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Last Updated on January 23, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur
WHY DOES MY DOG KEEP LICKING HIS BUTT
There could be a variety of reasons for your dogs butt licking. Depending on if they are just licking their butt for a second or if this is an all-day affair or if there is scooting along with the dog butt licking will determine the underlying cause.
You will also not just want to take notice of how often that their licking back there, but you will also want to lift up the tail and check back there to make sure there is nothing stuck in that general area and there are no rashes, sores or infections that occurred as a result of the constantly licking.
DOG BUTT LICKING REASONS
HYGEINE
Dog’s licking their butts is common when furbabies are grooming themselves. Maybe yours might have had some left-over poop stuck to their skin from a diet change or introduction to a new treat.
If you haven’t seen this behavior before but you notice that their stools have changed consistency then this could be why. They are just removing the little bits of poop off their tushy.
A great way to help out your furbaby maintain tushy cleanliness is a product like
Amazon.com: Dechra MiconaHex + Triz Wipes For Dogs, Cats & Horses (50ct)
I use these for my fur kids’ paws, stomach area and butt. They are great as they are antimicrobial and, antifungal and also very moisturizing to the skin.
They contain miconazole which is antifungal and can help with things like fungus and ringworm 1Miconazole topical Uses, Side Effects & Warnings (drugs.com) and chlorhexidine which is good for its antiseptic and disinfectant qualities.
ALLERGIES
If you have a dog constantly licking its butt, then allergies could be the reason. In my case allergies were the culprit. I noticed that there would be little pimples that would occur after she licked back there, or even little fluid filled cysts and this was caused by food allergies. As soon as I removed sunflower lecithin from her diet then the licking of the anus stopped.
So, I added it back and a few days later and the biting and dog butt licking started again, confirming her allergy to all things from the Asteraceae family (sigh) this means no milk thistle, sunflower lecithin, dandelion and so on.
IMPACTED ANAL GLANDS
So, anal glands are these little pea shaped glands inside your dog’s butthole that you shouldn’t readily be able to see.
If there is an infection such as an impacted anal gland (little dogs tend to get this, but big ones can too) this can be genetic or food related, stemming from an allergen also or from food not being hard enough when they poop, so they are not able to excrete the glands properly. This will often be accompanied by scooting, biting and dog butt licking around the anus.
Getting your dogs anal glands expressed might be able to offer some relief to your furbaby and your veterinarian or a groomer can do this. You can even express their anal glands yourself at home but it is difficult and sometimes takes two people so one can hold the dog and lift up the tail.
PARASITES
Another reason you could witness your dog constantly licking its butt or even biting it is from irritation due to worms. If your dog has worms, sometimes they can get stuck around the butthole and in the surrounding hair. You actually might not even be able to see the worms with the naked eye depending on what type of worms your furbaby might have.
A dewormer is in order like this one
to rid your furbaby of the parasites and you’ll want to make sure they aren’t biting and licking back there and accidentally ingesting worms, eggs or cysts to reinfect themselves.
Whatever the reason is you will want to contact your veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis.
There are several things that can be done from fecal floats where they look for worms, to allergy testing and also anal gland expression.
Check out our other articles on other dog behavior such as;
