# Licking his rear end... seems constipated?



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I did a search on this and found many possibilities, but none fit quite right, so sorry if I'm posting on a well-talked about issue.

Bailey has seemed to be interested in licking his behind over the past week? or so. It only lasts a few seconds. Over the past couple of days, though, as soon as he poops, he starts the licking/biting, almost as though it itches or is really bugging him. Sort of a "desperateness" to it. That lasts for just a few seconds.

His pooping has been different, as though constipated, for a couple of days. He doesn't cry when he poops, but it does seem he's straining. It has been solid until a day ago or so, and then it is solid at first and ends a bit runny, but not diahrrea, either. He also moves around the yard and poops in 2-3 different spots - not normal for him.

Just a few minutes ago it appeared he was dragging his butt on the ground.

I should include there have been no food changes, other than giving him a frozen carrot once every day or two.

Worms?

I'm pretty sure we'll go to the vet tonight (it's their late night) unless I can get some other things to try?

Thank you!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Anal glands may need to be emptied, but there is probably an underlying reason that they aren't expressing naturally. Hopefully fistula's aren't going to develop.
Have you been giving him any chews? He may have a blockage, and definitely bring a fecal sample to rule out parasites.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

onyx'girl said:


> Anal glands may need to be emptied, but there is probably an underlying reason that they aren't expressing naturally. Hopefully fistula's aren't going to develop.
> Have you been giving him any chews? He may have a blockage, and definitely bring a fecal sample to rule out parasites.


Chews.. yes. He gets antlers, an occasional bully stick, knucklebones, kneebones... And the little crapper likes to eat rocks.  Also loves to play and occasionally chew sticks.

Fistulas? Don't know what that means, I'll go search... 

How would a person know if the anal glands need emptied? Is there a way I can check that, short of me putting my hands where they don't belong?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

The signs are there, butt dragging, chewing the area...if your pupper is eating the stuff you posted, a blockage may be the problem. Be sure to let the vet know! I hope it is nothing more than worms.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Went ahead to the vet and he said he had a bacterial infection that impacted the anal glands and they did need to be emptied.

He was given Matronidazole. I asked where he'd get such an infection, he said just about anywhere?

I'm just wondering what the heck. I didn't get to see my favorite vet tonight. I am out of my element here; my other dogs never had any of these issues. I just don't know what to think.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

miss seraphina blue just had the same thing. she had been doing lots of licking and when i took her to the vet and they expressed her anal glands there was quite a bit of blood and infection. i didn't ask them what caused it (which actually is very unlike me, life has been crazy lately), and when she went back for her re-check all was good. is the med you got (matronidazole) an anti-fungal or anti-bacterial, or both. i don't think that's what sera got, i think she was given cephalexin (sp?). hope this is not a harbinger of things to come for either of us!


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Ok I've been reading on that medication and I'm freaking out a little. The possible side effects are SCARY. Wish I could've seen the vet I prefer tonight. A "bacterial infection" just wasn't enough info for me. UGHHHHHHHHHH. Reminds me of when a stupid vet gave my oldest dog Rimadyl. Long story... but I hate that drug.

I'll be watching out for the side-effects.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

okay, it's flagyl...yes, you'll want to watch closely for any side effects. but i do see now why this would be prescribed rather than an ordinary antibiotic...it does do things other antibiotics don't do. i also see that serious side effects come usually with long term high dose use. good luck in treating your boy!


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Flagyl for short term is not a big deal. I actually carry it with me going to dog shows. If someone gets the runs, I give them a day or two of flagyl and they get back to normal immediately.
Anal glands normally empty themselves whenever a dog poops. If they don't empty due to a soft stool or no stool, then they get full and cause a dog to scoot on the floor, lick their butts and act like it hurts. It would be alot like a big pimple , once it pops, it feels better. 
We see anal gland "infections" alot, especially from dogs fed soft foods. The glands just don't empty as they should. Dogs are usually emptied out and then put on antibiotics for a few days. Alot of groomers will empty glands when they bathe a dog, by squeezing on each side of the tail and the contents come out. The only really true way to totally empty the glands is to insert a gloved finger into the rectum and "milk" them from the inside out. Dogs don't like the squeeze method, but they hate the inserted finger method. We have had dogs come into the clinic with what the owners thought for sure were tumors on the dogs rear end. Turned out to be anal glands so full they literally shot across the room when expressing them. 
When dogs scoot their butts across the floor, it is usually not a sign of worms, but full anal glands.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

wyominggrandma said:


