How do you remove a stubborn dingleberry?

[Alex & Mattie]

Hi everyone,

Well, I didn't expect my first post here to be about this!  We recently brought home our new beautiful red/apricot double doodle puppy, Mattie.  She will be 8 weeks tomorrow.  She's sweet and playful and so cute! 

We're having some issues with soft stool (not runny, just not firm) and with a persistent dingleberry that is both smelly and seems uncomfortably lodged next to her rectum (excuse the graphic descriptions here!)  We've tried giving her pumpkin for two days in a row and it didn't seems to help the stools really.  Tonight I gave her some rice and chicken instead of kibble and will do the same tomorrow to see if that helps.  We have been giving her a lot of treats (lamb liver, not a lot of additives) so maybe that's part of the problem.  We'll check on Monday with the vet again to see if she has a parasite that we may have missed during our first visit.

As for trying to clean the dingleberry off, my partner and I are both new to raising a puppy.  We're not sure if we should just hold Mattie firmly and just get it done or not.   We're worried we're going to traumatize her as she starts into her "fear phase".  We want her to be comfortable being groomed and are worried we'll leave a lasting impression.  Has anyone else had this issue?  How did you take care of it?  Best ways to remove the culprit?

Help!!

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

is it something you could clip off?  Oskar has had that a couple of times & I just use a pair of blunt tipped scissors & clip it off...otherwise, dunk her rear end in the sink...you can have one person hold a treat to her nose while the other clips or washes :)

[Alex & Mattie]

Thanks for responding Diane :)  We weren't sure if we could get in there with scissors without hurting her (we do have some curved tip scissors but haven't used them yet), it seems like it's a little close for that but maybe it would work.  Thanks also for the suggestion of just holding the treat in front of her nose, we were giving her a lot of treats while trying to use a damp cloth and we felt like we were giving her too many.  We'll all rest tonight and try again in the morning.  Thank you!

[DJ & Chance]

Put her on a table covered with a towel and feed her a treat as you cut it off with blunt tipped scissors.  My pup also had soft stools when she came home with me, and the vet gave him a medication that cleared this up fairly quickly.

She is a cutie, and I love her deep red coloring.

[Alex & Mattie]

Thanks DJ! We'll give that a go tomorrow. Also, I think we're going to check in again with the vet on Monday, hopefully with the same outcome you had.

[Adina P]

If it doesn't come off with a paper towel or wipe and a soap and water scrub in the tub doesn't do it, I get out the clippers and shave off the area. 

[Camilla and Darwin]

This is what I do as well.

[Jen and Annie]

When Annie was a puppy, and I had to do any jobs on these 'danglers' I would wait until she was sleeping. Puppies tend to sleep pretty hard, so it made it very easy to use the scissors in those tender areas. That was also when I would check her for ticks, which we had a problem with when we first got her. She didnt wiggle because she was OUT COLD. I would say that might be your safest bet. I agree, you don't want to traumatize her by holding her down...best of luck to you, and congratulations on the new little lady!!
This is a great site with lots of resources, it's helped me get through the puppy stage with Annie...

[Alex & Mattie]

You are a genius!  Thank you!  Job done.  Yes, this sites been really helpful already, I'm glad to have it as a resource as she grows. 

Also, we thought about Annie as a name for our little girl before deciding on Mattie.  It's a good name and you're girl seems really sweet!  Thanks again for your brilliant advice.

[Sue and Buddy]

Soaking the dingleberry with a damp rag or dunking in the sink as other have mentioned. I understand that it is scary to go in with scissors. You don't want to cut her. After it is softened with water it might work out and then you can trim the hair more easily. Be sure to trim around the area to prevent future problems.

As for the soft stools, we had them off and on for weeks. until Buddy was about 4 months. Puppies have sensitive, developing digestive systems. I have a feeling the lamb and liver treats are too rich for her. Lamb is a very rich meat. I used kibble as treats for Buddy for many weeks. It was part of his daily amount because too much food will give puppies loose stools or worse. He was such a chow hound, it made him happy. I also used Cheerios. He also got about a tablespoon of pumpkin for a while. But the best was to keep to the same food and no people food.

Mattie is adorable.

[Alex & Mattie]

Thanks Sue!  We had success with the clippers this morning and now feel a little more confident for future times.  I think that's a good idea about the lamb liver treats until she's a little older.  We've been using kibble today and she's enjoying that just fine.  Now to just not go overboard with that!  We also gave her boiled rice and chicken last night and things seemed to firm up nicely this morning. 

[Pam & Trixie]

Its kind of gross...but if you work a comb in there ...as close to her skin as possible...leave the comb in place...Then use the scissors to cut out the dirty fur...it is easier as the comb protects her skin.
I have done that with Trixie

[Alex & Mattie]

Great idea.  Thanks Pam!  We'll use that one in the future.