dog rubbing his butt

Question
Hi, I have a 4 y.o. male pug who's in overall good health. He tends to get full anal glands, which have to be expressed about every six weeks. I took him in three weeks ago, but he started scootching his butt across the floor again this week and I noticed his anus was very red. I took him in to the vet yesterday and they said he was full again, but no abscess (and they didn't seem concerned). They suggested preparation H, which I applied tonight. That said, he seems to be rubbing even more today than he was yesterday and there's a small red protrusion from his anus.

I realize you're not a vet, but I wondered if you might have any thoughts on what might be causing this (and suggestions on things I might be able to do to offer my dog some relief until the vet reopens on Monday)?

Other than the scootching, he's been fine--no lethargy, eating and drinking fine, etc.

Thanks so much, beth  

Answer
This sounds like it could be an anal or rectal prolapse, and I think you need to get on the phone and talk to a vet and see if he/she thinks your dog needs to be seen before Monday. If it is just a bit of tissue around the anal opening, it will probably be okay, but if it is from tissue further inside, it could be quite serious. This could be caused by his irritated anal glands (or parasites... take in a stool specimen, too). If it starts looking any worse than it does right now, get him in ASAP for sure!

http://www.vetinfo.com/cencyclopedia/ceprolapse.html (This one keeps mentioning cats, but they are also referring to dogs.)

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/rectal-prolapse-in-dogs/page1.aspx

You might try putting some hydrocortisone ointment on his anus, but don't let him lick it off. I would also get a bit more fiber into his diet; you might try some green beans or something. Normally, anal glands are expressed every time a dog has a stool, but in some dogs, they have a problem doing this (usually due to diet), and then problems start to arise. Anal glands fill up again within a week after being expressed, so I would have your vet show you how to do this yourself. It really is not too difficult to do, and when you notice that he is starting to have a problem with his glands, you can easily take care of them yourself. I once had a dog who needed to be expressed every two weeks or he would be licking at himself; he improved once I put him on a higher fiber diet.