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Why is my dog constantly licking his rear end and now it's bleeding?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 80 lbs

My make German Shepard is licking his butt till it bleeds. Blood looks to be fresh and can’t tell yet if the blood is being secreted or if it’s from his aggressive licking

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 2nd, 2019

Zelig's anal area looks quite swollen and red. He could have impacted and infected anal sacs causing him to lick there excessively and the bleeding. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Have him seen by a vet in the morning to have this treated. Best of luck. http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.htm

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 17th, 2018

    Poor Sam! He may have discomfort around his anal area that is causing him to lick - this could be from full anal glands, an allergy, intestinal parasites, or diarrhea. The fishy smell is often from the anal glands. I would recommend having him examined by your veterinarian. In the meantime you may want to consider using something without zinc oxide to help protect the area - zinc can be toxic when ingested in large amounts. Petroleum jelly might be a better choice.

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