Many factors cause itchy butt in French Bulldogs but impacted or damaged anal glands, allergies, and worms are the most likely reasons. OK, what lays ahead is not for the faint of heart. 🙂
| Worms And Parasites |
| Anal Glands |
| Food Allergies |
Seeing your French Bulldog rubbing bum on the floor (known as scooting) all across your floor might make you smile, but your Frenchies scooting might signify that something is not quite right.
Your Frenchie rubbing their bum on the floor could happen for several factors, but it typically involves itching or discomfort.
If your Frenchie Bulldogs bum troubles them, they could be seen dragging their butt on the rug or lawn to relieve the itching or irritation.
What to do first
When you catch your French Bulldog scooting or rubbing its butt, you don’t need to hurry to the veterinarian immediately; often, they have an itch and want to relieve it.
You must keep a close eye on them and monitor how much they do it, but the occasional bum rub here and there is no cause for alarm. If your Frenchie has been scooting for more than a few days, it may be time to see your veterinarian.
Worms And Parasites = Bum Rubbing/Scooting
Intestinal parasites, including tapeworms, are a major culprit for your bum scoots. Your French Bulldog will get tapeworms by eating a flea carrying young tapeworm larvae.
They then cause itching and irritation all around your Frenchies anus when the tapeworms decide to use it as an exit from the stomach when they mature.
Telltale symptoms of tapeworms involve itching bottoms, bum rubbing/scooting, and even small rice-like pieces of the worms around your Frenchies anus or in their bedding.
So what are tapeworms?
Tapeworms are flat, segmented intestinal worms of cats and dogs. Tapeworms are part of the Cestode class of parasitic worms. There are many varieties of tapeworms; however, the most common found in dogs is Dipylidium caninum
How do you know if the scooting and bum rubbing are worms?
A diagnosis is generally made by seeing the white, moving tapeworm parts in your Frenchies’ poo or crawling around their anus.
These parts look like white grains of rice, as mentioned above. Now and then, parts are seen creeping coming out of your Frenchies’ bottom.
As tapeworm pieces only break off occasionally so, most of the time, it can be hard to diagnose with a regular poo inspection. If you notice any white or yellowy hue segments, try to collect some to take to your Vet for a clear examination.
Signs of Tapeworm
| Bum Rubbing/Scooting | Weight loss |
| Lethargy | Distended abdomen |
| Vomiting | Diarrhea |
| Dull coat | Visual evidence of tapeworms |
How do you stop the Tapeworms?
With modern deworming medicines, treatment is quick and successful. The parasiticide can be delivered either in pills or by injections.
It allows the worm to be absorbed in the digestive tract, so you won’t usually see the tapeworms in the poop anymore. These medications are effective and should not have any adverse effects.
Prevention of Tapeworm
Flea protection is vital to the success and prevention of a tapeworm outbreak. This includes the treatment of your French Bulldog itself and bedding and living environment.
Your Vet can prescribe a safe and reliable medication to help control your Frenchies’ fleas. Or there are several products you can get from your local pet store or online. Hopefully, eliminating the fleas and tapeworms will eliminate the bum rubbing and scooting.
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Anal Glands and Bum Rubbing/Scooting
Your Frenchie has anal glands on each side of their anus holding a horrible, fishy-smelling substance that they discharge while pooing.
The substance can be a business card for dogs that helps leave a poop impression” for other dogs to smell and identify which dog it came from.
Usually, your French Bulldogs’ bowel movements cause the anal glands to empty themselves. But if they don’t work correctly, the substance will build up.
The glands in the sacs begin to become swollen, preventing the liquid from releasing. If the sacks are constantly full and not discharging properly, they can be uncomfortable and even get infected.
When this happens, your Frenchie tries to relive themselves by rubbing the bum or scooting across your floor.
What Causes Anal Gland Problems in Your French Bulldog
Constipation and diarrhea may produce stools that are insufficient to clear anal sacks. Inherited deformities of the anal glands may also be a cause of this.
Sometimes persistent skin problems, like yeast infections, skin or food allergies, or skin mites can increase the risk of developing chronic anal issues. Other influencing factors include low thyroid as well as obesity.
