newfoundland

Question
my 2 year old newf occasionally scoots her but on the grass/carpet.  her bowel movements look good. Should I be concerned about this?  i was also told (not by an expert), that sometimes this is the way they scratch an itch, and she doesn't do it all the time..

Answer
Hi Kathy,

More likely than not, your dog has a case of blocked anal glands. Anal glands are two small glands situated just below and to either side of the anal opening. They manufacture and secrete a fluid that is used to mark territory.

You can try adding a little fiber to your dog's diet, to see if that stops the "scooting". This will make your dog's stools more bulky, to help express the anal glands when she defecates. Try adding about a tablespoon of rice bran, wheat bran and oat bran to your dog's meals. You could also use a high fiber breakfast cereal such as Grape Nuts, or All Bran. Feed two or three spoonfuls a day, mixed with your dog's food. Alternatively, you can give your dog a couple of apple wedges each day (remove the seeds and core), or mix a teaspoon or two of canned pumpkin into your dog's food.

If the added fiber doesn't seem to help, you can express your dog's anal glands manually, or you can have a dog groomer or vet do it for you. It's not something to ignore, anal glands can become infected or impacted, which is painful for the dog.

You can read about how to express a dog's anal glands here:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html#

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dyg1yey2vN3M

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti