What are anal sacs/anal glands?
Two anal sacs house hundreds of tiny anal glands and serve as repositories for the fluid the glands manufacture. They are small, hollow receptacles located just under the skin on either side of the anus at the eight and four o clock positions. A short hollow tube called a duct from each anal sac acts as a conduit for the anal glands secretion to be transported outside of the body at the anal ring. Anal sacs are vestigial (obsolete) organs like a human s appendix, and no longer serve a known, useful function for companion animals who still retain them. In distant times past they were probably used by wolves to scent-mark territories, and may have served as a defensive repellent under conditions of fright to ward off close contact from enemies in the manner similar to that which skunks have perfected on a much larger scale. Since anal sacs have little use given the modern environment in which dogs and cats currently reside, they are not as fully developed as they were several hundred tho
