A dog scooting, or dragging their hind end on the carpet, grass, or your favorite rug may be amusing at first glance until you notice the brown trail that may be left behind. Worms are often mistakenly believed to be the cause of this behavior but most dogs who have worms do not scoot. Ninety-nine percent of the time, scooting is caused by the anal sacs (sacs not glands) being inflamed, infected, impacted or just “full”. This causes itching, scooting, bad odor and can be uncomfortable and even painful for your pooch.
What are anal sacs?
Anal sacs are located between the external and internal muscular rings of the anus and collect the oily secretion of the glandular tissue that lines the sacs. Viewed from behind, the sacs should sit approximately at the eight o’clock and four o’clock positions, below the anus.
The purpose of anal sacs?
Nature designed the anal sacs to fill up with an oily substance (a foul smelling fluid) and emptied each time the dog has a bowel movement, thereby “marking” its territory. Dogs who roamed the wild would forcibly evacuate their anal sacs as a defense mechanism to scare away a predator, similar to skunks. In today’s civilized settings it is more common for a dog to “blow” their anal sacs when they become frightened at the vet’s office or the grooming salon.
Why do dogs scoot?
Not all dogs have their anal sacs located in exactly the right place or have the muscles around them developed enough for the dog to do what nature intended. (This is more common in mid to smaller sized dogs and breeds.) This results in the sacs not being emptied out with a bowel movement so the sacs continue to fill up with fluid. It is uncomfortable to have full anal sacs and becomes painful if a blockage in the duct occurs, leading to an abscess.
Other possible causes for scooting or anal discomfort are irritation from diarrhea, a perianal tumor that is infected or bothersome, and matted hair. Dogs that are overweight have less muscle tone and sometimes additional fat tissue that get in the way of their anal sacs being properly emptied.
If a dog has full anal sacs they will try to find relief by “scooting” their butt across the floor or by licking. (FYI – A dog licking at their anal sacs is a common contributor to bad doggy breath.) If your dog is “scooting” frequently you need to get your dog some relief and make an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out potential problems and causes.
How often do anal sacs need to be emptied?
In a perfect world your dog’s anal sacs should take care of themselves. Routine emptying when not necessary is not recommended. If your dog’s sacs are not emptying properly it will vary with each dog. Some dogs need to have it done every couple of weeks, some every month, some every six to eight weeks.
How are anal sacs emptied?
The two methods used to empty anal sacs are external and internal expression.
- External – push gently on the skin over the sacs in an upward motion toward the anus, to empty the contents of the sacs.
- Internal – requires a latex glove and inserting an index finger just inside the anal sphincter to aid in pushing out the contents of the sac with thumb pushing on the outside of the sac. The pet should be properly restrained to avoid injury with this method.
Both methods will empty the glands and both methods are messy and extremely smelly. If you can afford it, I recommend letting your veterinarian take care of this unpleasant but necessary maintenance item.
Knowing the signs of anal sac problems will help keep your pet comfortable and scoot free.
