My dog has strange things in her poop and keeps licking her tail. Why?

Hi there, thanks for the photo! It really looks like she must be ingesting something from outside. It almost looks like a peanut or something??? It does not look like any type of parasite or mucus which is what I was thinking. I would just keep an eye on her poops and see if you can figure out what she may be eating.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend bringing a fecal sample in to your vet to check for intestinal parasites. Even though she has been dewormed, the dewormer used may not have treated all intestinal parasites. This may also be a behavioral problem and an obsessive behavior. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

It sounds as if Maggie is either constipated, or is having trouble with her anal glands. These glands are just inside the rectum and may need to be emptied out, at your vet clinic. The other possibility is that she has a painful back or pelvis, which could be making it difficult for her to position herself to pass stool. Sounds like she could use a trip to see her vet, as soon as possible! Best of luck with Maggie!

That looks like mucus rather than worms. It is not normal and is caused by irritation in the colon for some reason. I'd recommend feeding each dog a bit of glitter or crayon shards with their normal food (easiest with canned food, or their kibble moistened with water) and note which color you give you which pup, and see who ends up producing the abnormal stool sample, so you can take them to the vet. Hope that helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say for sure without being able to see it. However, you may be describing tapeworms. Otherwise, it may be something from the environment. I recommend that you show these to your veterinarian so that it can be determined if they represent tapeworms as that requires therapy. Good luck!

Oh my. It is possible she has an intestinal parasites that is causing this. The puking is due to nausea, but I am not sure why she is also foaming, as this isn't commonly seen in pets, unless they have a severe viral infection. I would get her stool tested through your vet to start, and then get her nausea treated with a prescription through your vet as well. Tapeworms are a common cause for itching around the rear end, and are typically easily seen in the stool. They look like tiny white rice or fried rice when they are dried up. Keep an eye out for these, since these are often not seen on fecal exam due to the large size of the worm. Another possible cause for her licking and scooting her rear end is that her anal glands are full. Every dog has anal glands that are 2 sacs located at 5 and 7 o'clock position just inside the rectum. These can get full in some pets because they are not expressed when they defecate, or after the pet has a bout of loose stool. I hope that you get your pet some resolve and comfort soon from her rear end. Best wishes and take care!

I agree that it is likely vomit and not poop. The Long object could be a worm, but also resembles a plant stem to me. Since she was eating grass I suspect she could have also been consuming other plant materials. I would, however, recommend that you take a poop sample to your veterinarian to have it tested for parasite eggs to make sure that she doesn’t need any medications. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.