My dog is scooting and has black lines on her rear. What's wrong?

Poor Willow! Some dogs can experience pigment changes over time or with chronic inflammation. It's quite possible that the darkening of Willow's anus is a relatively normal change. As you've mentioned, scooting commonly occurs with full anal glands. I'm glad that you have a vet appointment scheduled for her. Your vet will be able to perform a rectal exam to be sure that everything feels normal, as well as empty her anal glands. It should be ok to wait 2 days since that's the next appointment. Full anal glands certainly aren't an emergency, but sometimes the anal glands can become impacted, infected or rupture, which would be a more urgent problem. If you notice any significant swelling or redness on her hind end, I would try to have her checked out sooner. I suppose that it's possible that she could have a perianal fistula, but these occur most commonly in intact male dogs and are often quite red and oozy. It's far more likely that her anal glands are simply bothering her. I hope that all goes well for Willow!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Judging from the pictures and description you provided, I suspect this is a skin infection or due to an allergy. I would recommend using the below products that can be found online quite easily or at your local pet store. The butt dragging may be from irritation in that area or full anal glands. If she continues to drag her vutt, I would recommend having a veterinarian express the material out of the glands. I hope this helps! If the skin does not improve, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. 1. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules 2. Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. 3. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the area until resolved Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Have him seen by your veterinarian. The most common, and easiest to treat, cause is full or impacted anal glands. Normally, the anal glands are emptied during the act of defecation. In some dogs, this doesn't happen and the glands fill up, become impacted and could abscess. This would result in the symptoms described. Your veterinarian can Express the glands manually, flush them and instill medication if necessary. Antibiotics and pain medications are also sometimes dispensed. If Scooby is licking back there, place an e-collar (cone) on him until he sees the doctor.

I think Max might have a problem with his anal glands, two scent glands located to the sides of the anus that can get impacted and turn into proper abscesses ( localised infection ). I would recommend that you have him checked over as it can be quite uncomfortable ! He will need some antibiotics and pain relief .

Hi and thanks for your question. The scabs you mention may be due to chronic licking around his anal area before his anal sacs were expressed. Full anal sacs can cause discomfort and dogs may lick their rear end excessively because of this. You may wipe the area with a mild cleansing cloth a few times a day and see if it improves. I hope this has helped!

It sounds like your pup needs to go back to the veterinarian. If you don't trust the clinic, I recommend to get a second opinion. I'm not sure I understand if the tech addressed the rash or not. The tech cannot prescribe any medication or treatment. If they did see the rash, they can't do anything about it. They can only express anal glands and can give limited advice. Only the veterinarian is licensed to actually treat the rash. If your pet did not get examined by the veterinarian, she would not receive medical treatment for the rash. Every pet is different and some pets may need their glands expressed every few weeks. Most however will be less frequent. This can be a problem in any dog but it is more common in small dogs. There is a supplement called glandex which many pets respond well to. This however may interfere with your food trial and I don't recommend starting it without first discussing it with your veterinarian. Lastly, your vet is correct that sometimes frequent anal gland issues can be a sign of allergies. It sounds like you are on a food trial already. Keep in mind you must be very strict on this food trial and that it will take 12 weeks to see results. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to things such as an anal sac abscess, or just anal sac inflammation or impaction. Sometimes dogs can do this due to minimal impaction of the anal sacs and resolves on its own. I recommend that you continue to monitor Max for now. If this continues in the next day or two, have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!