Anal Sacculitis

Why is my Dog Scooting His Butt on the Floor?

                I’m sure you’ve all seen dogs dragging their bottoms across the floor.  Many people mistakenly think this is a sign of having worms.  While worms or allergies might make your dog itchy and cause her to scoot, in most cases, it is actually due to an impaction of a scent gland called an anal sac.

                All dogs and cats have a pair of scent glands called anal sacs just inside the opening of their anus.  These sacs contain a pungent fluid that pets often expel when they are nervous or frightened by something.  They also empty out when pets have a bowel movement.  The odor is quite distinct and is definitely not rose-scented!

                In some cases, the anal sacs do not empty naturally and can become impacted.  The increased pressure of fluid in the sac causes irritation and leads to excessive licking or scooting.  This scooting looks kind of funny when we see it, but it causes discomfort in our pets.  Anal sacs may become impacted in dogs who are overweight, who have soft stools, or sometimes the reason for impaction is not apparent.  Impacted glands may also become infected and can eventually abscess and break open on the surface of the skin.

           An infection or abscess usually appears as a bruised and painful swelling or small hole leaking bloody fluid on one side of the anus and requires medical attention.  An abscess will most likely be treated by expressing the fluid from the anal sac, and with antibiotics and pain medication.  Sometimes it is also necessary to flush the infected sac.  Dogs may also develop tumors of the anal sac.

                Cats can have anal sac issues, too, with similar symptoms of scooting or licking, but anal sac impactions and infections do tend to be less common in kitties.

           At Patton Veterinary Hospital, our nurses and doctors probably do between one to five anal sac expressions per day and see a moderate number of infected glands, so it is a fairly common problem in companion animals. Not a glamorous part of our job, but somebody's got to do it!

                Impacted anal sacs should be expressed or emptied to relieve the pressure and reduce the chance of infection or abscess from occurring.  The frequency of anal sac expression varies greatly among individual dogs.  If the anal sacs need to be emptied frequently, sometimes using a high fiber diet or a fiber supplement can help to keep them emptied out.  If the anal sacs need emptying every week or two, surgical removal of the sacs may be an option, though surgery does carry some risks such as developing fecal incontinence. 

                If your cat or dog is excessively licking or is dragging his bottom across the carpet, have your veterinarian check his anal sacs.  Anal sac impaction can be uncomfortable for your pet and could lead to infection, so it should be addressed if your pet is showing any of the symptoms described. 

                This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding communities