Why is my incontinent dog's anus moving and causing discomfort?

My practice does rehab for animals like yours that are recovering from paralysis. I find doing laser like you are doing in the photo helps, also acupuncture. For my acupuncture treatments I start with three treatments several days to a week apart then every 2-4 weeks. This can help the nerves start functioning again. The incontinence may improve with time also, I generally continue to see improvement over the first 4-6 months after the paralysis. Make sure you are fully expressing his bladder and repeating a course of antibiotics to cure a low grade urinary infection may help also. To manage the fecal incontinence you can learn to stimulate him to poop twice daily which helps control accidents in the house. Check Dodger's List for other ideas on how to manage him. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend taking Teddy in to the vet for a senior health assessment. Discuss your concerns with the vet and they may recommend some bloodwork or other diagnostic testing. Some cases of incontinence can benefit from medications. While it will not be a cure it can greatly improve the episodes. In some cases, dogs may inappropriately urinate or defecate if they are experiencing cognitive dysfunction. Medications or diets can also help with this, especially if he is in good shape physically. In the meantime you may want to let Teddy out by himself and monitor to make sure that he is urinating and defecating before letting him back inside. He may be getting distracted by the other dogs.

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with DM. It certainly is a challenging disease. I usually will have my clients stimulate a dog to defecate with either a rectal thermometer or a gloved finger. Sometimes you only need to put your finger in a little to stimulate a dog to defecate, but sometimes you will need to put your finger in most of the way and move your finger in order to stimulate the area (since it no longer has normal nerve function). For my dog, I have found the best technique to be to put my finger in to the first knuckle, then move my finger around the edge of the anus to stimulate him. But every dog is different, so you may have to experiment a little. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is certainly concerning. This warrants a veterinary evaluation to determine what seems to be extent of this as well as the possible cause. It is possible that Mickey has lost his anal tone which may be causing him to continue to defecate as you described. Treatment would be highly dependent on the cause of this. Good luck and have a great day!

He may be scooting on his rear due to his anal sacs being full or from intestinal parasites causing itching in the area. I recommend an exam to check and express his anal sacs. They can get full and become itchy and infected if the fluid isn’t emptied. Usually dogs express some of this fluid when they defecate but the opening can become plugged and the fluid builds up and can become infected. Dogs with tapeworms can have tapeworm segments come out the anus and be around the fur by the anal opening. This can cause itching and make the anal opening inflammed. You can give canned pumpkin with wet food and green beans to increase the water and fiber in the diet. That can help with the constipation. I do recommend an exam and have them empty the anal sacs. If needed they can give an enema to get the poop out. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Max.

This can be due to a neurological problem or aging changes. He also may be painful and not wanting to stand and hold the pooping position when outside. I recommend a veterinary exam to see if he’s painful or if there is a neurological problem. They may try him on pain medication. Acupuncture can also improve fecal incontinence sometimes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Potter.

Hi there and thank you for your post! In regards to Paco, fecal incontinence cannot be treated per se due to aging. IF there is a primary problem that is causing it such as intestinal parasites or diarrhea, than that can certainly be treated. Due to age, however, it is difficult to stop this. You can try omega 3 fish oil and melatonin to help with cognition and maybe help with the fecal incontinence but this will likely not help much with the defecation. Most of the time, I have clients buying disposable diapers to managing the condition that way.