Help ! Itchy bottomed dog.

[Babyroobs]

Have been away for a few days and our dog started shuffling on his bottom etc, very distressed so we took him to a vets close to where we were staying and he had his anal glands squeezed. vets nurse said they were very full etc. This was last tues and they said it may take a few days to settle down. He is still scooting, and each time, his inner penis bit comes out ( we never normally see this ! ). how long do we give it before we take him back to the vets- will it settle , do the glands ever need expressing a second time ? We have wormed him and trying to increase roughage in his diet. He is licking paws constantly and scratching a lot. No sign of fleas and is regularly treated with flea stuff. Any advice appreciated.

Did he go away with you or stay at kennels or someone look after him in their home/your home?

I would ring the vets on Monday and get him seen again. It could be that they need doing a second time or that there's an infection brewing.

The licking of paws etc. could be that he's been exposed to an allergen at the new location - a new type of carpet, or a new pollen/grass type in the area. You can use antihistamines on dogs but always check with a vet re. type and doseage.

I meant to add, my beagle has had his anal glands done several times - he now has one Weetabix a day added to his food which seems to hopefully have solved the problem.

No he never gets left anywhere, he comes away with us when we go on holiday.

Thanks for the weetabix suggestion, I will give that a try. He is almost six years old and has never needed his glands squeezed before so has come out of the blue really. I will ring the vets on monday. It really upset him having them squeezed, I was trying to hold him and he has clawed me on my arms and chest so must have been very uncomfortable for him poor boy.

The licking of paws etc. could be that he's been exposed to an allergen at the new location

This is what I was thinking. Our poor dog was in a right state after contact with shake n Vac, even though it had been vacuumed out of the carpets. Caused her to chew her paws & scratch a lot, she also coincidentally had anal gland issues. We had to swap her to hypoallergenic food in the end as it was just never ending even after being away from the contact. It just seemed to trigger something in her.

Mine was the same @Babyroobs - no issues at all until he was four, then he suddenly started scooting and needed them emptying 3x in six months. His last visit was March and he's been fine since, so I'm hoping the Weetabix has solved the problem as he HATES having them squeezed - it took three of us to hold him still last time

He's licking his feet because his anal glands are still distressing him. It is a common displacement activity. It sounds like the nurse didn't fully express them or she has injured him. You describing his pain reaction makes that sound likely.

This is my day job and whilst it's not pleasant, provided lube is used and the finger inserted gently (they have two anal sphincters) usually the dog finds it relieving to have them expressed.

I would bathe the area in warm salt water (teaspoon of salt in a pint of warm water) to soothe it for now but I think it sound like it needs looking at ASAP.

Meant to add that fibre in the diet makes sod all difference to the AGs sadly. The theory is right but the reality is it makes no difference.

The reason they block is the dog is usually so far from the shape a dog is supposed to be or a chubber.

Also in the mix is once you start to have them manually expressed, they often need that more and more because the manual expressing stretches the gland a bit each time to the point it no longer really functions.

With patients like this, I used to show the owners how to express them because otherwise they would live at the vets : (

Was also coming on to say possible allergies (as well as the full glands). Our dog would get an itchy backside and paws if she ate one of her many allergens.

Thanks I will give the warm water a go.

Raw carrot as a snack can help to keep them clear.
I usually empty them myself, it’s easy to do once you learn the knack.
If his penis is coming out it’s easy to get back in if you dip it in a small bowl of cold water & gently coax the fore skin back in place.

I can recommend Stoolrite.
Really helps with many things anal and it's seaweed so you're avoiding wheat which is generally not good for dogs.
You could also try adding ground bone to his food or ground eggshells to firm up his stools. Or give him a bony treat like a beef tail or something like that.

My dog is 5 years old and normally expressed his glands himself up until last winter when he was licking his back legs near his bum. Vet expressed his glands, but he kept licking paws and back area until he made it infected. I now use Glandex, I tried weetabix and carrots, but found this has helped the most, he hasn’t needed them expressed since December.

We used to have to do it semi regularly with our chihuahua. My dad who had no sense of smell (nurse botched dressings after an operation) held her down while I did it. It does smell really bad.