Hi, I am new to this forum (infact any forum) but am desperate to know if anyone out there has any ideas why my dog drags his bottom, only after passing stools.
He is a beautiful 2 year old Flatcoated Retriever and very happy and healthy in every other way. He has had this problem for well over a year now. He does have a very sensitive digestive system ( I blame on the fact that as a tiny pup he came with feeding directions from the breeder which included info on his diet with her containing Milk, ready brek, bread & Weetabix!!! About everything you should never feed a dog and obviously he has never had any of those things pass his lips again) and I have fed him on the raw food diet (BARF) for about a year now. He had previously had Nature Diet or James Welloved but I was very put off by a rotten batch of Nature Diet and after a lot of research decided to try the BARF diet. His Bottom Dragging problems were prevelant throughout the diets before BARF but he also had 2 bouts of Colitis on the previous diets, which he has not had at all on the raw diet.
My vet has examined his anal glands twice which were not very full either time and also done lab tests on his Faeces which came back clear. I worm him with Drontal as he is very sensitive to other wormers (Panacur gave him Colitis at 10 weeks old). I have tried Probiotics which I thought may have helped but nothing lasting and nothing remarkably different.
As I say he looks in wonderful condition and is very happy but I really want to sort this out before it leads onto other problems later in life.
If anyone has any experience of a similar problem or any ideas I'd be truly grateful to hear about them.
P.s Vet has put him on an exclusion diet of Chicken breast and white rice for 6 weeks (3 weeks in no change yet) but how do i know he's not sensitive to Chicken or rice?!

the ywo things i would have said would have been worms and anal glands which you seem to have covered. so not sure sorry.

> P.s Vet has put him on an exclusion diet of Chicken breast and white rice for 6 weeks (3 weeks in no change yet) but how do i know he's not sensitive to Chicken or rice?!

If he improves on this diet then the vet should be able to rule out those two ingredients as aggrivating his condition.  The idea of an exclusion diet is to be VERY strict, hope for improvement, then if improvement is achieved and maintained add back into the diet a suspected antagonist ingredient and voila, proof positive.  Of course it's not always that simple!

As to the original problem of 'scooting', if the vet's bewildered following faecal tests and ensuring it's not anal glands then it's a greater mystery than I can offer info on but hopefully something will become evident soon or another member offer a possible cause through their experience.

best wishes, Teri

I owned a bitch that did this for the whole of her 14 years, she just liked to wipe herself and there was nothing wrong.

:) i also had a girl that did the same ,after we ruled out evrything eles ,she was just wipeing herself just like novas dog x

My bitch does it also - not everytime but I usually get warning of it before she comes into the house - I gently wipe her with toilet paper and she seems grateful for it!!!  My carpets are too.

Yep I agree with the others, some just like to wipe their bums on the carpet equivelant of andrex :-D

This particular bitch was in an indoor show and the BPIS ring, she trotted up the rubber map beautifully but did a bum hole parade all the way back much to every onlookers amusement and my embarrassment.

> This particular bitch was in an indoor show and the BPIS ring, she trotted up the rubber map beautifully but did a bum hole parade all the way back much to every onlookers amusement and my embarrassment.

LOL LOL thats so funny :-D

You made me choke on my breakfast. lol

I'd guess at anal glands or worms

sorry cant offer any more suggestions but I have the same problem with our toy breed. Anal glands are fine she does not have worms and is wormed. She doesnt always do it, maybe it is the andrex theory !! I am in the fortunate position of having someone around who can empty the anal glands regulaly and sometimes that makes a difference otherwise I am stuck too and so is the vet. Not sure what serious problems can arise though, the vet said they can be removed but i dont like that option.