My dog is always scooting his butt.....?

Question

I have a mini-dashund mix and he has been scooting his butt on the carpet and rolling on the floor on his back and trying to bite at his butt area.....I checked him for fleas and found none. I checked his poop and no worms...I checked his bedding and nothing....What can this be???

Answer 1

His Anal Sacs are clogged with fecal debris.

Wear gloves and do it when you are bathing:

Place fingers on the outside of his anus, feel for pea sized mounds, in the 9 ad 5 o'clock position and gently squeeze..

Filled Sacs cause a lot of discomfort and itching. If they are not cleaned out, they may become impacted/infected and they can be removed (the sacs I mean).

If your dog is fed human food as treats, stop now and or having loose stool?? That causes overfilling of the sacs as well.

These sacs filter debirs that is being expelled when the excrement is coming through, they also emit a chemical that stays behind with the stool.

If you can't handle cleaning them out, a Groomer and or Vet can do it for you. It is VERY smelly.

Luck!

Answer 2

Dogs have glands or sacs in that area that get full. He is trying to relieve the fullness. Ask a vet about this. They can drain them. Found this on the web:
Anal gland disease is a common problem in dogs and cats. The anal glands, also called 'anal sacs,' can become impacted, infected, and abscessed. Affected pets may lick the anal area, 'scoot' along the floor, or have problems with defecation. This article will help you better understand anal glands.



As the dog or cat is viewed from behind, anal glands (also called anal sacs) are located on each side of and slightly below the anal opening, at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions. A tiny duct or tube leads under the skin to an opening directly beside the anus.

All predators, whether they are canines or felines in the wild or skunks in your backyard, have anal glands. They just use them differently. Skunks discharge the secretion from these glands as a form of defense, while dogs use it primarily for territorial marking or as a form of communication. In dogs and cats, every time a stool is passed, it should put enough pressure on the anal glands that some of the secretion is deposited on the surface of the stool. Other dogs and cats are then able to tell who has been in the neighborhood, just by sniffing the stools they find. Additionally, dogs and cats recognize each other by smelling each other in the general area of the anus, since each animal's anal glands produce a unique scent.



Anal gland impactions, infections, and abscesses can occur. Here is how: For various reasons, such as the conformation of the animals, the thickness of the gland's secretions, or the softness of the stool, these glands and their ducts often become clogged, or 'impacted.' When this occurs, the animal will sit down on its rear quarters and drag its anal area across the floor or ground. This is called 'scooting.' Both dogs and cats may lick the anal area excessively. Impacted anal glands are a very, very common problem for dogs, especially the smaller breeds.

Anal glands may also become infected and abscess. Bacteria make their way into the glands, probably through the ducts. This is a very painful condition, and the first sign you may see is that the animal attempts to bite or scratch when you touch the area near the tail.

Treatment and prevention

When the glands become impacted, a veterinarian, groomer, or the pet's owner must clean them out, or 'express' them. This empties the glands of all material. It is done by applying pressure with the finger, start below the gland and then pushing upwards. In some dogs, this needs to be done every week or two.

Impacted glands do not affect the overall health of the pet. The problem is that pets may injure the anal area when scooting across the ground, or discharge the secretion on the carpet or floor. And this material has a terrible odor.

Anal gland abscesses must be lanced by a veterinarian, and antibiotics are usually given to the pet for seven to 14 days. Using warm compresses on the area often helps to relieve some of the pain and reduce swelling. Secondary problems sometimes occur with abscesses, as they may cause scar tissue or other damage that may affect the nerves and muscles in this area. This can cause fecal incontinence, meaning the pet cannot retain its stools.

If an individual pet only has an occasional problem with the gland, they can be dealt with as needed.

See website for further info

Answer 3

When a dog or cat scoots his butt on the floor, it is usually not an indication that he has worms, but generally signals a problem with his anal sacs. These are scent glands located near the anus, and this should prompt a call to your veterinarian.

This web site will explain it to you exactly the way you described it a couple of pages down.

Answer 4

HOT-SPOT, i have two little Shih Tzu's and they do that too, i took them to the vet and he said that they have hot spots, it is an animal skin condition that is kinda like human eczema. Here's the 411
Hot spots are usually found on dogs that are in climates that they were not originally breed for
Hot spots are not life threatening and usually won't spread to other parts of the animal's body
Hot spots are not contagious, humans cannot get it

But there is a cure; take your dashund to the vet and he/she can give you some cream for the hot spot ( after he/she diagnoses it), you follow the doctor's orders and the dog should stop doing all that scratching. If you cannot get to the vet right now, you can rub your pet's hot spot (DO NOT SCRATCH, that'll make it worse!) pick your dog up and rub your hand down it's back, when i reacts you'll know that you've found the hotspot. You can do that until you get to the vet. don't worry though, your dog will be fine!

Answer 5

I have the same problem with one of my male dogs. He is a medium sized dog but the vet said it is more common for smaller dogs. But they do it because their anal glands may be impacted. Sounds gross and trust me when the vet relieves the problem the odor is awful. They can teach how to do it but from experience paying the vet is well worth the money. Domesticated dogs no longer use the anal glands (in the wild they use it to mark their territory) but our domesticated dogs still have the glands. If they are infected the vet can treat the problem or remove the glands. My dog had constant problems and infections so we had them removed. But he had the same behavior has your dog.

Answer 6

i have a mini-daschund too. i used to wonder why he scooted his butt all the time also. i gave him flea baths and went to walmart to buy some worm medicine (you can give it to dogs even if they don't have worms to prevent them from getting worms), finally i just realized he's like all other "males". he just likes to scratch his butt! now when he does it i call it "butt surfing", and sometimes i can even tell him to do it to show people, like it's a dog trick or something. people get a good laugh out of it!

Answer 7

I would take your pup to the vet. I have had both a cat and dog scooting across the floor. They both DID have worms.

Answer 8

Well, it might be itchy, but he might have worms. Take a teaspoon size of the dog's stool into the vet's and they will check it and if your dog does indeed have worms then he/she will be put on meds to get rid of them. Plus his/her anal glands may not be expressing when he goes poop. So talk to the vet about that.

Answer 9

i was watching that show "dirty jobs" and there was something interesting on there. He was working at a grooming place, and they do this thing where after they wash the dog, they pinch his butt and some junk comes out. they said it is suppose to be done once in a while and that it can irritate the dog if it doesnt get done. i forgot what they call it, but you might wanna look into it

Answer 10

Worms can be microscopic, so you wouldn't be able to tell without a fecal test by the vet.

Also, with small dogs, they need to have their anal glands drained periodically. Your vet or groomer can do this.