# Scooting Bottom on the carpet...



## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

Hi,

I have a 5 1/2 year old neutered male maltese/toy poodle. He's 20lbs, eats NB Bison and Sweet Potato dry food (recently switched from the venison formula).

Anyway, lately he's been scooting his butt on the carpet and constantly licking the area. He gets groomed every 4-6 weeks, and anals are expressed at the time of grooming. The area looks normal, no inflammation that I can see. His poop is extremely firm because he only get dry food. All vaccines are up-to-date.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what it could be? Does this require a trip to the vet? 

I had previously posted about him chewing his feet/toenails and now it's his bottom.


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## bentleybsmom (Sep 5, 2011)

my first thought was the anal glands, or allergies.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

It could be his anal glands...it really is not safe to let a groomer express the glands as they can easily injure the dog. I would take him in to the vet to be checked out. It could also be allergies or even worms or something. It's hard to say what it is so it is best to go ahead and take him in.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

The groomers only do "external" expression. (and Lisa is right, I tell my groomer to skip it) and the vet (or vet tech) will do an "internal" expression, which is much more effective.


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## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

pammy4501 said:


> The groomers only do "external" expression. (and Lisa is right, I tell my groomer to skip it) and the vet (or vet tech) will do an "internal" expression, which is much more effective.



I didn't know this. OMG! I'm going to make an appt with the vet tomorrow!


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## DiamondsDad (Jul 14, 2011)

Our little girl Diamond had an anal gland problem. The first sign was the scooting. You should take your boy to the vet.


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## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm taking Mason to the vet today and the vet tech is going to express his anal glands. They charge $40 (is that a lot?)

I'm so confused now because I thought I was doing the right thing by asking the groomer to do it each time he went in for a grooming. 

I'll post an updated after his appt. Thanks!


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

brtb said:


> I'm taking Mason to the vet today and the vet tech is going to express his anal glands. They charge $40 (is that a lot?)
> 
> I'm so confused now because I thought I was doing the right thing by asking the groomer to do it each time he went in for a grooming.
> 
> I'll post an updated after his appt. Thanks!


It's okay, like Pam said, much better for your vet to do it. I don't think $40.00 is alot, that probably includes the visit as well. And well worth it, as you don't want it to rupture. Good luck and let us know. Mason will feel so much better afterwards. :wub:


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

$40 likely includes the office visit as well. I usually try to have the glands expressed each time we have a regular office visit (we go about 4 times a year at least) and I do tell the groomer not to do it. 

If the expressing of the glands doesn't stop the scooting it could be that he is constipated. We noticed Hunter doing this once and a little bit of bran and some pumpkin for a week helped him deal with the issue.


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## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

Hunter's Mom said:


> $40 likely includes the office visit as well. I usually try to have the glands expressed each time we have a regular office visit (we go about 4 times a year at least) and I do tell the groomer not to do it.
> 
> If the expressing of the glands doesn't stop the scooting it could be that he is constipated. We noticed Hunter doing this once and a little bit of bran and some pumpkin for a week helped him deal with the issue.


 
Nope, $40 is just for the vet tech to express his anals. An appt for an exam with the actual vet is $48. If had had gone that route it would be the $48 for the exam then $40 for the anals. They are very expensive, but I love this office!

Actually I was wondering about the constipation. Lately he's only been on dry food and his poop is really hard (like hard as a rock) and small. I usually add a teaspoon of canned to his meals, but I just haven't bought any lately. So, for dinner yesterday I added a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to his food and then did it again this morning. When I take him out at lunchtime I'm hoping his poop would have softened up a bit.

I feel so terrible right now. I usually pretty neurotic when it comes to him, so now I feel like I've been making him suffer for so long.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Wow, that is a lot for just expressing the glands! When expressed internally, they shouldn't need to be done very often so just ask your groomer not to do it any longer and schedule to have your vet do it periodically.

It will be good to have him see the vet at his appointment...mention the fact that his poop seems rock hard, his scooting, his previous paw chewing, and the fact that he is licking his anus. Did this seem to start after you switched him to the Bison variety of food from the Venison?


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## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

Update from the vet appt: The vet tech said his anals looked good. There was only a small amount in there. No inflammation or anything. She said it appears that the groomer is doing a decent job at expressing them so she can continue to do it if I want. I did bring up his hard stools and the tech went to ask the vet about it. The vet said that I can keep him on the canned pumpkin indefinitely and it should help get his stools back to normal. However, if he is still scooting and licking by this time next week I need to bring him into see the vet for a more thorough exam.

