Scooting in Dogs — Not Just Anal Glands

There are five primary reasons dogs chew, scratch, lick, or scoot their hind ends. Four of them are quick to explain. The fifth one is the most common, the most disgusting, and every carpet’s least favorite — so we’ll save it for last.

Worms

Worms can cause hind end itchies. Not much more to say about it. If your dog is scratching her butt, bring a poop sample with you to your vet appointment. Easy to check, easy to treat.

Fleas

If you part your pet’s fur over her lower back and see what looks like black pepper, your pet has fleas.

Fleas are visible insects, about the size of a small ant. After they suck your pet’s blood, they poop out little black specks. Why do fleas like to live over your dog’s butt and between her back legs? I don’t know. They just do.

Here’s where it gets worse: some dogs are allergic to flea saliva. If your dog is one of them, a single flea bite causes dramatically more itching than it would in a normal dog. That’s why in a multi-pet household, all the animals can have fleas but only one is tearing herself apart.

Allergies

Two other kinds of allergies besides flea allergy cause itchy hind ends: food allergies and inhalant allergies.

Food allergies are actually uncommon in my patients, and when they do happen, it’s usually to the protein in the food (not the grain).

Inhalant allergies — doggy hay fever — are more common. If your dog has an itchy butt AND licks her feet, allergies move up the list. Treat the underlying allergy, and the skin problems go away.

Arthritis

This one surprises people, and it affects cats more than dogs.

Dogs with hip arthritis usually show only subtle signs — slow to rise, reluctant to exercise, doing things slow that they used to do fast. But cats with arthritis — and some dogs — often just overgroom their hind ends because the area hurts. It looks like a skin problem. It’s a pain problem.

If the other causes have been ruled out and your pet is middle to older-aged, ask your vet to x-ray the hips. There are good pain management options if that’s what’s going on.

Anal Glands

Now for the main event. I’m sorry, but it’s gotta be done.

Dogs and cats have scent glands on either side of the anus — the same type of glands skunks use to spray predators, just slightly (and only slightly) less foul. These glands produce brownish-yellowish fishy-smelling grossness that gets squeezed out every time your pet strains to poop. We think it’s a scent-marking mechanism, a way dogs and cats identify themselves to each other.

Each anal gland has a tiny duct that empties at the anal opening. When those ducts get obstructed, the gland can’t empty on its own, and your pet gets uncomfortable. That’s when you see the scoot — butt planted on the ground, dragged across your carpet, dignity fully intact.

When to worry and when not to

Here’s the counter-intuitive part: if you smell that fishy nastiness on your couch, your pet may NOT need to see the vet. If the anal glands emptied themselves on your furniture, that’s a problem solved. Your couch took one for the team.

The vet visit is for when they CAN’T empty. If your dog is scooting, licking, chewing, or suddenly whipping around to stare at her own butt, those glands are probably full and stuck.

What we do about it

Your veterinarian slips on a rubber glove, inserts a finger, and manually squeezes out the glands. It’s exactly as glamorous as it sounds. Some dogs need this done monthly. Some need it done never. Your groomer may do an external version as part of a routine groom, but that’s maintenance — not treatment for a dog with problem glands.

What happens if you ignore it

Impacted glands that stay full too long can become infected and abscess. An abscessed anal gland ruptures out the back end. It looks as bad as it sounds, it hurts, and it turns a $40 expression into general anesthesia, emergency surgery, and a much bigger vet bill.

The short version

Five causes of butt scooting. One vet visit sorts them out. Bring a poop sample.