Scooting

By Nancy Otten, Animal Health Technologist

What is scooting and why do animals do it?

Scooting is when animals drag their bum on the ground or floor.  It is usually a behaviour associated with dogs but sometimes cats do it as well.  Dogs and cats have two little glands around their anus that produce a foul smelling fluid that gets deposited on feces when the animal has a bowel movement.  It’s like their calling card and is involved in marking their territory.  Every dog or cat has his own smell.  That’s why animals smell each other’s butts and feces.  They are just reading the other animal’s calling card.  Sometimes, these glands aren’t being expressed and they become very full.  The animal feels discomfort because of it and they drag their bum to try to relieve the pressure and pain caused by these full anal sacs.  We don’t see cats dragging their bum as often because they try to solve the problem by licking.  If your cat licks his bum a lot, more than what would be needed for normal grooming purposes, he may be experiencing problems with his anal glands.  Sometimes cats will lick themselves bald around their anus when they are very irritated by the problem.  Dogs will lick too but scooting is a more common manifestation of the problem for them.

Why do the anal sacs become so full?

There could be a variety of reasons why your pet’s anal glands are so full.  In order for these glands to be expressed naturally, two things have to happen:  your pet needs to squeeze his muscles tightly when defecating and the feces itself needs to exert some pressure on the glands.  If your pet has been going through some digestive problems and his stool has been very loose for a long period of time, those anal glands won’t be properly expressed and will become full and painful.  If your pet is obese and out of shape he won’t be able to exert adequate pressure when he squeezes those muscles during a bowel movement.  Again, the anal sacs will become full and painful. Sometimes the problem is genetically based.  Small breed dogs are predisposed to this problem.  Some of them are born with anal glands that do not express properly, often because the ducts that lead to the skin surface are too narrow or the gland itself is somehow malformed. 

How do we help our pets relieve this pressure?

If scooting isn’t solving the problem, we need to manually express these glands.  You can apply external pressure by squeezing both sides of the anus through the skin (the anal glands are located on either side of the anus at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions.)  You can also apply internal pressure by inserting your finger into the anus and squeezing the gland between your thumb and forefinger.  The second method is probably most effective because it’s easier to feel the gland and if it has been adequately emptied after squeezing.  If this has never been done to your pet before, it is recommended that you have your veterinarian demonstrate the procedure and determine if the glands are merely impacted or if there is any sign of infection.  When the fluid produced in the anal glands collect there without expression, it becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.  If this infection is caught early enough, the problem can be solved by expressing the glands manually and then infusing an antiseptic fluid into the gland.  Sometimes this treatment is followed up with antibiotics.  If the infection has been overlooked and has developed into an abscess, the abscess must be surgically drained and antibiotics instilled locally and systemically.  

What if the problem can’t be solved? 

Sometimes expressing anal glands only causes short-term relief.  Within a couple of weeks the animal is back to scooting and licking.  In these cases the anal glands of the animal are completely removed.  The potential complications in this type of surgery are very serious so it should be considered as a last resort.  If the nerve tissue is damaged, fecal incontinence may be the result.  If, during surgery, a part of the gland is left behind, a chronic fistula may develop.  This is when the body produces an abnormal tract to the skin surface in order to drain something.  Also, scar tissue formation around the anus may lead to excessive pain and straining when defecating. 

Can scooting be related to worms?

Generally, scooting is related to the anal glands.  People often think that scooting means their animal has worms.  It is a misconception that the veterinary community is confronted with daily.  However, there may be some truth to this misconception.  Very, very rarely animals will scoot because of tapeworms.  Because tapeworm eggs are sticky and stick to the animal’s bum, this may cause some itchiness that can be relieved by scooting.