Anal Glands Can Be a Pain in the Butt
Get down, go to town, and do the Butt Scootin’ Boogie. I don’t think this is quite the title of the Brooks and Dunn country-western classic, but, (no pun intended) it is appropriate for this discussion about the question we frequently hear in our veterinary practice: “Doc, why is my dog scooting, and dragging his butt? Does he have worms?”
When our canine friends are exhibiting this “dancing” behavior (thank goodness this dance has never been popular with people, not even in the ’70s), oftentimes it is due to their anal sacs being impacted. In other words, these sac-like structures are full of an oily to thick material that has a very pungent and distinct odor. When this happens, it is irritating, and your furry dancing friend does the butt shuffle.
Anal sacs/glands are paired and located at about the four o’clock and eight o’clock position if you are looking directly at your dog’s anus. Don’t get too close! They are essentially equivalent to the scent glands on skunks. They are there to act as a scent marker for territory and typically when a dog or cat has a bowel movement, some of the oily malodorous (at least to us) material is excreted through a small duct with the movement. They can also act as the greeting card for other dogs. Hence, the dog sniffing another’s backside when they meet each other. I am glad we just typically shake hands.
If the duct becomes inflamed, or if the anal sac becomes infected, there is irritation and your dog or cat may lick at their anal area excessively, may exhibit discomfort when having a bowel movement, or may do the “Boogie.” Sometimes you may notice a bloody discharge from the anus or an open draining sore just adjacent to the anus.
If your dog or cat is experiencing these symptoms or the desire to leave “skid marks” across your carpet, you should visit your veterinarian. They will likely do a rectal exam with a gloved finger and, from inside the anus, express the sacs. You can also imagine the expression on their face during this procedure. Not always the most glamorous part of our profession. If the sacs are infected, antibiotics will be administered. Sometimes anti-inflammatory medications or pain medications are dispensed.
If the problem is chronic or severe, the anal sacs/gland can be surgically removed. Your veterinarian can discuss this procedure in more detail with you.
One common misconception is that “my dog or cat may have pinworms.” NO! Our canine and feline companions do not get pinworms. These occur in primates and horses. On rare occasions, segments from tapeworms (which appear like moving grains of white rice, yummy thought) can be seen around the anus and may cause some irritation and scooting. Additionally, if there are tapeworms, there may be an issue with fleas since the most common tapeworm has an intermediate host of the flea. Another reason to make sure your pet is on flea prevention.
So, the next time your pet decides to do some butt break-dancing, or the Butt Shuffle, you now know it is not just their love of entertaining you, but (there is that word again) likely anal sac/gland irritation and they are likely to get their Christmas Goose earlier than expected this year.
-Photo Credit: From flickr by EricRichter
Tags: 01133, dog, dualaction, Fiproguard, fleaandtick, healthcare
My dog has done this. I remember when Shay (my Shih-tzu) was younger, a stranger came up to me in the park and said that she had pinworms (because she was dragging her behind across the grass). It’s funny how much misinformation is out there! Thanks for the help, Dr. Rod! ~Nichole
I sometimes have a little leakage and leave a stinky when I sit down. Papa wets a towel and wipes my bum. Is that ok to do? I’m a little embarrassed when he does it.
Thanks, Dr. VH – funny and useful info on an often-ignored topic. These can be uncomfortable and always seem to come up at 2am, so we see lots of them in the ER. Thanks for the information!
Kimchi, Definitely OK to have your Bum wiped. Better to be clean than rashed and way less embarrassing than wearing depends. If this worsens or more constant than just sometimes, I would have your “Doc” have a look at this.
Also, your Groomer can express them easily; just stop by. People will often bring their dogs by for glands expressed, nails cut, and ideally a bath.
Good article. I just wanted to remark that it was very difficult to read because of the background image. Perhaps it is because I am viewing your site on an iPad. Perhaps you might want to mention this to your site designer. There are ways to keep the background, by having a darker tint in the areas where text appears.
I agree. The background image makes it hard to read.
My dog scratches and nalls at her fur until its gone. We have changed her diet to contain no corn byproduct she is on a monthly flea preventative. The big oddness is she only does it in summer. Please help ..thank you
Teresa-
I am not a vet- but I would guess that your dog might have a grass allergy- we had a dog that did the same thing.
my dog does this plus she swells real bad at her anus like hemroids vets don’t know what to do im very aggravated
My dog does it when she is trying to get the other dog to play with her. She’ll skid her rear across the floor. Other than that she doesn’t do it.
Very interesting and owners can do this in the tub as long as they know what they are doing. So!… Keep giving us the right Info. BarbieCcaresInNJ
my dog does this vet checked her found nothing said her butt must itch
DOUBLE CHECK your groomer!! Our’s here SAY they express the anal glands, however, do not! We have many cases come in saying “I just don’t get it, my groomer done it last week!” Better to leave that stuff to trained professionals, and no, not hair professionals.
