Scooting Dog

I was asked this question by Su Dunleavy about her dog scooting.

Question;
I was wondering if you could give me some advice on my dog
Two weeks ago we notice that he was slipping hes bum on the grass and on the path outside my house. We thought it was worms so we wormed him. a couple of days after that he was still doing it and then we thought he might be his gland,s so we took him the vets got his glands done. It seemed to work for a couple of days but he is still slipping his bum. Have you any ideas on what is wrong with him?

Answer;
You are right, the 2 most common causes of a dog scooting their bottom along the ground are worms and blocked anal glands.

Firstly, worms; ensure that he was wormed with a veterinary standard wormer, these are available from your vets over the counter. Wormers from the shops are often not as strong and in this situation you need to be 100% sure he is worm free.

Secondly, blocked anal glands; these are a very common problem in a lot of dogs and many have to go regularly to the vets for a squeeze! The anal glands are 2 small sacs at the anus, they contain a scent gland for the faeces ( they are why dogs sniff each others bottoms!). The glands empty when the poo slides past and forces out the liquid. If the dog doesn´t poo for a while, or the poo is soft then the glands don´t empty and can become swollen and sore. The scent itself, which is usually very runny, can thicken if left in the gland, so even if the poo returns to normal the glands won´t always empty. In most cases the vet emptying the glands manually is enough for the problem to settle, but sometimes the swelling and soreness remains so the dogs still scoot. I would take him back to the vets, it is not uncommon for some animals to need several squeezes before the glands settle, and some can require anti-inflammatories. Also, it is important that his faeces is as firm as possible once the glands have been emptied to ensure the scent is forced out. The easiest way to do this is to add extra fibre to his diet for a few days, bran flakes, all bran or brown bread are all suitable.
I hope this helps and he improves soon!
Cat