What does it mean if puppy keeps scooting on his bottom?

I think I know one possiable reason but let me look into it and I will try to get back to you within about
one hour.

OK i have come up with a few possible answers. #1 answer is quite simple.....his butt itches. #2 Worms. I read a lot of information saying it could not be worms, but I have had personal experience with dogs that have rubbed their butts on the floor and turned out to have worms. Examine their feces and also their....uhhh...well their butt hole to see if you can see anything that may look like small white worms.


#3 This answer was found on yahoo and I will just quote it here since it is quite a long bet very informative answer.

QUOTE:
99% of the time, scooting is caused by the anal SACS (they are NOT glands, even though that's what most people call them!!!! <---one of my pet peeves, LOL) being too full. It does not necessarily mean they are impacted or abscessed, and there is nothing 'poisonous' in them.

What are anal sacs? They are very much like the scent glands that skunks have. Nature designed them to fill up with a disgusting-smelling fluid, and to be emptied each time a dog has a bowel movement, thereby 'marking' its territory. Dogs can also forcibly evacuate them when startled by a predator, in order to scare them away. (Again, similar to skunks.) Although the anal-sac 'smell' is one which is quite familiar to anyone who has worked with dogs, each dog has its own individual scent, whether we can pick up on it or not.

The problem is....

That is how nature *intended* it to work for dogs who roamed the wild. Nature did not intend for poodles, Yorkies, Schnauzers, chihuahuas, etc, etc. to roam the wild, however. We humans created all the different breeds, and in selecting the traits for all of them, no one cared/paid any attention to where the anal sacs were located. As a result, in many dogs (especially the smaller breeds), they are not always located in 'exactly' the right place or have the muscles around them developed enough for the dog to do what nature intended. They can't empty them out by having a bowel movement, but the sacs continue to fill up with the disgusting (bacteria-filled) fluid. It's not painful (unless a blockage in the duct occurs, leading to an abscess), but it is uncomfortable to have full anal sacs.

So......

The dog has only 2 other options to try to empty them out. One is by 'scooting' their butt across the floor. The other is by licking. (Which is, btw, the most common cause for coughing/gagging/hacking up phlegm that looks like egg whites in dogs who are not sick. That's because the nasty fluid trickles down the throat, causing chronic tracheitis and tonsilitis. <---a fact not taught by most veterinary colleges. I learned it from an older DVM shortly after I graduated almost 20 years ago, and have 'magically' cured many dogs whose owners had been told by other doctors that they just had 'sore throats'....simply by teaching them proper anal sac care.) This is also a common contributor to bad breath, btw.

Since neither of those 2 solutions is very effective, it is necessary for us humans to help these dogs out by emptying those sacs for them periodically. Some dogs need to have it done every couple of weeks, some every month, some every 6-8 weeks. Each dog is different. Larger breeds seem to have fewer problems, but it can happen in them, too. Cats usually take care of theirs quite well by the licking, but sometimes we have to help them out as well.

Like I said that 3rd answer was found on yahoo. I did see on a tv once that showed a dog grooming business that took care of the "sacs" for free as part of their service. Regardless I would still suggest you contact a local vet to find out more information and also consider taking your dog in for a checkup. Also I saw you said "puppy", how old is the dog and the dog had all of their shots?

Wow, that thing you found on Yahoo is really good info. I'm glad you posted it!

Yeah, in my experience the dog scoots across the rug when its butt is itchy. That's one part it can't reach with its paws or mouth. Ya do what ya gotta do, right? It could be for any number of reasons. As already suggested, the dog could have worms. You said "puppy", right? All puppies have worms. It's just one of those gross but unavoidable things. They usually need to be periodically de-wormed until they're grown up. So if it's a puppy, that's the most likely thing. Some worms, like pinworms, can even be missed in a fecal exam and still be causing the itchiness. Luckily they're pretty harmless except for that one obvious symptom. Fleas or allergies could have something to do with it too. If the puppy's little butt cheeks are full of bug bites or the skin is irritated, they'll be scratching like crazy.The anal sacs are a possibility, but if it's a young dog those parts probably aren't even developed yet.

Take a fecal sample to the vet and see what's up. I'll bet it's worms. Worm medicine isn't typically expensive, and it's good to find out because some types of worms do more damage than others.