She has a lot I did what to do for her
Okay, still confused. I have 3long coat Chihuahua’s and 1short. My short never does it however he does go for walks twice/day and does the marking and pooing along the way and what I would suspect “secreting’. My longcoat male only goes outside to do business and comes in quickly. He “scoots” often. My vet said its not a good idea to do a physical gland expression as this is a natural function of the dog and if done for them, it becomes dependent on being done for him. However, the scooting continues. So, if he has had it done, for prevention of buildup and infection wouldn’t it be necessary to if they in fact have already become dependent? Hate for my little guy to be miserable, as well as, a higher vet bill from treating an infection vs gland squeeze?
Kat, each dog is different just like people so one of your dogs may have challenges with his anal glands while the others don’t. I have never heard of a pet becoming dependent on having their anal glands expressed. You are correct in your assessment that if these anal sacs do get impacted or infected it can be quite uncomfortable. In the most chronic cases of anal sac/gland issues these structures can be surgically removed. This option should be discussed with your veterinarian in some detail since there are some potential complications associated with this procedure. However, don’t let your little guy be miserable and ignore his symptoms, no if and or butts.
My 3 yr old has been backing her back side up against the stone wall on porch and going to town rubbing up in down,I have looked and felt and see nothing,she now is having a problem when going to bathroom.Sounds like I have found my answer.In the past day or two it has even seemed to affect her jumping up??Can it get that bad???Vets charge such ridiuilious prices for everything ,can I learn to do this myself??? Esp. if it is a constant problem.
My dog Graci has this problem. The vet told me to give her can pumpkin. She gets a tablespoon twice a day with her food. It does help but we still see the vet once of month for this issue. The pumpkin is extra fiber.
Good comment Jackie. Sometimes extra fiber to the diet can help.
See my comments below. Hope this helps.
i have seen my sister female dog get so bad her rump was swollen and then it busted leaving a big huge hole.if you have the stomach do it yourself
BonB, You may of found the answer but maybe not. If your pooch is having problems with BM’s and acting painful it may not be “just” anal gland issues. This is why you should see your vet. They have the experience and training to examine our dog entirely to determine the actual problem. While is might sound easy to “do this yourself” and save some money, if this is not the problem our dog may continue with undue discomfort and things may get worse actually costing you and your pet more in the long run.
it is really simple to do i work in a grooming shop and we do all small dogs
My Vet asked me to empty the sacs once a week…myself. I nodded once he showed me. I do this every week, now…said no one…ever.
Our vet told us that eating a lot of soft foods will cause this as they sometimes don’t get the fiber that their wild brethren get eating bones and such. She recommended adding a teaspoon of ground up flax seed to his food. Have done it and the scooting problem was gone in about a week. Guess the fiber will actually do the squeezing for them when they have a bowel movement . Soft stool will not allow this to happen. Just a suggestion that worked great for us and it’s a lot cheaper than constantly going to the vet to have this done.
Chris, great comments with regards to adding fiber to your dog’s diet. Sometimes this can help as with your dog. That is wonderful. Feeding a diet higher in fiber is and alternative to adding fiber such as the flax see you have added. However, sometimes the added fiber can cause softer stools or increased flatulence. This is a great place to start though with chronic anal sac issues. Thanks for sharing.
my dog get this done every 3-4 wkks and he is still unhappy, the vet doesn’t want to do surgery but is there another way to make him comfortable??
Before surgery would be considered it would have to be confirmed that the anal sacs were truly the problem and only problem causing the “scooting”. Sometimes allergies can cause similar symptoms in which case, anti-histamines, fatty acid supplements, glucocorticoids, or cyclosporine medications may be used to help. Good luck. Hope your furry friend can get some longer term relief.
And I just thought he was twerking! Lolol just jokes folks! Got his glands expressed and no more scooting!
Wonder if this would help Miley Cyrus? HaHa
Deana you are right. I am a groomer and i check and express glands on every dog i do. Some of the younger groomers get grossed out and would rather say they did it then to tell the truth. I express from the out side by squeezing the glands in and up toward the anus. If they are impacted they will need to be done from the inside. I will do my own dogs this way, but i let my clients know and they can take them to the vet to express from the inside.
I was told by the vet that this can be more common in some breeds. We rescued a catahoula type dog and she has had some issues where she would bleed and it would become so thick that she couldn’t naturally express it by scooting. We try to keep a better eye so it doesn’t get that bad but it has happened a few times to have her put under to have it dug out. I have never heard about adding fiber to help the situation. It hasn’t happened in a while but I hate her being in pain that way!