You have invited some friends over to your house for a get-together. Everyone has finished eating and is now sitting down visiting in your living room with some after dinner drinks. It is at this opportune moment that Fido decides to drop his cute little hind end onto the floor and not so discreetly drag it across the carpet in front of everyone. You look around hoping no-one has noticed and find yourself quite embarrassed to see all are watching. Shrugging your shoulders as your cheeks burn red, you offer a hasty explanation that Fido seems to have an itchy butt.
Scooting is actually quite common and we see it most often in smaller breed dogs. Frequently it is caused by impacted anal sacs. Dogs and cats have two anal sacs situated at approximately 4:00 and 8:00 around the anus. They act as a reservoir for secretions and are normally emptied during defecation. However some dogs are unable to empty them normally and they become impacted and infected. The area becomes sensitive, itchy or inflamed causing your dog to scoot, or lick and bite at his rear end. They may also strain or become hesitant to defecate. Oh and we can’t forget the not so pleasant smell that will generally accompany the issue.
So what can we do to stop them from scooting. Sometimes it is just a matter of manually expressing their anal glands for them. We can either show you how or we can also perform the stinky task so you don’t have to. It is also possible to supplement or change their diet to add more fiber which will promote healthy bowel movements and better anal gland function.
There are also other reasons that may contribute to the problem and can include allergies, skin infection, tapeworm infestation, constipation or other intestinal disorder, anal sac abscess and also cancer. These would all require more extensive treatment.
Don’t let the problem persist. Let us know and we will help stop the scoot.