one of the most misunderstood parts of canine anatomy: the anal glands.
What Anal Glands Are & What They Actually Do
Dogs have two small anal glands positioned just inside the anus, one on each side, roughly at the four o’clock and eight o’clock points. Their role is to release a strongly scented fluid during defecation, helping dogs communicate territory and identity to other dogs. Think of it as a biological signature rather than a design flaw.
From a dog’s point of view, anal gland secretions aren’t gross - they’re gossip. In essence, anal gland scent acts like a biological business card, allowing dogs to size each other up without words or conflict.
When dogs sniff another dog’s rear or investigate scent left behind after toileting, they’re collecting a surprisingly detailed update on who that dog is, whether they’ve met before, how they’re feeling, and what’s going on internally. Each dog carries a unique scent signature shaped by hormones, gut activity, diet, and overall physiology, which is why dogs can recognise individuals instantly and react differently to familiar versus unfamiliar dogs.
Dogs sniff one another’s anal area because the secretions contain chemical cues used for social recognition and identity. When those secretions are altered - for example, by abnormal gland emptying - the scent profile may change in ways that prompt other dogs to investigate more closely.
In a healthy dog, these glands empty naturally during a normal bowel movement. No scooting. No discomfort. No manual expression. No vet visits involving rubber gloves. So when problems arise, the real question becomes: what’s interfering with that natural process?
The Common Myth About the Benefits of Solid Poos and Straining
A widely held belief is that as long as a dog’s stool is firm enough and the dog is straining hard, the anal glands will take care of themselves. Many people assume that the harder the squeeze, the better the expression.
That idea isn’t completely wrong but it is incomplete. Stool firmness does play a role, but firmness and straining alone are not the deciding factors. As I’ve said many times, it’s not about how hard the dog squeezes, it’s about how wide the bum expands - a sentence I never imagined I’d be known for saying.
Expansion, Not Force: The Missing Piece
Through observation, long before I ever came across supporting research, one thing became clear: anal glands aren’t expressed simply by squeezing harder. They’re expressed when the anus expands outward.
The glands sit just outside the rectum. As stool passes through, it creates outward expansion of the anal opening. That expansion applies pressure from the sides, which allows the glands to empty naturally. In other words, it’s not about how hard a dog strains - it’s about how much volume - and width - passes through that space. Volume and width don’t happen without the right dietary structure.
Veterinary sources commonly describe normal anal sac emptying as occurring during defecation due to the pressure of firm, bulky stool passing through the anus.
This observation is what first made the pattern obvious to me in real life. Watching dogs eat food prepared from my own fresh-food recipes and produce larger, well-formed stools - and then comparing that with what I regularly observed at dog parks, where many kibble-fed dogs passed very loose stools and raw-fed dogs passed much smaller stools - a consistent theme emerged. Dogs dealing with frequent scooting or anal gland issues often described minimal stool volume or runny poos, while dogs producing larger, more substantial stools tended not to have those problems. That contrast is what led me to focus less on straining and more on bulk, expansion, and fibre as the missing pieces in the conversation.
Why Some Raw-Fed Dogs Still Scoot
This also explains why anal gland issues can persist even in dogs eating raw diets. Bone content can certainly firm up stools, but firm doesn’t automatically mean wide. Bone can create dense, compact stools that pass through without generating enough expansion.
Dense stools are not the same as voluminous stools. A dog can produce small, rock-hard poos that look “ideal” on the surface, yet still fail to express the anal glands properly. This is why some raw-fed dogs continue to scoot despite doing everything “right”.
Fibre Is about Mechanics, Not Carbohydrates
Dogs don’t have an essential carbohydrate requirement - that much is true. But they do benefit from appropriate, non-inflammatory, whole-food fibre. Not for energy, but for structure.
Quality fibre increases stool bulk, supports healthy expansion, encourages normal gut movement, and allows stools to pass without excessive straining. This is why dogs eating balanced diets that include vegetables often express their anal glands naturally, without intervention. Bigger stools create better expansion, and better expansion means happier glands. It’s not glamorous, but it’s effective.
While people often describe the behaviour of wild dogs consuming plant material as seeking “roughage,” a more accurate way to frame it is that consuming some plant material appears to be part of a broader canid pattern. In modern domesticated dogs, supporting stool bulk and fibre is simply one practical, diet-level way we can work with those natural digestive mechanics.
Good-quality fibre also plays an important role in modern canine diets because fibre can bind certain compounds within the digestive tract and assist the body’s natural elimination processes. Fibre doesn’t “detox” in a magical sense, but it does support the gut’s normal ability to bind waste, metabolic by-products, and unwanted substances and move them out of the body efficiently. This is another reason fibre quality matters. Not all fibre behaves the same, and poorly chosen fibre can be far less helpful than whole-food sources that support both digestion and elimination.
When “Too Rich” Really Means “Out of Balance”
One of the most common things I hear - and I’ve genuinely lost count - is someone saying, “I can’t feed that meat anymore, it’s too rich, it gives my dog the runs.” When I ask what else they’re feeding alongside it, the answer is often nothing. Just meat (and it is usually a game meat). No fibre. No structure. And my response is usually the same: it’s probably not that the meat is “bad” or “too rich” - it’s that the diet itself is incomplete.