> Flagyl for short term is not a big deal. I actually carry it with me going to dog shows. If someone gets the runs, I give them a day or two of flagyl and they get back to normal immediately.
> Anal glands normally empty themselves whenever a dog poops. If they don't empty due to a soft stool or no stool, then they get full and cause a dog to scoot on the floor, lick their butts and act like it hurts. It would be alot like a big pimple , once it pops, it feels better.
> We see anal gland "infections" alot, especially from dogs fed soft foods. The glands just don't empty as they should. Dogs are usually emptied out and then put on antibiotics for a few days. Alot of groomers will empty glands when they bathe a dog, by squeezing on each side of the tail and the contents come out. The only really true way to totally empty the glands is to insert a gloved finger into the rectum and "milk" them from the inside out. Dogs don't like the squeeze method, but they hate the inserted finger method. We have had dogs come into the clinic with what the owners thought for sure were tumors on the dogs rear end. Turned out to be anal glands so full they literally shot across the room when expressing them.
> When dogs scoot their butts across the floor, it is usually not a sign of worms, but full anal glands.


Ok thank you for that info. I was just scratching my head because soft stools were not an issue. I don't feed any soft foods, either - all kibble. Then the vet said, "After a bout with soft stools this can happen..." and I was like, no, there haven't been soft stools. They were actually quite hard stools. He never had the runs. Only in the last day or so I saw the first of the stool came out hard and firm, then it was slightly runny, but not even runny enough to be called diahrrea. You mentioned the glands becoming full due to *no* stool, and that's more like what it's been. He just didn't seem to be pooping enough. He'd been a clock-work pooper. 

I'll go thru the course of the medication then and see how it goes. Thanks, I feel better about it now for short term use. 

So did he get this infection due to being "backed up" ?? Might this be a food issue? Just trying to figure it out.!


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Sometimes is just a simple" it happens". No rhyme or reason, it just happens.
Some dogs seem more prone to impacted anal glands, some never have an issue. It might happen once and not ever again. Or happen more often.
You just have to be aware of how he is acting when he poops. You can also get an indication that the glands are full because the rectum area seems full and pushed out a bit..


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## phrannie (Dec 18, 2003)

*Some dogs are simply more prone to impaction of the anal glands. Once your pup heals up, maybe try putting a couple teaspoons of canned pumpkin in his meals. It adds fibre, and that helps empty the glands when he poops. It's natural, safe...and it works.*

*p*


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Thanks for all the info. Last night I gave him his first pill. Today, he's acting exactly the same when he poops. Straining, moving to two or three spots to get job done. Its softer than normal. I do see his anus area pushing out still. 

Am I confused here or not understanding something? I guess I thought once those glands we're emptied, pooping would go back to normal.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

the glands will fill again, but most the time when a dog poops, the pushing out of the stool causes the anal glands to empty.. If they don't empty on their own for whatever reason, they will become impacted.
If he has soft stools and still having issues pooping, then there might be another reason for the pain he is feeling. 
Did the vet clean out his anal glands? Did he just squeeze under the tail, or did he insert a gloved finger into his rectum and express the glands one at a time?
If he just squeezed them, then most likely they are still full and need to be done from the "inside out".


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

chelle said:


> Thanks for all the info. Last night I gave him his first pill. Today, he's acting exactly the same when he poops. Straining, moving to two or three spots to get job done. Its softer than normal. I do see his anus area pushing out still.
> 
> Am I confused here or not understanding something? I guess I thought once those glands we're emptied, pooping would go back to normal.


It sounds like something in the diet is not right.

The gland issue typically will not change how a dog eliminates.


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## Celtic Wolf (Oct 5, 2011)

*Drugs and Dogs*

Walk softly into giving meds to GSDs.
The better the breeder, the better the dog's immune system should be.
We need to avoid over medicating our pets.
Vets are in it for the money.
Try holistics - lavender on coat for anxiety,
a little pineapple extract for stomach discomfort,
a little rice and boiled chicken for diarrhea.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

LisaT said:


> It sounds like something in the diet is not right.
> 
> The gland issue typically will not change how a dog eliminates.


Ok, the constipation is likely not necessarily related to the anal glands having been full? Hope I'm understanding that right. 

Agree on the diet issue. I am trying to get some pumpkin into him, but not meeting with much success there. 

Really contemplating changing food,,, ugh,,, sigh.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Soft stool are the main reason that the anal glands won't clean out. Hard stools will express them as it goes out of the body.
However, the constipation is not related to the anal gland infection, nor is the anal gland infection related to the constipation.
Sounds like it might be time to change food. I assume the anal gland infection is secondary to the problem causing the constipation.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I am confused.
Is his poop hard and dry and barely comes out, or is it soft and mushy and drops out in blobs?



