Why is my 9-year-old Black Lab constantly licking her rear end?

There can be lots of reasons to lick back there. Allergies are the most common cause, and it could be a reaction to flea bites, foods, or the environment. Intestinal parasites and anal gland issues can also cause irritation. Licking can also be seen during the heat cycle of intact females.

She may have some acid reflux that is contributing to the gagging. Ask your vet about trying her on an acid reducer medication such as omeprazole or famotidine. Click on the light green square on the right side of the screen on this link, where is says "anti ulcerative drugs" for recommended dosages of these medications in dogs. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/systemic-pharmacotherapeutics-of-the-digestive-system/therapy-of-gastrointestinal-ulcers-monogastric Her anal glands may be full, or she may have an anal or rectal mass that is causing her to lick her bum more. Take her to your vet for an exam and to discuss whether your vet feels an acid reducer may be of benefit. Thank you for assign PetCoach!

Your dog may have infected or impacted anal glands. This certainly would explain the discomfort and foul smell. I recommend getting him seen by your vet as soon as possible to have them checked to make sure that is indeed what is going on, expressed and maybe put on antibiotics to help him heal faster.

It is likely that your dog possibly has an anal sac impaction or abscess. The licking will actually make it worse. You shoulld take her to a veterinarian where the anal sacs can get inspected and expressed or flushed if necessary. You can help your dog in the future by feeding a teaspoon to table spoon full of canned pumpkin daily in her food which will faclitate eliminating feces.

Red’s anus does look irritated and I can see some redness on the underside of his tail as well. He might be licking due to irritation from full anal glands, parasites or allergies. I would recommend having your vet examine him and check his anal glands. They may want to check a stool sample as well. Oral or topical medications might help. I would recommend putting an e-collar on to prevent licking until you can get to the vet.

Livi could be suffering from skin allergy or it could be that her anal glands are full and annoying her. I would visit the vet and have them check her glands, they can be expressed if full. Whilst there the vet can examine her skin for any signs of a problem.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know without an exam. However, this is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!