Whilst it is an unpleasant sight, a dog dragging their bottom along the floor is not just a dirty habit and there may be an underlying reason for them to be doing this. Luckily most of the causes are easily treated, and for your carpet’s sake worth investigating into.
In my experience, the three most common causes for a dog to drag their bottom along the floor are worms, anal gland issues or matting of fur around their anus. If your dog is struggling with an issue affecting their anal glands then they will often leave a strong smelling liquid behind after them.
How can I tell why my dog is scooting their bottom along the floor?
If we consider the main three causes of scooting, the easiest to rule in or out is the matting of fur around the anus, which will often cause irritation in this area, especially whilst toileting, and can lead to your dog scooting on the floor to relieve this irritation. If your dog has clean or non-matted fur around this area then this is unlikely to be the cause, however if the fur is soiled or matted then cleaning this area and trimming some of the fur away may be enough to prevent further scooting.
Worms often cause itching around the back end, and so if your dog is not fully up to date with their worming treatment (most wormers are given either on a monthly or three-monthly basis), then worms may be the cause of the itching. If your dog has worms, there will often be other signs present alongside having an itchy back end which may indicate worms are present. These signs often include having an increased appetite, having diarrhoea or softer stools, and sometimes weight loss in severe cases – find out more about worms and treating for them in our article here. Worms that cause itching around the back end are much more common in puppies but can be seen in older dogs too. If your dog is up to date with their worming treatment or you do not see an improvement following another worming treatment then it is unlikely that they are the cause of the itching.
Anal gland issues are the other most likely cause of your dog dragging their bottom along the floor, and whilst some breeds seem to be more prone to anal gland issues that others, all dogs are susceptible to this problem. Anal glands are a pair of scent glands found on either side of the inside of a dogs’ anus, roughly at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock. These glands are normally expressed when dogs pass a normal stool, however for a variety of reasons this does not always happen correctly, for example if the stool is not firm enough or if there is inflammation in the anal glands, leading to a failure of the glands being expressed. The main reasons anal glands cause discomfort, and therefore scooting, are impaction (where they are full of normal secretions but cannot be expressed normally), or if there is inflammation or infection in the gland. In these cases it is best to take a trip to your local veterinarian for them to assess your dog’s anal glands, as if there is an underlying issue they may require treatment in addition to having them expressed manually.
My dog stopped scooting, but has started up again, what do I do?
Depending on the reason for your dog initially scooting, any recurrence of scooting may be related to the original issue. For example, if your dog had worms and this caused loose stools and itching around their bottom, treating the worms would get rid of the itching. However in this scenario, the loose stools they were having because of the worms can cause the anal glands to become impacted, leading to scooting again after the worms have been treated. In the case of anal gland infections, expressing them initially may help however if left untreated they will continue to recur. If you have not yet been to see your local veterinarian then this is a good time, as they will be able to help identify the cause of the issue repeating itself.
How will I know if my dog has an anal gland infection?
Anal gland infections are very uncomfortable for dogs, and can go on for a long time if left untreated. The main things to look out for with an anal gland infection are as follows:
- Pain or reluctance to pass a stool – this may be seen as letting out a cry when passing a stool or quickly looking around at their back end shortly after
- A swelling around the anus – these can rupture and blood and pus may escape from the wound left behind once ruptured
- Your dog may lick their anus a lot, making the skin around it sore
- Scooting leaving behind anal gland secretions or blood and pus
If you are suspicious of an anal gland infection then you should contact your local veterinarian immediately, as your pet will very likely need pain relief and possibly antibiotics to resolve the infection.
How can I prevent or minimise anal gland issues?
The main ways to minimise anal gland issues in dogs is to make changes to their lifestyle that may cause the anal glands to become inflamed or impacted. Normal emptying of the anal glands relies on a firm stool applying pressure to them as it is passed, and so ensuring that your dog has a firm stool can play an important role. The best way to achieve this is by feeding your dog a diet that is high in fibre, and some diets and supplements are specifically designed to help with this, including Royal Canin gastrointestinal high fibre food, and Protexin Pro-Fibre supplements. Another way in which you can help minimise anal gland issues is by treating other possible underlying causes, for example if your dog has an allergic skin disease then this may cause inflammation in the anal glands resulting in impaction and discomfort.