Rubbing his butt on the ground

[KellyJean]

First off, I'm new here. I am the proud parent of a blue heeler/aussie shepard mix named Sam. He's 8.5 weeks old, born 1-23-05.

Sammy is my first dog ever, I'm 26, so I am a bit nervous. I got Sam as a gift from my barn owner's family for helping out on the farm. He's definatly the best gift that I've ever gotten.

Both his mother and his father are farm dogs at my farm, and I've known Sammy since the day that he was born.

Lemme attach a few pics here. The first is Sam's mother, Josie (the blue heeler). I think that her look is priceless. The second is Sully, his father (the aussie). The rest are my Sammy.

Josie has the **** gland/rubbing her butt on the floor problem. Sam has picked up this behavior. At this age, is it possible that he has the gland problem, or did he just see his mother doing this behavior?

When I take him outside, he will sometimes hold the "peeing" position for up to 30 seconds, while he's only peeing for about 10 seconds. Is he just hanging out, or is this something I should be concerned about?

At this point, He's going to get shots (given by me, I'm comfortable doing it) on the 1st of the next two months. In early June, he's got an appointment with the vet for his rabies shot. Is this something that I should take him in now for?

Yup, I'm a nervous parent, but I also have a history of cats with bladder issues... and I don't want a dog with them too, if I can help it. Anyone have opinions/advice?

Kelly

[GretaJack]

Gosh, that is one very cute puppy.

Has he been wormed lately? That can also cause the butt rubbing. They should have been wormed at 2 weeks? and then again at 5 weeks? (okay I am guessing, but they should have been wormed while still with mom).

[AussiesCollies]

I agree with Greta. Often puppies have worms (and all puppies are born with worms) so he probably just needs to be dewormed. I love him, he's so cute! I have an Australian Cattle Dog mix myself. Good luck with the new pup!

[BabyElephant]

He is adorable. As for the rabies, in the UK they won't give the rabies jab to puppies under 3 months old, so you need to wait for a couple of more weeks.

[Dax]

I agree with the "pack" that worms are a likely suspect for the butt dragging. Another thing is a lot of puppies don't know how to clean themselves and any "clingons" will irritate delicate skin. Take a baby wipe or washcloth accross her bottom every couple of days.

[spotteddrafter1]

Hey there KJ!!!

When I adopted my pup, she did the same thing....and turns out she had a tapeworm. I would say it's possible that your pup did pick up the behavior from his momma, but could be as "simple" as worms. I was going to suggest an OTC dewormer....but you might want to call vet first since I think there are certain ages required for them.

Welcome!

Jill

[chichimom]

omg those are some cute pups!

[KellyJean]

Thanks All! Geez, how'd I forget worming??? I wormed him on March 12th. I'm going to do him again tomorrow or saturday.

It's a wormer that my vet recommended, Nemex, which smells a lot like butterscotch. He seems to like it. We didn't worm the litter at all, and I waited until I brought him home to worm him (at 7 weeks) for the first time, as before that, he was with the not-wormed litter. (Don't ask why we didn't... I've never had a dog before, I don't know what on earth that I'm doing!)

Ok, so I'll worm him again this weekend, and then when he gets a bath again tonight (after playing in the mud at the farm) I'll make sure that I wash his tush well, and look for any "rice" around it. So far, he's been clean, and he seems to not be leaving poop on his skin after "doing his business".

Should I be worming this dog every two weeks? Is the Nemex ok? Is there something better/different? Are puppy worms like horse worms, where they will become immune to the wormer? If so, should I be on a rotation schedule? (Can you tell I don't know what I'm doing? Jill, tell them I'm not always clueless! )

Kelly

[weezyNollie]

Dogs dewormer is much different then in horses! You do not regularly deworm as dogs rarely get parasites. Especially with you living in WI. I would continue the Nemex according to the vet's prescription. For my puppy (who is 18 weeks) he came up with roundworms, I was given Pyrantel and he is got the dose at my hospital, then he gets it again two weeks later, and again four weeks later. Dogs do not usually become immune to wormer, because they do not need it often. You probably won't notice any worms around his "bum", if you did see them.. they will be in his stool. Horses will have them around the anus, but dogs pass them in their feces. Also, if you do see them in the feces it's progressed quite a bit. If you notice the behavior continuing after the de-wormer bring him to the vet, depending on the type of worm there is a certain drug. Most drugs cover the basics, but there is a possibility. Most likely, your drugs will work though.

As for the vaccines, Rabies needs to be given at 6 mos.

For the urinary position issue.. my male puppy will stand and then lift his tail and then urinate. From your description he may have a UTI, although they are somewhat unusual in a male and that young. Or this could be his behavior for urinating. That is hard to tell from both my stand point and yours. Whats his water intake like? How often does he urinate? That will help clarify whether it's behavioral or a UTI.

As for the vaccines giving them yourself, it's great your confident. Make sure you have the correct parenteral route, and to watch for up to 30 minutes after giving the injection. Dogs and cats can have an allergic reaction to the vaccine, so you want to monitor the site for any swelling. Also be aware of what you have given and the location, so if this does happen you will know for future reference which he reacts to. Which then will lead to whether it is absolutely necessary to vaccinate for, or if you need to bring him to the Vet when giving the vaccine.

Congrats on the new kid... don't worry, if you have had horses and cats.. dogs are a slice of cake!! And welcome to the forum!

And i'm only 19 and i have TWO dogs!! (although i am in the veterinary profession too... )

[KellyJean]

Thanks-

He drinks pretty well... I can't say how much for sure, but I give him all he can drink every morning with breakfast, mid-morning at bathroom break, mid-afternoon at bathroom break, and then twice in the evening.

He also enjoys puddles and eating snow, and shares a big dish with the big dogs when he's running on the farm, so it's hard to know the exact amount.

But, he drinks a reasonable amount, no hesitation at all to consume water, and when he goes outside to use the bathroom, he finishes and then remains in the squat... but there's no hesitation to pee.

He's already had the puppy distemper, without the parvo, I think, and tolerated it fine. I have one cat who is very alergic to the rabies vac... can't give it to him again, so I'm careful to vacinate every other animal I have. I'll make sure to watch Sammy closely.

As far as the worms... I think that he's got roundworms (one of my cats came to me with them, so I unfortunatly know what they look like) and they came out of him in a boatload after I wormed him.

If he's an outside/farm dog, does he need to be on a regular worming schedule after he's done with the "puppy worming" phase?

Kelly