Does your Doodle drag his butt along the ground?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I apologize if this was already posted...I can't find anything in my search. Our six month old ALD just started rubbing his butt across the floor inside or ground if he's outside. He does this several times a day, and it's very deliberate. I'm not sure what it could mean. Are there other doodles that are also doing this?

[Adina P]

It may very well be an anal glands issue if he's doing it repeatedly and you don't see any dingleberries hanging off his behind.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks so much. I had no idea about the need to express the anal glands...still learning.

[Adina P]

Not all dogs need this done to them, some dogs need it very rarely. Here is some info:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It so happens we just went through this; it is unusual for Jack, and it was happening a lot. Plus, he had just been groomed, and it was my understanding that the groomers express the glands. When I took a look, his rectum was all inflamed, so we went to the vet.
It turned out that the anal gland on one side was completely full, and the other side was half-full. The vet explained that the groomers express the glands from the outside, which doesn't always do the job, and can even cause them to become impacted. At the vet's office, it is done from the inside, as shown in Adina's link above, and no, you do not want to do that yourself!

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

One of Beau's friends, a nice doodle named Dudley, does this after he poo's at the dog park.....sort of like wiping his behind with grass toilet paperLOL But if it's not this or the anal glands, it could also signal some sort of infection or worms....a fecal test might be in order.

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

He needs his anal glands expressed... I groomer will do that for you as I doubt you would be willing!

[Kai Doodle (Kathy & Keith)]

Kai is the first dog we have had that has needed a groomer. The one we use told us we should expect a good groomer to do this when they groom a dog. You can also take them to the vet to have it done but it is more expensive. This discharge is nothing you want in your house or on your carpets so it's best to take them somewhere and have it done before they "do it themselves".

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The vets express the glands from inside the rectum, as explained in the link Adina posted above. Most groomers just press them from the outside, which can sometimes make it worse.

[Karen & Lucy]

This is a good discussion........... I have been wondering about Lucy. Lately she is licking her butt more often. She does not skoot her butt across the floor, but just licks there alot and then I can, at times, smell this horrible smell. I am thinking that is what she needs, anal glands expressed. Do they always skoot when this needs done?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The horrible smell is the give-away. Nothing like it, thank God. That's anal gland fluid leaking, and probably means she needs them expressed.
I first learned about this the hard way. Many years ago, I was sitting in an armchair with my first (as an adult) dog when all of a sudden there was a flood of warm tannish liquid all over my lap & the chair, and the most horrible smell you can imagine. I didn't even know what it was, it didn't seem like poop, but it was horrifying.
I took the dog to the vet, and they said her anal glands had become so impacted that they partially expressed themselves, just from the pressure. They finished the job, thank goodness.
Sometimes dogs will scoot their butts just because they are dirty back there and they are really trying to "wipe" themselves. So now I always look. If you don't see any "dingleberries" as Adina calls it, or dried poop, as I call it, it's probably anal glands.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

:o{ (that is supposed to be a grimace of disgust) LOL. I hope you though the pants away!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Gagging as I did! I wanted to throw the chair away, too!