I think my dog is sick...?

Question

Sometimes he like... sits, but pulls himself - basically dragging his butt on the carpet.
He chews on his paws to the point it sounds really disturbing, and he has coughs or something like that... like clearing his throat.
Also, he's really itchy. e.e;


Doctor, fleas, or serious thing?

Answer 1

Scooting across the carpet: I agree with most who posted, this can be a sign of more than likely anal gland expression needed. Anal glands assist in leaving a scent with their fecal matter that is like their street address if you may. They should be relieved naturally but sometimes it doesn't. Some pets need them expressed manually quite frequently or sometimes not as often. If left un-expressed, it can in turn worsen and lead to a very expensive anal gland removal surgery (I work in a vet office as a receptionist and have seen it ... it isn't pretty and is quite painful to the pet).

Chewing on the feet can be either an emotional outlet, a "hot spot" due to allergies from food, chemicals in floor cleaners or yard insecticides or from dry skin. These can be presented to your vet for any of the possibilities and from their determination, the proper form of meds or suggestions be given to stop the behavior can be followed.

The coughing can be a number of things. It can be as simple as reverse sneezing which kind of has a coughing like behavior to it (I have a cocker spaniel that does it), kennel cough or canine influenza. Coughing can also be a symptom for many diseases such as heartworm, asthma, distemper, flu, pneumonia, etc, the list goes on. It is best to seek medical attention to get the correct diagnosis so that the correct meds can be given. Even though kennel cough is mild and sometimes can work its way out naturally, it can also turn severe and need hard anti-biotics to treat it.

PS. The answer of Benedryl is a good one but is only a band-aid to mask the issue that is at hand. It may be due to an allergy to the food which is easy to cure. And in the long run, cheaper to treat! And as much as I love my vets, the Science Diet line of food can be full of fillers. I would research your change of diet for your dog. Usually all it takes is the change of protein in the diet from beef to something like fish, duck, chicken or lamb based diet. Corn and wheat are also some often seen allergies in dogs. Research your foods and find what is the best food in your dogs best interest. I personally feed my kids Natures Variety but Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae and Eagle Pack all make great holistic foods that lean away from those items that create the allergies. Research Research Research!!

Answer 2

The thing with dragging the butt on the rug is most commonly associated with the anal sacks and this is the way that they help to stimulate themselves to empty them. All dogs have anal sacks and their only purpose is to scent the poo. It is like their own personal autograph if you will. Many times these anal sacks get backed up and need to be manually expressed (Vet or groomer if you don't know what you are doing).
As far as the chewing on the paws... this is a sure sign of an allergy. The first thing to do is to wash the paws really well and give the dog some plain old benadryl. Call your vet and they will tell you how much to give. Now as far as the cough goes... this could be anything from kennel cough to a collapsing trachea and will need to be looked at by the vet. there is something called the reverse sneeze that many dogs do that is quite common but worrisome to the owners that don't know what it is. It looks like a little doggy asthma attack and may last from a couple of seconds up to a minute. the good news that they are harmless but you will still want to see your vet to make sure that this is what you are dealing with if you have concerns. always better safe than sorry.
~Tyed~

Answer 3

a dog that drags his butt on the carpet can be a sign of worms, it also can be caused by the anal sacks becoming irritated or infected. His chewing on his paw could be a nervous habit or it could be a "hot spot" or a place where the skin get irritated from allergic reactions or from something in the enviroment ( like shampoo not being rinsed off all of the way). As far as the coughing it is not normal for a dog to cough. I would suggest that you contact your vet and take your dog in to be checked.

Answer 4

Go to a vets.

The butt dragging is probably impacted anal glands that need to be expressed. The paw chewing could be atopy (a skin allergy usually caused by food) or fleas. Coughs are caused by many, many different things- most commonly kennel cough or heart trouble, or lungworm depending on where you live.

Itching is probably fleas - you need to go to a vets to get proper treatment.

Your dog clearly has several issues, and therefore needs to be seen by a vet.

Chalice

Answer 5

As for the scooting it may be his anal glands or worms.
The chewing can be a few things. Allergies is one of them. Some dogs chew on their nails.
Coughing. Ok i have a question for this one. When he is coughing does it look like he is gagging while he is doing it or is it just a quick cough? If he looks to be gagging then get him to a vet right away. It could be something serious. My dog did that and he had a heart murmur. If it is just a quick cough i would still take him to the vet, but it may just turn out to be a backwards sneeze or what ever they call it.

Answer 6

It depends on the situation. If the dog is whelping a litter of pups or a cat has a little diarhhea then the first option would be to handle it at home to see if the situation gets better. And while waiting people can ask other pet owners if they have any ideas on how to deal with the problem and ask for general advice. If it doesn't get better then the next option is the vet. Some people do have a few hum dingers on here, but for the most part the questions are good, valid ones.

Answer 7

most of the time when dogs drag there butt on the carpet they have worms i would try to worm him to see if that would help . buy him some chew toys most dogs do that or a bone the reason he coughs is because he gets hairs in his mouth and throat from chewing on his paws. wash him in dawn dish washing liquid that kills fleas and a cap full of Clorox no more fleas just add with pretty much water so it don't bother him

Answer 8

Dragging his butt across the carpet may mean a few things. He may have worms get a stool sample and take to the vet. They can run test to see if it is worms.
He may have a small bit of stool that hasn’t completely come out yet.
He may be trying to tell you he needs to go potty.
Or it may be his glands.

Chewing on paws may mean they need trimed. The vet can trime them for a fee.
If he’s coughing he may be coming down sick or already has a cold. The dog may have heartworms get him checked if its heartworms he could die from that.

If he’s itching him self he may have fleas or he may have a an allergic reaction to something.
Take him to vet they can run test on him.
Good luck

Answer 9

The scooting is an anal gland problem or worms.

The chewing is a diet problem. He's allergic to his food.

The coughing could be heartworms. You need to take this poor dog to the vet.

Seriously.

Answer 10

Its OK Its Nothing Serious As Far As Him Dragging His butt on the carpet is just means he either has an itch on his bottom or it could be hemorrhoids as far as him biting his paws its either fleas or ticks or arthritis cause my dog constantly bits her knees due to it