Anal Sac Problems & Scooting in Dogs

• Food allergies are the most common cause of perineal itching.
• Fleas are attracted to your pet's tail area because they are safely out of reach of your pet's mouth. As the fleas bite, your pet may scoot in an attempt to scratch the allergic itch caused by flea proteins.
• Ringworm and yeast can infect the skin around the tail and cause intense itching without leaving outward signs such as patchy hair loss.
• Tapeworm segments can cause itching irritation as they exit the anus and collect on the skin and surrounding hair.
• Grooming products, especially when applied directly to the perineal area to cover up the foul smell after anal glands are emptied or when applied to skin that was irritated by a clipper burn, can cause contact allergy and itching.

Pain
Perineal pain is caused by anal sac inflammation, constipation, cancer, skin fold infections, anal fistulas, and clipper burns caused by grooming.

• Anal sac inflammation is often caused by low-fiber foods. While these foods are convenient for us because there is a smaller amount of fecal material to be picked up, they are unhealthy for pets. High-fiber foods are healthy for many reasons, including their ability to produce a stool volume sufficient to empty the anal sacs. Dogs and cats evolved having large stools because they ate the bones of their prey and other bulk-producing, indigestible material. Eating low-fiber kibble is not natural for them.
• Constipation occurs when your pet doesn't defecate. Stool accumulates inside the colon becoming increasingly drier, harder, and more difficult to pass.
• Cancer causes perineal pain when tumors erode the skin or press into the colon.
• Skin folds that become infected with bacteria are painful. Skin fold infections around the tail are common in obese pets and in pets with loose, wrinkled skin around the tail.
• Anal fistulas are painful, draining tracts under the tail. These fistulas may involve the anal sacs.
• Clipper burns and perineal skin irritation are common in frequently groomed dogs, such as Poodles and Schnauzers. If your dog licks his or her bottom obsessively after being groomed, check for skin irritation. Grooming soaps and sprays can also irritate the skin, especially if sprayed on thickly to mask odor after anal sacs are emptied.

Dirty bottom
A dirty bottom is common when dogs have diarrhea, long hair, stiffness that prevents cleaning, or are obese.

• Diarrhea occurs in pets with infections, food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, and insufficient digestive enzymes. Diarrhea also occurs in pets with Tritrichomonas foetus, which causes dribbling of stool called the "leaky butt syndrome."
• Longhaired cats, such as Himalayans, and longhaired dogs, such as Poodles, Schnauzers, and Shih Tzus, may have trouble with feces being trapped in their coats.
• Stiff pets, especially senior pets, may have inflexible or painful joints so they cannot clean their bottoms.
• Obese pets often cannot reach their bottoms to keep themselves clean.

What causes dogs to lick or chew their bottoms?

Dogs lick or chew their bottoms for all the reasons listed above for scooting. In addition, female dogs in heat, incontinent females dribbling urine, and females giving birth will lick the vulva and perineum. Female pets with infection of the uterus (pyometra) may also lick the vulva.

Dogs most at risk for anal sac inflammation (anal sacculitis)
Anal sac inflammation is common in small dogs, such as Dachshunds, Poodles and Chihuahuas, perhaps because the ducts draining their anal sacs are very tiny and easily obstructed with inflammation. It also occurs in Retrievers and Spaniels more often than in many other breeds.

 Anal sac inflammation is common in the following circumstances:

• Pets eating low-fiber diets designed to create low-residue stools because the sacs are not emptied by the stool when they defecate.
• Pets with food allergies because allergies cause the bottom to itch, and pets to scoot, driving in bacteria that cause inflammation.
• Pets that require regular clipping because clipper burn can cause pain, which leads to scooting and inflammation.
• Pets whose anal sacs are emptied frequently, but not completely.
• Constipated pets with small, hard stools, which occurs when pets are not eating.
• Pets that are not getting enough exercise to stimulate bowel movements.
• Dehydrated pets, such as senior pets with kidney disease, who become constipated because the stool lacks moisture.

Dog breeds most at risk for anal fistulas
Anal fistulas are common in German Shepherds and Irish Setters. These are breeds with low-set tails that keep their tails clamped down. In addition to having anatomical predisposition to anal fistulas, these breeds may have genetic immune deficiencies predisposing them to develop anal fistulas.

Anal, rectal, and perineal
Anal, rectal, and perineal are adjectives that refer to the anus, rectum, and perineum. These are different areas under your dog's tail. Anal is technically limited to the anus, which is the muscular outlet of the digestive tract; and rectal refers to the last few inches of the digestive tract. Perineum is the entire area of your dog's bottom from under the tail around and down to the vulva or scrotum. Although many use the words anal, rectal, and perineal interchangeably, in this article, anal refers to the anus and the area just around it, which includes the anal sacs that empty through ducts at the anus. Perineal refers to your dog's entire bottom area.

• The anal sacs should empty naturally when your dog defecates.
• If anal sacs need to be emptied manually, your dog has a medical problem.
• Anal sacs should not be routinely emptied by groomers.
• Anal sac inflammation is rare in cats.