Puppies with, sorry for this description, dirty bums.....

[Sandy]

Toby just came in, and while some of his poops are "regular" they seem to alternate with others that are "not so regular" i.e. diarrhea, or the squits, as we call it. So - into the laundry tub he went for a little bath, which he did not enjoy. Does anyone else have this problem of incomplete evacuation, or just plain old dirty bums? Sometimes a paper towel will do, but other times only a bath helps.

I think we are going to switch him, gradually, from Iams, which the breeder had him on, to a product made in Ontario, by a reputable company. It is a "meatier" dog food. Hopefully that will help firm things up.

As a footnote, after his bath he was racing around the house like his tail was on fire! He's never done that before - quite funny to see. Now - off to change out of my now-wet clothing.

[Sandy]

That's exactly the food my breeder had Toby on too, and I feel I'd like to switch. And he also eats mulch, dirt, twigs, leaves, etc. so I guess it's not unusualy that he's having issues! How old is Junie?

[Paula]

I have found that baby wipes are very useful in this situation! My lovely little lady in 8 weeks and she sometimes falls backwards and sits in her own poop! Lovely...

[Kathy Brady]

Hi Sandy,
It must be Doodle Love that allows us to do it!
Several days after Tully arrived, he was grabbing his butt, and scooting and dragging across the floor. It happened that our first vet appointment coincided with this phenomena, and when she examined him, his anal glands were swollen and impacted. She "expressed" them (God, I hope this is not the Freedom of Expression in the Constitution!), and a very unpleasant looking, odorous liquid came out. The anal glands are located on both sides of the rectum, and are usually somewhat soft and about the size of a small pea. Sometimes they become clogged, and the dog can't defecate totally, hence the dripping and or rubbing. For Tully, it was (at least so far) a one-time event but for others, it is a chronic condition. Patty Barnes, Tully's breeder, warned me about over expressing the glands; she suggested using a warm compress on the anal area several times a day. The vet believes that it is more harmful to leave them impacted because of the probability of infection, which may make the dog more prone to a chronic condition. I'm no expert, but for what it's worth!
Kathy

[Ali]

So I have this problem sometimes too. Since she has longer her, it sometimes gets stuck in her hair, I call them dingle berries. I use doggy wipes, which are the same thing as baby wipes. I have also learned that making their hair shorter around their butt helps a lot.