For the past couple of weeks my female has been licking her behind frequently and has a fishy smell. She is a little over a year old and is spayed. I have noticed a slight discharge from her backside but it is clear, yet it too smells fishy. It is not her food as we have been using the same food (and it is not a fish based formula) for over 6 months.

Any feedback is appreciated.

She probably needs her anal glands expressed by a vet.

Sounds like her anal glands. For whatever reason, that stuff smells kinda fishy!

Has she had soft stools lately? If they're too soft, her glands are unable to express on their own (they require the pressure from firmer stools), which is why she might lick at it, or start scooting. She might also have allergies, which can cause some anal gland problems to pop up. In the spring, my dog's are always a little problematic, since has has some seasonal allergy right around then.

The fluid is clear, so that's good! If she's having problems expressing her glands, you can take her to the vet or even a good groomer that is capable of expressing them. You can even have them show you how to do it, if it's something you're willing to take care of on your own.

Thanks all!! We just went to the vet 2 weeks ago for her check up! This didn't start until after that!! BOO!!! Oh well, looks like we are headed back.

Her stools start out firm but then appear to get soft. Would adding some additional fiber to her diet help too?

Yes it helps a lot. We add a sprinkle of psyllium husk powder to their food in the morning and evening and it has really helped this problem in our three dogs (our 2 females had it the worst). Just be careful to not add too much and I have read it is better dry than wet.

Also - most groomers will express anal glands too - no need for a vet visit. It typically costs $8-12 to have them do it.

Thanks!!

Like the groomer idea!! Just shelled out enough to the vet!!

Will try the powder option too! I was reading to give her prunes but I believe I read in the past that anything in the grape/raisin family was not good for dogs.

You are right. Stay away from raisins, grapes, etc.

It sounds like anal gland problems, all right. Viszlas, unfortunately, are prone to them. My dog, Willie, had a really stubborn anal gland infection back in the fall of 2011. It took three different courses of antibiotics to finally clear it up. If having the groomer express her anal glands doesn't help, get back to the Vet right away.

Pumpkin is our personal cure-all for poop problems. Too soft? Too hard? Add a dollop of canned pumpkin to each meal, and within 36 hours, all is well! Plus it's really cheap!

I usually keep a can or two on hand. You can freeze it once you've opened the can, but I usually just refrigerate the leftovers and continue to add it to his food until it's all gone. It's so inexpensive that it's no big deal, plus Jasper loves it. Make sure it's plain pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie filling. Easy peasy!

Anal glands are really easy to express... they do smell nasty but the smell goes away fast since anal gland juice, for the most part, is water soluble. We do it at shower time (it doesn't smell when washed away) two or three times a year.

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We give Riley sweet potatoes for extra fiber. She had leaky anal glands on our couch the other day (we just ran out of sweet potatoes a few days ago) - time to restock our veggies!