As far as the food, he started doing this on the venison so that's why I switched him to the bison. He's been on the dry bison for a month now. I had been reading that keeping them on the same food for a long period of time can cause an allergy. That's why I switched. 

The tech asked about his nail chewing. We've determined that it's behaviorial or boredom. Mainly because when we're home with him on the weekends he's perfectly fine and doesn't chew at all! Then it starts back up on Monday. The vet had wanted us to try Clomipriene (sp?), but we've been using the cone as a tool instead. When he starts chewing we slip the cone on and it snaps him out of it. We leave it on for a while and when we take it off he's fine. I'm still really on the fence about medicating him, but it's not totally off the table.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

One other thing to consider maybe could be parasites? Has he had any stool tested at all recently? Just a thought.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for updating us! I'm glad his anal glands are fine, that helps narrow it down. One other thought I had, was if his bottom was shaved super short at his last grooming appointment? Sometimes a shaved bottom can itch/tickle the dog until it grows a little longer. Groomers usually shave the anal area with a #10 blade which definitely can cause some irritation in some dogs.

I would stick with using the cone, I don't think a daily medication is necessary for his licking problem, at least not until you've tried everything else. You can also try using Bitter Apple spray on his paws to deter him from chewing on them. It will only work for a short while, until it dries completely but it might work as another tool to distract him. You can also look into purchasing some interactive dog puzzle toys, Nina Ottosson makes some, but there are other MUCH cheaper alternative brands available. Also, you might consider trying a food toy where you put their food in a toy and they have to roll and push it around to get food out. Something like that would help keep him from licking his paws when he appears bored.


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## brtb (Aug 31, 2011)

LJSquishy said:


> Thanks for updating us! I'm glad his anal glands are fine, that helps narrow it down. One other thought I had, was if his bottom was shaved super short at his last grooming appointment? Sometimes a shaved bottom can itch/tickle the dog until it grows a little longer. Groomers usually shave the anal area with a #10 blade which definitely can cause some irritation in some dogs.
> 
> I would stick with using the cone, I don't think a daily medication is necessary for his licking problem, at least not until you've tried everything else. You can also try using Bitter Apple spray on his paws to deter him from chewing on them. It will only work for a short while, until it dries completely but it might work as another tool to distract him. You can also look into purchasing some interactive dog puzzle toys, Nina Ottosson makes some, but there are other MUCH cheaper alternative brands available. Also, you might consider trying a food toy where you put their food in a toy and they have to roll and push it around to get food out. Something like that would help keep him from licking his paws when he appears bored.


Someone else mentioned to me about asking the groomer if she shaves back there or scissors the area. I'll check with her next week.

About the parasites....I though about that, but then dismissed it since his poop was so hard. He had giardia before and I remember how runny his stool was. Now, that was awful. 

On a slightly different subject, his energy level is through the roof for an almost 6 year old dog. People think he's still a puppy. We have toys, the games that were referenced before, even the toy where you have to get food out of it. We go for long walks (well, probably more of a stroll) and even play fetch with him. But, once he's done playing he will gravitate back to chewing his feet.

I know I really shouldn't do this, but sometimes I get so desperate to tire him out that I make him run up and down the stairs in our house. Now, that poops him out. Yesterday, my husband took him out and ran him up and down a huge hill in our neighborhood. Then when I got home for work I took him on a long walk (a mile). Mason was knocked out from after dinner to 6:00 this morning. 

The vet suggested that maybe his isn't being stimulated enough. He is a very smart boy. We've had to buy a new trashcan for the kitchen because he would stand on his hind legs and use his nose to lift the lid off the plastic trashcan to get food out. We had to get one of those stainless steel trashcans, which he somehow still seems to get into. He's a mess, but we love him to pieces.


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## DiamondsDad (Jul 14, 2011)

I would be reluctant to allow the groomer to continue to express the anal glands. We've been told by numerous vets and specialists that it's just not a good idea. 
As for the hard stools, I am sure the pumpkin will help, but another idea is dried sweet potato. We buy bags of dried sweet potato for Diamond and they keep her very regular. She also loves chewing on them- they are kind of like a vegetarian jerky. 
As for liking the paws, it certainly could be boredom, but you might also want to ask what products the groomer uses to wash your dog. Diamond was licking her paws a fair amount when we were using our old groomer. We discovered they used a whitening shampoo (even though we told them we didn't want them to.) We switched groomers and the new groomers use much gentler natural shampoos (and no whiteners). Diamond's paw licking has been drastically reduced.


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