Q:  I have Pomeranian who is almost 9 weeks old. I have had dogs before, but never a puppy and never a little dog. My Pom has had her shots, but she drags her butt on the carpet. Could it be worms even though the vet has de-wormed her? Also, is it safe not to blow dry her after a bath?

A:  Rubbing her butt on the floor, commonly called scooting, can be caused by a few situations. First and most common are full anal sacs. These sacs are at 5 and 7 o’clock just inside the anus. If the sacs are full and she is having a hard time expelling the discharge when she defecates, then this could manifest as scooting. But you are right that scooting can also be caused by parasites which you may be able to observe as either spaghetti-looking objects or dried and flat rice-sized objects around your pup’s anus. Your pup should have a fecal sample analyzed by the vet and also potentially be de-wormed again. Another possibility that may cause scooting is if your pup has soreness under her tail or around her anus or if there is something stuck in this area such as a piece of feces. No matter the cause of the scooting, I would definitely have the vet take a look.

As for the blow-drying question, with little puppies and with little dogs like your Pom no matter her age, preventing them from getting a chill after the bath is very important. Blow-drying is one way to do this. Human hair dryers, however, can dry out your dog’s coat and also blow too hot hair and hurt your dog. There are special doggie hair dryers which are designed to dry your dog more quickly with cooler air and without drying out the skin. You can learn more about bathing your dog by clicking here.

Your question has been answered by the following veterinarian:
Daniel Lauridia, DVM

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