poop stuck to his bottom because...!??!?!!

[Kristine and Charlie]

Okay so this happened yesterday and then again today and I am done with bathing him...twice in two days is too much!  Is it because he is having poop issues (constipated/diarrhea) or because there is too much hair around that area?  Is this normal for 'hairy' dogs?  Charlie just turned 7 months old and he hasn't been to a groomer yet.  I have trimmed around his eyes and feet but that's it.  He is one big fluff ball all over.  I try to brush him at least a few times a week and so far the matting stage hasn't begun.  He is the first dog we've owned who needed his haircut.  I guess I'm not sure where to begin...where to take him, what to look for in a good groomer, what's an approx. cost and the most important question, what cut to ask for?  I've asked a few friends (who don't have doodles) if they have a groomer they would recommend but every one is suggesting a different one or has something bad to say about one that was recommended!  I actually like the way he looks right now but I keep hearing about the dreaded coat change and I have to admit I'm afraid!  Plus with all of the horror stories out there I don't want him to come looking like a completely different dog.....

[Lynda Kamrath]

Oh yes, a lot of the same questions I have had, and I have lots of dog experience.  I have a 7-mo. old ALD and we just cut his coat because he was starting to get mats (particularly under his ears).  We are going on a long road trip in a couple of weeks and want him to be presentable to family.  About the diarrhea, have you been feeding him something new?  Our puppy is fine as long as we just feed him his kibble, but if we add in  other things, he too, gets diarrhea.  I like to give him cooked chicken breast, broken into tiny little pieces.  Our other dog will hardly eat anything if there is not something special added into it.  It is hard to feed them different dinners, but it is best if the puppy just has his regular kibble.

Yes, Charlie will start to have his coat change as all puppies do sometime between 6 months and a year.  It is good to get him started with a groomer, if you will not be doing his grooming yourself, as he gets used to being handled in that way.  We have done the grooming ourselves on our last five dogs (poodles and doodles), and find it quite satisfying.  However, we are both retired and have the time to do it.

But don't worry too much about changes you dog will be going through.  It is like kids when they start to lose their baby teeth.  They look a little silly at first, but everyone gets used to it.  And the older dogs are so enjoyable.  Just take it a step at a time  and try to keep the mats down until you do get him groomed.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Kristine, have you tried including some canned pure pumpkin in his food? That should help regulate his poops.

Every furry dog needs to have a sanitary trim. That includes trimming around his anal area and around his penal sheath. This keeps poop and pee from sticking to the hair and getting stinky and gross.

If you have a doodle group in your geographic area, I'd ask if any of them had a groomer they were happy with. First visit, I'd take Charlie to groomer for a bath/blow dry, nail trim, ear cleaning and sanitary trim. See how he reacts to the people and how they react to him. If everyone seems comfortable, try taking him again in a month for the bath/blow dry, etc. If this goes well, go to the Doodle Grooming Group here on DK and find out exactly how you want Charlie to look and take pictures with you. There are also many discussions in that group you might find useful. :-)

Hope this helps.

[Kristine and Charlie]

We haven't fed him anything new this week and I just scooped poop this morning and most piles looked normal (solid, curvy) but two looked soft and bit runny (not liquid).  It's been a few days since scooping so not sure which were from yesterday and today.  The poop around his bottom was hard...almost clumped to hair and the size of a quarter.  So does this only happen when they are having issues with pooping?  Or is because the hair in that area is too long that it's getting stuck on the way out?  I did give him pumpkin the only other time this happened a couple of months ago so thanks for the reminder...I will get some today.

 

Thanks for the advice on the groomer....good idea to take him for a wash, trim etc. before actually getting a hair cut.  I have checked the board for our area but if I remembered right the recommended groomers were an hour away :(

 

I have to say....it's so funny how I got the motherly feeling something was not right...yesterday when I let him out in the morning I totally made a mental note that he took longer than normal to do his job and didn't come running back in to eat.  ;)

[Kristine and Charlie]

Hi Megan - How old is Douglas and when did he get his first haircut?  So even keeping his hair short you are still dealing with tons of matts????

