He Did What On the Carpet?!

We have all witnessed it before, whether it be in our living rooms or in a silly online video; the infamous butt scooting. I have to admit, it is rather comical to see a dog (or yes, even a cat) spinning in circles on the floor or dragging themselves clear across the room. However, there is an actual reason for that behavior other than just for our amusement. Dogs and cats have glands that are located on either side of the anus that secrete a stinky material, much like that of a skunk. Ever wonder why dogs sniff each other to say hello? Although it is just plain stinky to us, that scent is unique to each animal.  On a normal occurrence, each time an animal has a bowel movement, the glands are emptied. Or at least that is what’s supposed to happen. Sometimes the material, for one reason or another, will become too thick and can’t be expressed.  As you can imagine, a full gland would become very uncomfortable. To try and express the glands, they will scoot or even lick at the area in attempts to empty the glands out. Excessive licking or scooting can create irritations or rashes on the skin. To make a bad situation worse, a gland can also become infected. The gland itself can keep building up infected material, and much like a balloon has a threshold before it burst, so does an anal gland. When this happens, it is called an anal gland abscess and this requires medical attention.

When a pet cannot express their own glands, the glands must be manually expressed for them. There is no way to know which pets will have problems and which ones will not. Some pets may need to have their glands manually expressed on a routine basis. There are pets that may have an infection once and never have one again. Other pets may never have an issue their entire lives.  At any rate, if you see your pet scooting or licking, that is a pretty good indicator that something is bothering them. Schedule an appointment to have your pet checked out if you see any of these symptoms. Your pet, your carpet, and maybe even your nose will thank you.