Solutions for dogs and cats scooting their butt on the ground continued.

  The most common reason for your pet(s) to scoot their butt on the ground is anal glands, which we discussed last week. So what if your dog is scooting their butt on the ground, but it’s not the anal glands?

  First, check to make sure your pet(s) does not have tapeworms (to read a review on tapeworms, visit previous posts). Tapeworms can be irritating to your pet’s rectum, so they might cause them to rub their butts on the ground. If tapeworms are present, bring a fresh stool sample into your local veterinarian’s office. A Veterinary Technician will first do a gross examination, which is physically looking at the stool sample with their eyes only. There may be segments of the tapeworm present in the stool that they can visually see without a microscope.

After the gross examination, the Veterinary Technician will then set up a “fecal float”. The fecal float will usually take 10 minutes to bring up any parasite eggs, although some may let it sit for longer. Once the 10 minutes have past, the Veterinary Technician will take the cover slip and place it on a slide. They will exam the slide underneath a microscope, to see if any parasite eggs are present. Once the microscopic examination is complete, the Veterinary Technician will report the findings to the Veterinarian.

  If tapeworms are the only parasite found, the Veterinarian will usually give you the option of taking home one or two Droncit pills (one given now and usually a follow up one is given two weeks later, to make sure the tapeworm is gone) or a Droncit shot. If other parasites were found, your Veterinarian will most likely prescribe an alternative medication that is able to treat more than one of the parasites.

  If you checked your pets butt and no tapeworms are present, check to see if there is any dry fecal matter or any other material present that may be irritating your pet’s rectum. If you find fecal matter or other material present, you can use a baby wipe or warm wet cloth to clean the area. You may have to cut off some of the fur if it’s really stuck on there. Please be very careful when using scissors on your pet(s), you do not want them to jump, which could lead to you cutting them.

  If you checked your pets butt and found no tapeworms, fecal matter, or any other material is present, your pet may be constipated. My pet advice is to monitor your pet to make sure that when they go outside that they indeed have a nice bowel movement. If your pet(s) does not have a bowel movement in a couple days, you can try increasing their fiber intake by giving them 100% natural canned pumpkin or a stool softener.

Please call your local Veterinarian for proper dosages. Special note: If your pet is experiencing constipation accompanied by not eating, drinking, vomiting, lethargic, or abnormal behavior (any of these), your pet may have an obstruction. If you suspect an obstruction, please bring your pet to your local veterinarian immediately, as these can be life threatening if left untreated.

  So if none of the above is causing your pet(s) to scoot their butt on the ground, another reason that may be causing their rectum to be irritated is a skin infection. A skin infection can be a bacterial infections (Several types, and some can be passed to humans), yeast infections, and/ or a fungal infection (ringworm can be passed to humans). Usually, if your pet(s) has yeast infection, you will be able to smell it (bread baking), and feel it. The fur usually feels like there is a film on it.

  If it’s a bacterial infection, you may also be able to smell it. In addition to smelling your pet(s), by just looking at your pet(s) skin surrounding the rectum, you may be able to see redness, loss of fur, scabs, discharge, ect. If you suspect your pet(s) has an infection of any kind, please bring them into your local veterinarian’s office ASAP. If you wait too long, the infection will get worse, and sometimes pets will pull their hair out, causing a moist dermatitis, which is commonly known as a “hot spot”. As always, it’s easier and cheaper to treat your pet(s) in the early stages.

  So if your pet has none of the above, they may have allergies. They can be allergic to the food you are feeding them, and also things in the natural environment. It is important to monitor your pet(s) normal activities on a regular basis, so you are able to tell when your pet(s) are acting strange.

  Please return soon, to learn more about keeping your pets happy and healthy.