 

[Kristine and Charlie]

I just remembered something that might be a factor.....he has been on antibiotics for the last 5 days.

[Jaime and Barley Barker]

Hi Khristine,

 

I imagine the antibiotics could be giving Charlie loose stool. Barley had a couple of bouts with giardia and he also has a food sensitivity. When Barley would have diarrhea, I made a batch of cooked hamburger mixed with rice and fed him that for a couple of days. It was easier for him to digest. Barley no longer has loose stools at 14 months old. However, sometimes his anal glands go off. Instead of giving him an full-body bath, I use a washcloth and a bowl of soapy water to just wash his bottom. I also trim his bottom and his genital area to help him keep clean. The last time I had him groomed, the groomer shaved a circle around his bottom. He now has a baboon butt. In fact, Barley even has hair growing inside of his butt. (My vet says he has never seen that before.) As far as grooming, I started taking Barley to the groomer at 6 months. The first time we went, I just had him meet the groomer and get his nails clipped. You could try doing short trips like that to get Charlie used to it. If you decide you want Charlie clipped a little, you could ask for a "puppy cut" which leaves the fur a couple of inches long. (I don't like the shaved or bobble-head look.)  I usually pay between between $70 and $80, along with a $10 tip.

 

 

[Trina L Lavoie]

We feel your pain here. Bruno is only 11 weeks and has had this happen twice already. I will be going to buy my own clippers since he is too young yet to even go to the groomer. Hoping we can find a great groomer who can come to the house. Good luck!

[Amanda and Cody]

Hi Kristine,
I am dealing with the exact same issue with Cody. I just took him for his first grooming (he is 8 months). I have been so upset because he does not look like himself. I am getting used to his new look though....he is just not a baby anymore. I love his body short. He feels like a lamb, his fur is so soft. I don't love the shape of his head though. Next time I will have to explain to the groomer to leave his fut on his head a bit longer. Just remember, it is only fur and it will grow. It took us about 1 day to get used to his new look. He was just starting to get a few mats and I wanted to avoid needing to get him shaved. I think it is good to take him in for a bath, nail clipping and sanitary trim first to get him used to the groomer. I brought Cody in at about 5 months for a bath. Cody is a full size goldendoodle and I paid $110 for his first cut. It took the groomer about 4 hours with a break because he had so much fur. We didn't realize how skinny he was! He looks really similar to your Charlie. I will post some 1st grooming photos soon.

[shelly]

Hi!  Yes.. they DO need to be 'trimmed up'... Tori is usually pretty clean when she goes... but really try the canned pumpkin - it really helps and will do a world of good if he is on antibiotic which could cause more of an explosive elimination - leaving traces 'behind' (no pun intended- lol)

 

As far as a groomer... my suggestion is to print out some pictures on here of doodles with their hair cut the way YOU would like.  And BE SPECIFIC!!!  Don't let them tell you you HAVE to cut him down... NOT true... a patient - good groomer will be able to do what you want... you should take him soon while he is NOT matted yet so his first experience will be a good one and not one that has a chance to be associated with pain... just get him washed and his privates trimmed... he doesn't always need a cut.  But getting him used to goiing sooner than later is something I would do over - Good luck!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Antibiotics definitely could be contributing to the messy bottom problem. Have you considered adding plain yogurt to his diet, to repopulate the good gut flora that were killled with the antibiotics? Of course, you DO need to keep the area trimmed, as even a half inch of hair can become a magnet for poop.

 

I'm afraid to say this, but your Charlie WILL look like a different dog after getting clipped/groomed. Every time we get Lucy done we're amazed at the difference in appearance. Sometimes its a pleasant surprise, and other times not so much. We do like to have her trimmed on the short side (1/2" on the body, 1" on legs), and have her prof. groomed about every 2-3 mos., so her hair is pretty long by the time she's clipped again. We've gone through 3 different groomers and the only one we really liked went out of business, so we're still looking. All I can say is keep trying new groomers until you find one you like. Here's a link with 'The Doodle Do', that you can print out and take to the groomer with you. I take it every time, and have yet to come away with a dog that looks like any one of those doodles, though.

http://www.asdcompanionlabradoodles.com/Groomer%20Inst.pdf