My dog's butt itches, has yellow pee, and struggles to poop. Help!

This is a quite generic but concerning sign. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection. Urine could be more concentrated than normal (given the inappetence and the diarrhoea causing mild dehydration). The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food (a bland diet would be best- boiled chicken and rice). A check up is needed if inappetence last for more than 24hours. If that was the case urine analysis could Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

That is not an unusual sign and could be due to an inflammation/infection of the last part of the intestine (likely colitis). Anal glands could be inflamed and impacted as well. As these signs are often dietary related related, I would suggest to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice, vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. She may be having some irritation from her anal sacs/glands. These can become impacted or infected and are itchy or painful. A veterinarian or even some groomers can express these for you. Try calling a grooming center to see if they offer just that service alone to keep your costs low. There may even be instructional videos online to teach you how to do it yourself, but it can be unpleasant and most dogs do not like it. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

I’m sorry to hear Pompom isn’t feeling well. If she is straining to poop but her stools are soft, it may be that she’s got some colitis (inflammation in her colon). Another concern would be a mass or tumor in her colon. I would recommend that you have your vet examine her. They may recommend a fecal exam, possibly some blood work or X-rays. An abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the belly) may also help determine what’s going on. Even if you aren’t financially able to approve diagnostics, your vet will probably be able to prescribe some medication to help make her feel better. As far as something soothing for the skin on her bum, I would recommend a wound healing ointment made for dogs, you can likely find at PetCo or another pet store. Another option would be A and D ointment —the brown ointment, NOT the cream as it contains zinc oxide. . DO NOT USE A PRODUCT CONTAINING ZINC OXIDE (often in diaper rash creams). Again, my best recommendation would be to get her in to your vet as soon as you can. Good luck to you and Pompom! She is such a cutie! I hope she’s feeling better soon.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Some dogs are compulsive drinkers and behaviorally will drink non-stop if allowed. If she is also urinating a lot and is underweight I’d recommend a vet exam, blood work and fecal testing. I’d assume at her young age the drinking excessively is behavioral. If she isn’t active and not in the heat limit her water intake a bit. As for her appetite if she is underweight then I’d be concerned for parasites or a digestive disorder. Shepherds can be affected by pancreatic insufficiency and inflammatory bowel disease. If she is underweight then increase her food by 25% every 2-4 weeks until she had has ideal body condition. You can also consider changing foods if she isn’t gaining before seeing your vet. . See the chart below to see what her body condition is. Good luck! https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf

He may be scooting on his rear due to his anal sacs being full or from intestinal parasites causing itching in the area. I recommend an exam to check and express his anal sacs. They can get full and become itchy and infected if the fluid isn’t emptied. Usually dogs express some of this fluid when they defecate but the opening can become plugged and the fluid builds up and can become infected. Dogs with tapeworms can have tapeworm segments come out the anus and be around the fur by the anal opening. This can cause itching and make the anal opening inflammed. You can give canned pumpkin with wet food and green beans to increase the water and fiber in the diet. That can help with the constipation. I do recommend an exam and have them empty the anal sacs. If needed they can give an enema to get the poop out. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Max.

Poor Pepper! If she has a food allergy/intolerance issue, then she needs to be on a strict veterinary prescription food allergy diet like Hills Z/D or Royal Canin Anallergenic. These diets are called "hydrolyzed protein" diets because they have gone through a special cooking process that breaks down potential allergens in the diet so Pepper's immune system doesn't recognize them as a problem. She needs to eat one of these diets exclusively for 8-10 weeks to see if there is a benefit. Hope that helps!