when a dog drags their butt on the ground

[jgrow]

Dear Renee,

I have had my adopted adult dog for 8 mos. I noticed that after a "movement", she sometimes drags her rear on the ground and has tried to do this in the house a couple of times. Why is she doing this and what can I do?

[Renee]

Dear Judy in California,

The first thing that I would look into is the dog's anal glands. All dogs have a small sac on each side of their rectum that fills with fluid. Many dogs empty these sacs themselves when they have a bowel movement but other dogs need to have them emptied for them. The groomer can do this for you if they are functioning normally but if the fluid has hardened and now the gland is impacted this requires a Vet to empty them for the dog. When a dog has trouble with their glands it is very common for them to scoot their bottoms on the ground from the discomfort.