Consistency matters. Structure matters. The balance between protein, fibre, and fats matters. If that balance is off, digestive issues aren’t surprising - they’re predictable. It’s a bit like a person living on soup or juice for a week and then being shocked they’ve got runny stools. You wouldn’t assume the soup is toxic; you’d expect loose stools because there’s very little fibre or bulk involved. Dogs are no different. When a diet lacks structure, especially fibre, the result is often loose stools and that’s not necessarily because the protein source is bad.
A Note on Diet Structure and Real-World Observations
Over the years, I have observed that people making fresh, multi-ingredient food for their dogs, sometimes alongside broader dietary changes that include supplements, report more consistently formed, bulkier stools.
These observations are not presented as evidence of any special or unique effect, nor as medical or therapeutic outcomes. Rather, they reflect what can occur when stools become more appropriately formed and voluminous.
It’s important to note that these results are not exclusive to any one recipe or supplement. There are many ways to achieve similar stool consistency and volume through diet. These foods and supplements are not doing anything medically extraordinary - they are simply contributing to normal digestive mechanics by helping firm stools in a nutritionally appropriate way.
Psyllium Husk: A Short-Term Tool, Not a Long-Term Fix
For dogs that are already struggling, psyllium husk can sometimes be used short term to increase stool bulk. However, this approach comes with important caveats. Amounts must be small, thoroughly mixed into food, and always paired with adequate moisture.
Conservative starting amounts typically range from a pinch for small dogs, around a quarter teaspoon for medium dogs, and up to half a teaspoon for large dogs. More is not better.
Psyllium can cause constipation or even bowel obstruction if overused, under-hydrated, or relied upon long term. It’s a temporary tool, not a solution. Put simply, if a dog needs a supplement just to pass a normal stool every day, it’s worth asking whether the diet itself needs fixing - much like a person having to take a pill just to go to the toilet properly.
It’s also worth noting that many supplements marketed specifically for anal gland issues, often in the form of chews or highly processed products, rely on concentrated fibres, fillers, flavourings, or binding agents to achieve a quick change in stool consistency. While these products may firm stools temporarily, they are often heavily processed and can include ingredients that don’t align with a whole-food approach and may be poorly tolerated by some dogs. As with any short-term fix, they can mask the underlying dietary issue rather than address it.
When It Is a Medical Issue
While most anal gland problems are mechanical and dietary in nature, there are cases where medical intervention is genuinely required.
It’s important to recognise that diet isn’t always the whole story. Some dogs appear to be more naturally predisposed to anal sac problems due to their breed, size, or anatomical structure. Studies looking at veterinary records have found that small-breed dogs - including spaniel types, Cockapoos, Shih-Tzus, Bichon Frises, and similar breeds are more likely to be diagnosed with anal sac disorders compared with crossbred or larger dogs. Additionally, factors related to body shape, duct size, and conformation can make it harder for the glands to empty normally, regardless of diet. This means that while diet and stool mechanics are important, some dogs may still experience recurring issues due to their underlying biology and should be monitored closely by a veterinarian. Having said that, a healthy, fresh-food diet will at the very least help to do some of the work.
Chronic infections, abscesses, ruptured anal glands, anatomical abnormalities, severe inflammation, nerve damage, or tumours in or around the anal sacs can interfere with normal emptying regardless of diet. In these situations, dogs may show signs such as persistent pain, swelling, bleeding, discharge, fever, lethargy, or extreme discomfort that does not improve with dietary changes.
If a dog is experiencing repeated abscesses, visible wounds, or significant pain around the anal area, this is no longer a nutrition-only conversation - it’s a medical one. Diet can still play a supportive role, but veterinary assessment and treatment become essential to resolve the underlying pathology and prevent serious complications.
A Note on Products and Topical Applications
Some readers may be aware of topical products such as SuperHeal and may wonder whether they are relevant to the topics discussed here. This article does not recommend, endorse, or assess any product, and no conclusions should be drawn about the use of topical products in relation to anal gland concerns.
SuperHeal has not been evaluated or presented here as a product intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Any third-party commentary or anecdotal claims that may exist elsewhere are not endorsed by us and should not be interpreted as evidence. Anal gland concerns should always be evaluated on their own merits by a licensed veterinarian, particularly where there is pain, swelling, discharge, or abnormal tissue present.
Fix the Structure, Not the Symptom
If anal glands only function properly when something artificial is added, that’s a sign something upstream is missing. Long-term success comes from whole-food fibre sources, well-hydrated meals, appropriate fat levels, and diets designed to create bulk without strain.
The goal isn’t simply firm stools. The goal is well-formed, generous stools that allow the body to do what it was designed to do. And yes - this is one of the rare situations in life where bigger really is better.
Final Thought
Anal gland problems are rarely a design error. More often, they’re a reflection of dietary structure. Once you understand that it’s not about force but about form, everything changes. Dogs stop scooting. Vets stop expressing. And you can finally stop having awkward conversations about your dog’s bum at dinner parties - which, frankly, benefits everyone.
Educational Note
This article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified veterinarian regarding medical concerns.
