my dog came in the house the other day with an oily, very smelly
substance on her fur. When I washed her with water she reeked like raw
sewage.I then searched the yard where she was all day only to find
nothing. What do you think was on her fur?

Hello mblingfool-ga,

Without knowing for sure, I can suggest that it was your dog's anal
sacs which were probably impacted, and after filling up for a couple
days, were overfilled, and after scooting around outside, or some
strenuous pushing, she discharged on herself. It's oily, and
disgusting, and very foul smelling. My dog had a problem very much the
same, but it went away on its own. If it repeatedly happens, or you
notice your dog liking her anus, or scooting around on your carpet or
outside, I would suggest you take her to your nearby vet to see if her
sacs are clogged due to infection. I found a webpage with a very um...
detailed flash animation on how to find the sacs and empty them using
a paper towel or cloth rag. If you have the stomach for it, you can
try next time it happens, or as always, check with your vet. Here is
the link to the webpage with much more detail on this condition, and a
way too detailed anal sac drainage simulator. ewww. Good luck, and it
was a pleasure to answer your question.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html

skermit-ga

Dogs are disgusting.

If they find any foul smelling substance on their travels, they are
likely to roll around in it. This has happened with various dogs of
mine but someone has always been around when it happened.

I have never known any dog to discharge its anal glands spontaneously
which is not to say that it can't happen but, with all mine over the
years, I've had to take them to the vets for this to be carried out
and it is indeed very foul smelling.

As Skermit has advised, a sure sign of anal glands being in need of
relief is when a dog runs around dragging its bottom against the
ground.

I hope that your dog was just being a dog and that the vet will say it's OK.