Dog with leaky anal glands?

Some dogs have frequent problem with their glands and need to have them removed via surgery. Hopefully your dog is just having a bad bout and it won't come to that but it's worth discussing with your vet and doing some personal research just incase.

You can express the glands yourself at home, they are extremely uncomfortable for the dog when full.
I can describe the process here, but it would be better if you could get someone to show you in person how to express them.

Emptying glands can be messy... Very messy so I would reccomend doing it outside or in a bathroom where there is tiles or something easy to clean up.

Take your thumb and index finger and place them on either side of the dog anus (make sure your nails are trimmed).

Push inwards firmly until you feel grape sized lumps in between your fingers.

Gently but firmly squeeze these lumps in a pulling motion with your fingers as far behind the lump as you can get without causing discomfort to the dog. I liken it to squeezing a pimple.

Prepare to shower.

It can be tricky, some people have trouble with doing it so if you can't do it or don't have the stomach for it then see your vet.

If the material does not come out fairly easily using Shaz instructions, (which are spot on by the way) using gentle pressure, don't squeeze too hard, if the gland is impacted, it can rupture. The glands will be (using a clock face) 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock roughly.
I agree that having someone show you how to do it the first time is best, so that you know what you are feeling for.

I suppose the vet might know more than we do as animal care givers. I'm assuming he would not mention antibiotics unless there is infection and the most direct treatment is the best treatment for an animal suffering an infection. The fluid leaking from her might be more than normal gland fluid; it could be pus/blood from an infection. Pay the extra for having her properly treated, as it appears she is at a later stage, with the medical issue of infection. Have her properly treated now so it doesn't lead to the next stage which is more severe, more suffering and more costly. Expressing the glands if not done correct and expressing them too much can do more harm than good. A good brand of dog food where the dog will have a firm stool as opposed to soft, can help in the release of this gland fluid which is suppose to be a very small amount, normally, each time when defecating.

For those insisting on saving money and expressing the anal glands themselves, below is a link for dummies.
How to Empty Your Dog’s Anal Sacs - For Dummies

Link with videos: About a Dogs Anal Glands/Gland Problems and Diet.
About a Dog's Anal Glands

You can also feed a supplement to help your dog create larger BMs.. You can give Metamucil or feed canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.. just regular pumpkin.

The whole procedure your vet is talking about is not as bad as it seems. At least at the clinic where I worked, we just sedated the dog to inject the gel antibiotic into the anal sac itself.

If your dog is going to be one of those pooches that is going to have this problem frequently, like suggested 3 times over, learning to express the glands yourself is going to be very cost effective for you, and very beneficial to your dog's health.

But if your dog has an infection, or your vet suspects an infection, you should pursue the injectable gel antibiotic. Seeing as how the anus isnt a very steril place, you need to be aggressive when treating infections in that area.