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My dog is straining to poop, has a red anus, and losing fur. Why?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cane Corso | Male | neutered | 5 months and 11 days old | 110 lbs

My dog is having difficulty defecating and has a very red anus and it seems to be irritated and losing fur. Any thoughts?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on April 15th, 2018

He may be scooting on his rear due to his anal sacs being full or from intestinal parasites causing itching in the area. I recommend an exam to check and express his anal sacs. They can get full and become itchy and infected if the fluid isn’t emptied. Usually dogs express some of this fluid when they defecate but the opening can become plugged and the fluid builds up and can become infected. Dogs with tapeworms can have tapeworm segments come out the anus and be around the fur by the anal opening. This can cause itching and make the anal opening inflammed. You can give canned pumpkin with wet food and green beans to increase the water and fiber in the diet. That can help with the constipation. I do recommend an exam and have them empty the anal sacs. If needed they can give an enema to get the poop out. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Max.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 10th, 2017

    I can understand being worried about Zaylena! It sounds like from your description that her anus is quite irritation, and this irritation and redness can be caused by impacted anal sacs or intestinal worms. Those could lead to constipation, thus causing her to strain when trying to poop. You can try giving her a teaspoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) mixed in with her food to see if that helps with the constipation. Given that her anus is very red and appears irritating to her, I would see if you can find someone to take her into the vet tomorrow to have her anus examined, diagnosed, and treated.

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