My chihuahua is scooting. Is it safe to wait for her anal gland vet?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh good! I am glad there isn't purulent discharge from her vagina. Most dogs with an anal gland infection do feel fine. They just scoot and sometimes the discharge will leak out. I still recommend an appointment to have the anal glands expressed. I have seen infected and impacted anal glands rupture through the skin. It isn't an expensive visit and will hopefully make her feel better! I hope this helps!

When you say scooting I am assuming you mean scooting his rear end on the floor? This is a sign that his bottom is itchy or otherwise bothering him. It can be a sign of intestinal parasites, anal gland problems, and skin irritation. If it continues I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Be sure to take a fresh poop sample with you to your appointment. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Willow! Some dogs can experience pigment changes over time or with chronic inflammation. It's quite possible that the darkening of Willow's anus is a relatively normal change. As you've mentioned, scooting commonly occurs with full anal glands. I'm glad that you have a vet appointment scheduled for her. Your vet will be able to perform a rectal exam to be sure that everything feels normal, as well as empty her anal glands. It should be ok to wait 2 days since that's the next appointment. Full anal glands certainly aren't an emergency, but sometimes the anal glands can become impacted, infected or rupture, which would be a more urgent problem. If you notice any significant swelling or redness on her hind end, I would try to have her checked out sooner. I suppose that it's possible that she could have a perianal fistula, but these occur most commonly in intact male dogs and are often quite red and oozy. It's far more likely that her anal glands are simply bothering her. I hope that all goes well for Willow!

His anal glands may be full and/or impacted. Normally, they would be emptied (expressed) during the act of defecation but occasionally, especially in small breeds, this does not happen. The result is inflammation, itching and possible abscess formation. Have Gizmo examined by your veterinarian. The anal glands can be emptied and antibiotics dispensed if there is infection.

They are likely not full again but may be a bit irritated due to the expression. If your dog keeps scooting for more than a day or two then I suggest you take him back to your veterinarian for a recheck.

The worms can be tapeworms and they often look like small pieces of rice. They get these from eating a flea. It can cause itching and irritation around there anus. However an infectedcor impacted anal gland can also cause the same symptoms and can rupture if untreated. I would take him to the vet to have the worms confirmed and get medicine for that. They can also chechnyhebgkabds to make sure antibiotics aren't needed to help. This does not have to be as an emergency thiugh, if he is eating and drinking well you can schedule an appointment for tomorrow

That is absolutely fine, Cupo can wait and be seen on Sunday morning. I would recommend to increase fibers in the diet. There are several commercial brands of high fiber dog food available but he can be supplemented with bran which will increase the bulk of the stool. A buster collar would be helpful to avoid further licking.