A dog dragging its bottom along the carpet is nearly always one of two things, and the vet can settle both in one visit.
Merck describes them as two glands, one on each side of the anus, that hold a small amount of foul-smelling liquid and normally empty a little every time the dog passes stool. When they do not empty, they fill and press. The signs are scooting, licking or biting at the area, straining or pain when passing stool, and discomfort sitting. Small breeds are predisposed; large and giant breeds are rarely affected.
A blocked sac can become infected and then abscess. Merck says that brings severe pain and discoloration of the skin, and an abscessed sac can burst through the skin. A dog that is suddenly in pain at the back end, or has a swelling or a wet patch beside the anus, is a same-day visit.
Treatment is the vet emptying the sacs by hand, sometimes a softening agent into an impacted one, antibiotics if it is infected, warm compresses for an abscess, and more fiber in the food so the stool presses the sacs empty. Dogs that block again and again can have the sacs removed, and Merck notes the risk that surgery carries: some dogs lose control of their stool afterwards.
The common tapeworm is caught by swallowing a flea. The parasite council describes what owners see: segments about half an inch long, like cucumber seeds or grains of rice, around the anus, in the bedding or in the stool, and irritation as they pass. Praziquantel clears the worm, and the council says the treatment must be combined with flea control or the tapeworm comes back. Petipedia has the page on fleas that keep coming back.
Look under the tail for rice-like segments and for swelling or redness beside the anus, and note when the scooting started and how often it happens.
If the anal sacs are fine and the itching goes on, Why does my dog keep itching? covers fleas, mites, infections and allergies, in the order vets rule them out.
Write the date it started and what you saw in the log on My Pet. The vet sheet prints it, and "since Tuesday" beats "recently".
Read 18 September 2026.