Signs of Anal Gland Problems
| Scooting and Bum rubbing | Excessive licking of the anal area |
| Straining to defecate | Sudden foul fishy odor |
| Leaking of anal gland fluid | Bleeding and swelling near the anal region |
Anal Gland Expression
Once anal gland issues start to develop in your French Bulldog, medical intervention may be needed that can provide relief.
The affected anal glands must be expressed manually; a vet or vet nurse must undertake a function.
A manual expression may be performed continuously if the impacted anal glands become a chronic problem.
You might do this for your Frenchie at home, but it’s better to get a specialist to show you how to do it independently.
When To See Your Vet
When you assume that your Frenchie may have affected the anal glands, talk to your Vet to see whether your French Bulldog should be seen.
That being said, if you find redness or inflammation, or if the skin surrounding your Frenchies bottom begins to look like an effect pimple coming up, then the gland is probably to be infected or abscessed.
It should be seen as early as possible by your veterinarian.
How Can You Prevent Anal Gland Issues Causing Scooting?
Here are several steps you should take to avoid or minimize the repeat of affected anal glands in your Frenchie:
| If your Frenchie is overweight, ask your Vet to make plans to help them meet and sustain a healthier weight. |
| If your veterinarian agrees, add fish oil to your French B diet, which has anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve inflammation around the infected glands. |
| Ensure your French Bulldog has enough fiber in its diet to help make healthy poos. Speak to your veterinarian about placing your Frenchie on a designed diet for healthy absorption and effective stool formation. |
| Work with your veterinarian to locate and treat or manage possible root causes. |
So the next occasion you see your French Bulldog scooting/bum rubbing or licking their butt, pay careful attention to what was going on back there.
Food Allergies Causing Bum rubbing and Scooting.
If your Frenchie is rubbing their butt and their anal glands are OK, then next is an allergy.
French Bulldogs with allergic reactions often have itchy skin. If they have a food intolerance, then as the remnants of that food go out of their butt, the mucus coating and the skin around the anus become inflamed — which causes perianal itchiness.
The solution is to treat the allergy so the itchy bum becomes a distant memory.
Signs of Food Allergies And Scooting
| Rubbing and Scooting | Chronic Ear Infections |
| Excessive Licking, Chewing and Biting | Vomiting and Diarrhea |
| Snoring | Swollen or Sensitive Paws |
What Can you do for Food Allergies?
When an allergen in your French Bulldog’s diet is the cause for the itching, please give them a food that eliminates an allergen, and everything should become OK with no bum rubbing.
This involves finding a diet that includes a sole source of protein like beef and a single source of carbohydrate that your Frenchie has not consumed previously.
Always see your Vet first. Then feed them for 8–12 weeks, waiting to see if the allergens clear from their system. Repeat this with a different type of protein and carbohydrates if this does not work.
Medication for Allergies
Anti-allergy medications do not work well with food allergies — but when these allergens trigger skin inflammation, the medication can provide relief.
There are many choices, from inexpensive medications with many possible risks to more costly but safer drugs.
| Atopica: Was used originally as a medication created to help avoid organ rejection in transplant recipients. Its behavior on the immune system also makes it useful in reducing inflammation. These have comparatively few side effects, like diarrhea. |
| Corticosteroids: These are low-cost and extremely effective anti-inflammatory drugs. Nevertheless, they have negative effects such as increased thirst and the possibility of developing diabetes or Cushing’s disease. |
| Apoquel: This safe medicine is good for reducing the inflammatory response. When it was first released, it was such a phenomenon, and interest outpaced production, and there were delays. Luckily, it’s now widely accessible to anybody who wants it. |
What you can purchase to help Scooting
Anal Gland Bum Rubbing (scooting)
There are some treatments and supplements that you can purchase; the following are intended to help with anal gland problems. Check out the following from Amazon.
Glandex Anal Gland Soft Chew Treats with Pumpkin/Nutri-Vet Pre and Probiotic Soft Chews
Tapeworm solutions
If you are sure about purchasing the following products, please see your Vet first.
Safe-Guard/Triple Medium and Large Dog Wormer
Allergies Aids
Trying high-quality food for your Frenchie may help them avoid the Bum rubbing by eliminating allergies.
Royal Canin French Bulldog Adult Breed/Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Sensitive Stomach & Skin