Need advice. Murphy is eating his tail! UPDATE

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yesterday I noticed Murphy frantically chomping on his tail, close to his anus. I checked on him and he had chewed all the hair off his tail from his backside to about 4 inches away on the tail. It was red, raw and looked like it was about to bleed. I put him in the bath to clean him good and assess the whole bottom and his butt hole looked pretty raw as well. He was more than happy to have me take care of it and i swear he looked at me like "thank you for helping me"
I had just brushed him 2 days before and there was none of this, also, his stools are consistently firm. There was no odor at all, but it does seem that the area that would be the anal glands is puffy from the outside.
I tried to express the gland with a gloved, lubricated finger, but he did whine when I applied pressure and since I don't know how much pressure to apply, I stopped so I didn't hurt him worse. I checked both sides and there really wasn't any distinct lump or mass on either side.
(before you think..."How could she do that?", Well, I was a Labor and Delivery Nurse for many years, so I have no problem putting gloved, lubricated fingers into small areas of a body)

I have used warm compresses, baby wipes to clean him off before applying Desitin ointment and an antiseptic spray the vet gave me for a hotspot he had chewed on his paw last year, and covered it to keep him from licking it. I treated it about 4 times yesterday and 3 so far today. His temp is normal and he's not sensitive to my touching the area as I would expect if it were impacted, but I don't really know.
It looks so much better, but he still sits gingerly and wants to keep getting to it.
So my question is, what else can it be? He has never had anal gland issues, never had them expressed. He did scoot his butt a few days before on the carpet and I just thought he had a dingleberry that was bothering him, but didn't see anything and just forgot about it.
I am taking him to the Vet in the morning as I think he needs an antibiotic at least, and of course to check the glands. Has anyone had this kind of butt/tail issue and it NOT be anal gland flare ups?
UPDATE; 11:40 am
Okay, just back from Vet. The right anal gland was full and is now expressed. I have some antibiotic ointment for his tail area that he has chewed raw and he should be good as new here soon. I would never have been able to express it alone as he was very sensitive as soon as she touched the right side and that was when he jumped for me at home too. Took a bit of restraining to keep him still for the vet.
So Murph and I have had a new bonding experience today. Haven't had to go thru this yet. Good to know for future as I will know what to look for and probably still try to do myself with DH holding. Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts for poor Murph.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Here's to  a happy ending!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Whew!!  Glad to hear that Murph's on the road to recovery!  I'm sure the whole thing has been a pain in the butt for him!!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, I'm sure you could say that!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Glad you got some answers and that Murph is on the road to recovery. Poor guy!

Quite a day you two have had so far-hope it improves and that little DGS is all better too! :)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Both DGS and dear doodle are resting right now. Alls well that ends well, as they say.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

LOL!  Or All's Well That's Well At Both Ends!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Glad it all got worked out, hoping that his tail heals quick!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh I'm glad that's all it was....he should be fine now.  You're lucky that anal gland didn't express on its own in the house!  Feel better Murphy!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, after seeing and smelling the stuff, I am glad too. Next time I will know what I'm looking for though. Yuck !

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm glad all is well. maybe a little more fiber would help?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have been adding ground flax seed to his food 2x a day since Saturday. Can't see his poop getting any more solid than they have been though. But it can't hurt. Good omega 3 s in it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unlike, people, dogs have a hard time converting the ALA Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed and other plant sources into EPA; animal sources like fish oil are a better source of EPA for dogs. The ground flax seed won't add much fiber, either.

I've been adding a few cooked lima beans to JD's meals and it's really helped firm up his stools, more so than the sweet ptoatoes, which he also gets.