French Bulldog Dragging Butt
Hello, I have a three year old mini french bulldog and for the past few weeks she has been constantly dragging her butt around, rubbing it on furniture, carpet, fences, anything she can. She used to do it occasionally but now it is almost constant. My husband has released her anal glands and it does not seem to help. Her bottom is getting raw and red and its almost like the fur on her little tail nub is falling out. Any advice? Natural home remedy suggestions? Please! Thank you!
Mpls., Mn
08/20/2014
Hey Frenchiemom!
I share my home with 6 frenchies -and I believe I know what is going on with your girl.
As you know, frenchies have weird tails; they are super short, and they can spiral like a corkscrew. The spiraling or curling of the tail can happen any place on the tail, and very often it happens at the very start of the tail, causing the bones of the tail to curve inward, right into the dog's rump. This curling at the base of the tail creates what is called a 'tail pocket'; the pocket creates an environment for yeast and bacteria to grow; this causes the behavior you are seeing, and is super uncomfortable for your girl.
What you need to do to clean the tail pocket is to get the dog back in the tub and feel all around the tail with your fingers; probe underneath the tail, and visually check for areas where the skin is folded tightly together. Push any rolled skin back and flush the area out. Additionally pull on the hair to remove trapped hair; the goal is not to pull all the hair out, but any shed hair that is trapped will come out: very often you will see brownish gunk or staining on the hair - this tells you that you are cleaning right where it is needed. It may take a bit and a couple of baths to get the tail pocket fully cleaned.
Now, to address the discomfort, you could use OTC triple antibiotic ointment on the abraded skin, and a woman's vaginal yeast infection cream applied deep into the tail pocket. Or you could make up some of Ted's Anti-fungal/anti-staph remedy as follows:
You will need:
Milk of Magnesia [magnesium hydroxide]
Epsom salts [magnesium sulfate]
Borax [sodium tetraborate]
1% hydrogen peroxide solution [you make this by using one 16 oz brown bottle of the 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drug store, and adding 32 oz of pure water to it, making 48 oz of a 1% solution -clear as mud?]
Mix 1 tbsp of MOM with 1 tbsp epsom salt and 1 tbsp borax into 1-1/2 cups of 1% hydrogen peroxide. Apply and do not rinse. This solution should knock out any staph infection or yeast infection going on in the skin. I actually make up this solution in a gallon jug when my dog's get allergy hives and then bathe and rinse clean my dog really well. I then squeeze out any water in the coat with my hands, allow the tub to drain, and then plug the tub and pour the solution over the dog and then scoop up the solution with a plastic cup and pour over again and again for 10 minutes. You can use this solution to thoroughly clean around the vulva and I also use it on yeasty ears as well. Then I take the soaking wet dog and place it in a crate for half and hour to drip dry; the solution is still working as long as its wet. After half an hour I let the dog out and towel dry.
New Jersey
06/01/2018
