Solutions for dogs and cats scooting their butt on the ground

  Some pets have difficulty expressing their anal glands naturally, due to being overweight, not enough fiber in their diet, and so on. With that said, if your pet is showing signs of full/blocked anal glands such as: scooting their butt on the ground, chasing their tail, biting the base of tail/lower back, and excessive licking; it is best to address the issue ASAP before the anal glands become a bigger issue.

  If you are not familiar with expressing anal glands, I highly suggest you have a veterinary professional express them. Anal glands can easily be expressed at home; if you are interested in learning how, ask your veterinary technician to show you. A groomer can also express anal glands also, but they usually express them externally (from the outside), and if your pet(s) is showing signs of discomfort, they need to be expressed internally.

  If you remember from last week’s post, your pet’s two anal glands are located at 4’o clock and 8’o clock. Your veterinary technician will put a pair of latex gloves on, and apply lubrication to one of their index fingers. They will insert their lubricated index finger into your pet’s rectum, and go to the 6’o clock position, feeling for the full anal gland. Once found, they will apply slight pressure with their index finger on the inside and their thumb on the outside pulling outwards/downwards towards the opening of the rectum. Once the anal gland is emptied, a strong fishy smell will be present. Most technicians will place a paper towel covering the outside of the rectum, to prevent getting any anal fluids on their shirts or even worse, their face. Once one gland is expressed/emptied, they will move to the next one and follow the same steps. After both glands are emptied, usually the technician will clean your pet’s rectum and surrounding area with a baby wipe. Some technicians will also spray a pet safe perfume, to help minimize the smell for the owner. Side note: Your pet will be restrained during the anal gland expressing process, and may require a muzzle. The muzzle is to protect your pet and the technicians.

  Once your pet(s) is all cleaned up, the technician will save the fluid emptied from the anal glands if they feel there might be an infection, and show the fluid to the veterinarian. If your pet(s) has fluid that is an abnormal color, such as white, green, yellow, or red there is an infection that will most likely require a round of antibiotics. Your veterinarian may prescribe an anti-inflammatory too. If your pet(s) anal glands were so full that they ruptured/abscessed, the veterinarian will most likely want to flushed out the glands in addition to medication. In most cases, veterinarians recommend your pet(s) to come back in two-three weeks for the glands to be expressed again, and to make sure the infection is cleared up. Once your veterinarian feels the infection and inflammation is cleared up, they will most likely recommend your pet(s) having their anal glands expressed regularly.

  How often your pet(s) need their anal glands expressed can be reduced by increasing their fiber. The fiber helps bulk up their stool, helping to express the glands when they have a bowel movement. An easy way to increase fiber in your pet’s diet is canned pumpkin. Not the pie filling pumpkin, but actual 100% natural/pure canned pumpkin. The recommend dose varies depending on the size of your pet(s), usually one tablespoon to two tablespoons. Please call your veterinarian to find out exactly how much to give your pet(s). If your pet(s) refuse to eat the pumpkin, you can also try Metamucil. Again please call your veterinarian for proper dosing.

  If you do not want to give your pet(s) the added fiber supplements, your pet(s) may benefit from changing their current diet to a higher fiber food. In addition, make sure your pet(s) are getting enough water in their diet. If you feel your pet’s water intake is small, you may want to add wet food into their diet. Most canned foods are 70% water.

  If your veterinarian determines the reason for your pet(s) scooting is not caused by full anal glands, and tells you it’s due to tapeworms or some kind of skin infection, it’s a pretty easy fix with proper prescription medication. The hardest thing to treat that can be causing your pet to be scooting their butt on the ground is fleas. If you need help getting rid of fleas, please visit my earlier posts.

  Please return next week to learn more solutions for your dog or cat scooting their butt on the ground. Let’s keep learning about keeping your pet(s) happy and healthy.