Health

Here Are The Health Risks Posed By Your Dog’s Dirty Booty

Written by: Katie Haller

February 17, 2016

Here’s the thing, humans are very lucky that we have the ability to wipe our own butts. In fact, I think it’s something we all take for granted. When you’re a fluff butt, sometimes you get a bad case of butt fluff, which is not as glamorous. Scientists refer to this condition as Canine Pseudocoprostasis, or as I like to call it, “doodie butt,” because I have the maturity level of a 12 year old boy, apparently.

Maintaining your dog’s butt hair is one of those things that you probably didn’t think of when you fantasized about having a dog. I’ve never heard anyone say, “I can’t wait to have to trim the dried poop out of a dog’s butt hair one day”. But here we are.

doublefluffbutt

How did my dog get a doodie butt?

A lot of the time it all starts with a dingleberry, which I never realized until now has a way too innocent sounding name for something so menacing. Dingleberries sound like something you should sprinkle on a pastry, not detangle out of your Pomeranian’s butt fur. But dingleberries result from not properly grooming your dog’s derriere.

pombutt

Tummy troubles could also be the culprit. There’s no great way to say this, but the looser the stools, the more likely this will happen. In other words: long hair + troubled tummy = the perfect environment for doodie butt.

saddog

What IS doodie butt?

Pet Health Network describes doodie butt as that thing that happens when “the hair near the anus can become matted with feces, creating not only an unpleasant odor but also a health risk.” In other words, your dog has a stage 5 clinger, and they need some help.

montypoop

How do I know if my dog has it?

Trust me, you’ll know. And if not, your dog will tell you, or they will scoot.

“MOM I GOT WEIRD FEELINGS IN MY BUTT PLZ HAALLLPP”

dogscoot

Other signs and symptoms include struggling to poop, matted hair around their anus, and an obvious and unpleasant smell.

Why is doodie butt bad?

If left unattended, the matting can actually make it harder for your dog to poop, which just makes the problem worse. It can cause irritation and inflammation, and a sad, stinky dog.

angrydog

Dr. Cynthia Maro of Ellwood Animal Hospital suggests keeping the hair around the rectum trimmed short. This prevents stool matting in the fur which can lead to infections and bad odors. She also notes, “If the anal glands don’t empty properly, they can become impacted, making bowel movements difficult or painful, and potentially lead to infections or abscesses.”

Also, poop carries disease, or at least, carries the bacteria and parasites that can cause disease. We’ve covered this before, butt here’s a quick little list of things you might pickup from your dog’s unclean derriere:

  • Salmonella
  • E. Coli
  • Campylobacteriosis
  • Yersiniosis
  • Cyclospora
  • Cryptospordium
  • Giardia
  • Roundworm Larvae
  • Tapeworm
  • Tactoplasmosis

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How do I get rid of doodie butt?

Prevention is the best method. If the hair around the dog’s butt is trimmed, it is much less likely to get stuck in the hair. Get your dog groomed regularly and ask the groomer to pay special attention to that area. That will make it much easier to clean.

pomgroomer

If it does tend to get stuck, keep wet wipes on hand in case things don’t always go smoothly. (And hand sanitizer. Lots and lots of hand sanitizer.)

What not to do: DON’T use scissors. Trying to cut it when it’s stuck close to the skin in a sensitive area is likely to cause irritation to his skin and rectum, and you might accidentally cut your pup. The safest and most painless way get rid of a poo tangle is to wash the matted hair with warm water and soap, then use a comb, preferably a flea comb, to comb it out. Then use clippers to trim the area. Welcome to dog parenting my friends.

dogclippers

Do we have a guide on how to actually maintain your dog’s butt fluff? You bet we do-do.

Featured image via @rikkitickytango

H/t to PetHealthNetwork

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Written by: Katie Haller

February 17, 2016

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