Chewing on rear end.. anal glad problem?

My friend's dog was chewing on his butt and the vets thought he had some infection in his anal glands.  He had to wear a cone and my friend put neo-predef powder on the area several times a day (I used this on my dog for a bad nailbed infection).  Luckily it cleared up but for a while they were worried he was developing perianal fistuals which is something mostly common to German Shepherds but very horrible.  Maybe ask your vet about the neo-predef powder and make sure the dog cannot chew/lick the area while you try to narrow down a cause?

anal gland issues aren't going to typically impact the skin -- however, he could certainly have a contact allergy to something he's 'scooting' on which could cause the red, irritated skin.

Small dogs -- and the smaller the worse the problem tends to be - tend to have far worse anal gland problems than bigger dogs.  Some small dogs need them expressed literally every single week. 

My first dog was a pom/peke mix and she had *horrible* anal gland problems and finally the vet showed *me* how to do it.  Not a pleasant task but my hands are smaller than most any vets and I *know* I'll be kind and gentle when I do it.  And to keep them from rubbing and scooting all over the place (which then causes other problems) it can be worth it.  When those glands are full it makes them very uncomfortable and sore so they rub all over everything trying to release what won't release normally.  So in a dog with a chronic problem you have to do something to help express this.

Frankly, you can do it "externally" and I've seen it done and it makes me wince just watching - and it never fully empties the gland (it can on a larger dog but not so much on a small one).  So my vet taught me to do it internally and it has always given more relief to the dogs who really need it done.  Chis and small breeds tend to be way more bothered.

It's not at all difficult for a dog doing a lot of rubbing and scooting to wind up with sores from contact allergy.   Dogs are sensitive to a whole bunch of plant oils -- some grasses, vines, etc. -- all someone has to do is do lawn work and then walk across the floor inside to then have those oils where the dog gets them scooting across the floor. 

Vets tend to not think about contact allergy much -- they think about food and atopic allergy but contact allergies can be tough to diagnose.

You might also want to bathe him with something like Selsun Blue or a benzoyl peroxide shampoo -- not only will it cut any contact allergen oils but it will fight staph infection (which makes the little pustules worse). The benzoyl peroxide will likely be better (you can use PanOxyl 5% human soap if you can find it -- it will open the pores and help drain the pustules and heal them).  You can also buy it at a vet or get it online.  I usually use tea tree oil in the final rinse - again it will help take away the itch and it will help prevent the spread of the infection.

good luck!

redlegos

he has been on steroids for approx. 3 years as well as antibiotics on and off.

What kind of a diet is Chico on?  Have you included lots of probiotics - especially when on antibiotics?

Have you tried any natural anti-inflammatories?  http://www.dogaware.com/health/arthritissupps.html#natural

redlegos

They have ruled out food allergies

You did an elimination diet starting with a novel protein?  That is the only way to completely rule out food allergies and intolerances. 

Would you consider homecooking for Chico?  Would you consider a raw diet?  Since Chico is a small dog, you could start with one of the commercial raw diets available now.  For large dogs the commercial raw can be price prohibitive.

There are lots of folks who would tell you that their dog's skin (and other) problems cleared up when they put the dog on a species-appropriate raw diet.  A dog's digestive tract is the same as a wolf's.  It has strong stomach acids and digestive juices designed to handle raw meat and any pathogens in the meat.  [Of course, any diet/food change should be done gradually to allow the digestive tract to adjust.]

A good book on raw/cooked homemade dog diets: 
Raw & Natural Nutrition by Lew Olson (a canine nutritionist)
http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Natural-Nutrition-Dogs-Definitive/dp/1556439032/

A good, moderated Yahoo group on canine nutrition (owner is Lew Olson):  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/k9nutrition/

Caution:  Don't give dogs cooked bones - raw bones only.   Cooked/heat-treated bones splinter and can cause serious problems. 

Note:  Most vets get a majority/all of their canine nutrition training from dog food reps.  Talk about biased training.    Vets talking about problems with bones rarely have any idea what percentage of those problems are due to cooked bones.  Do dogs ever have trouble with raw bones?  Sure, but dogs also choke on kibble.  One has to minimize eating problems.  They can't be completely eliminated.