> occasional bully stick, knucklebones, kneebones... And the little crapper likes to eat rocks. Also loves to play and occasionally chew sticks


If it's hard/dry and hard to get out, he should not be having issues with his glands as the poop empties them on it's way out. BTW this is one reason dogs like smelling other dogs' poop so much - not the way the poo smells but the anal gland secretions!

And if it's hard/dry and pellet-like and hard for him to get out (constipation) then he's not getting enough water or he's eating too much bone.

This is a pup, if I remember right, 5-6 mos? A puppy should not be going through all the bones you list above, bully sticks (let chew and take away, not eat it the first chewing) are okay but if "chew sticks" are made of pressed rawhide this could be a problem too. Those are not healthy in any sort of way, have you tried Nylabones and Kong toys? Another great chew toy idea is anything made of that Zogoflex, or Planet dog toys.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Thank you for helping me thru this.. I'm less confused but clearly my problems aren't solved... Let me give more details on this since I think I'm being a little confusing. 

Bailey came home at 11 weeks on puppy chow. I started the switch to Innova Large Breed Pup and went too fast. (about a week) and ended up with diarrhea. Did the chicken and rice thing and started over, taking two weeks to get the switch made and was successful.

Stools were darkish brown, solid, consistent. His pooping schedule almost clock-work. Occasionally, though, after the initial good, solid poop came out, it would go runny at the end and was yellowish/gold. It wasn't diarrhea, but it wasn't solid. Again, only at the end of the elimination.

Fast forward to the middle of September. He had a bout with coccidia and got diarrhea. Back to chicken and rice, pumpkin mixed in... It all cleared up and back to solid, nice, brown stools but also with occasional yellow/gold runny stuff at the end of the elimination.

Now, about a week ago or so, I started to notice he was straining, taking much longer to poop, moving to 2-3 spots and licking his anus afterward. What did come out WAS solid and I actually was not seeing the yellowish part at the end hardly at all. (Maybe every 4th or 5th elimination) So, really, there hasn't been *any* diarrhea associated with this... just that runny yellow poop occasionally at the end.

The stools look just fine. They are not pebble-like at all, just normal 3-inch? "logs." (How else to describe? ) So the "quality" of poop (other than wondering why runny at the end of some eliminations) was never really the issue -- the issue was the straining and the anus protruding.

Maybe we found the bacterial infection and full anal glands more or less by accident here.

I dread changing food, but will certainly do so if that's our issue - and it's sounding more and more like that's possible. I just want to be very sure on that first. But why would it make him constipated at this point? He's had it for months now. 

Thanks for your help!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Excess bone would if he's eating all that knuckle bones and knee caps, and the "chew sticks" (if compressed rawhide bits) might.

What food is he on now? 
I'd go with a 'middle of the road', like Kirkland or Diamond Naturals. Some GSDs have issues with corn, and some with "rich" foods like Innova and some of those "better quality" ones.

With a decent quality diet - that works for him - his poops _should_ be perfect, not hard/dry and not runny. And "works for him" may not work for Joe's dog next door or anyone on this forum's dogs, either.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

msvette2u said:


> Excess bone would if he's eating all that knuckle bones and knee caps, and the "chew sticks" (if compressed rawhide bits) might.
> 
> What food is he on now?
> I'd go with a 'middle of the road', like Kirkland or Diamond Naturals. Some GSDs have issues with corn, and some with "rich" foods like Innova and some of those "better quality" ones.
> ...


I really don't think the bones are over the top... He gets to chew a bully stick once, maybe twice per week, about 15 to 20 minutes per sitting (so doesn't even begin to chew the whole thing.)

Basically same with the other bones - for a limited time and not every day. I try to let him chew something every day, but switch it around. I let him chew antlers for a much longer period. He never gets pressed rawhide, or any rawhide. He has some Nylabone bones and they interest him for about 5 minutes. He's getting a large frozen carrot almost every day.

He's on Innova Large Breed Puppy.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

msvette2u said:


> Excess bone would if he's eating all that knuckle bones and knee caps, and the "chew sticks" (if compressed rawhide bits) might.


I think I'll withhold the knuckles and knees for a few days to see if that helps....


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I'd definitely try non-edible chew toys and then look at a food change, if that does not help. Does he have free access to water?


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

msvette2u said:


> I'd definitely try non-edible chew toys and then look at a food change, if that does not help. Does he have free access to water?


Yes he has all the water he wants. Non-edible chews,,, sigh,,, haven't found any he likes. Kongs, no... Nylabone bones, no... I'll have to check out that Zogoflex and Planet Dog stuff.


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