Scooting or dragging of the rear end along the floor or ground,
can be a signal to you as a pet owner of a few concerns.
Normally this indicates that something is irritating the area
under the tail of your pet, and the act of scooting or dragging
the rear end along the floor serves to soothe this irritation.
Among the more common conditions that are responsible for
irritation of this area include: Tapeworm infection, swollen or
impacted anal glands, stool or dried fecal material stuck to the
hair under the tail, skin irritation or infection in this area.
Tapeworm infection results in the shedding of small rice-like
segments of the tapeworm, which are motile. These segments are
actually comprised of the tapeworm eggs. When they "crawl:" out
of the rectum, the movement against the skin results in an
irritation, and often times scooting is a result. Anal glands
are located on either side of the rectal opening, and function
to empty when the pet defecates, as a form of territorial
marking. The odor from the anal