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I adopted a 10yo dog 3 months ago and for the last two months she has been on a raw diet - meat/bone grind plus some raw crushed leafy greens. Prior to that I had her on Honest Kitchen or cooked meat for a month. She would occasionally lick her rear end but lately its very frequently. The previous owner said she has always done it on and off (she was on kibble). I am disappointed that she seems to be worse since going raw. She has no parasites or fleas btw. Thanks for any advice.

What exactly is she licking; her vulva, her rectum, or something else? If she is licking her vulva, she may have a urinary incontinence or a bladder infection. If her rectum, possibly something in the diet is causing an itchiness in the rectum. Are her anal glands bothering her? You might try stopping all her normal food and give her only raw hamburger for 4 days. If she doesn't lick at the end of the four days, add something back into her diet every 3-4 days. If she starts licking, remove that food and try something else, until you have a diet you are happy with.

Hi, changing diet did not help as she was still licking. Btw her stools are perfect. So went to vet today to make sure her anal glands were not impacted. They were not but vet found some blood and thinks something more is going on =:0 She put her on metronidazole to help with inflammation. I am now concerned about what this all might mean, apparently she has been licking her rear end for many years according to previous owner but she was on a mediocre kibble most of the time and since I got her almost 3 months ago she has been on raw. Thank you for your thoughts on what this might be. anneh

Did the vet find blood in the stool or on or around the anus? If the stool is perfect and she has no parasites, I can't see where metronidazole is likely to help. I would suspect a growth inside the rectum, not visible on the outside, which might be bothering her. You might want to consider an endoscopy or colonoscopy, or you could try something like Preparation H for a short time to see if the licking stops for a while.

thank you Dr Tobin. No parasites, vet said she thought there is some thickening of the rectum and she got a little blood but there is none in her stool. I believe the antibiotic was to see whether there is inflammation or not. She did mention proctitis as a possibility. Do you think feeding ground meat that has bone ground in it (Primal) would irritate the rectum? I am not sure how to feed her in the interim and have temporarily been feeding the meat without the bone and adding Calcium Essentials calcium. Thank you

It seems as if your dog has scar tissue in the rectal area which caused the thickening. If the stools are large or hard, the stretching causes some bleeding, and the thickened tissue itself may be painful or bothersome, hence the licking. Did the dog have chronic diarrhea or rectal injury in the past, as far as you can determine? If the Preparation H provides no help, do not allow yourself to be talked into surgery, as you don't want to do anything that might affect the sphincter muscle.

No diarrhea or injuries in the past according to previous owner, he said she has always done this since a pup although she does like to keep moving while pooping whatever that may mean Her stools are normal and no blood was found in the actual stool when checked for parasites, only found by vet when examining the rectum and it was just a little. I will try the Prep H. No would not do any thing surgical as she is 12yo (JRT)and has survived with it this long Frankly just wanted to try and stop her licking, she doesn't do it all the time but does do it quite often particularly after going. Previous owner always said she just liked to clean herself but I wanted to make sure her anal glands didn't need expressing (which they didn't)or wouldn't have taken her to vet. Thanks again, presume its ok that she will probably lick the PrepH.
Any tips on diet just in case there is any soreness in rectum?

Just make sure she has plenty of fiber in her diet to keep her stool soft. I don't think she would have a problem if she licked the Preparation H.

Something else you can try that I've found extremely beneficial for all my dogs, and does no harm.

Fold a paper towel, and wet it along the fold with apple cidar vinegar. Rub it vigorously but briefly on first the vulva and then the anus (be sure to get the order right, because you do not want to spread bacteria from the anus to the vulva area).

Do this once a day. If she resists it at first, give treats. Soon she will realize it doesn't hurt at all, and she will relax about it. Once a day is enough, but do it every day.

This seems to help with bacterial infections and also with anal glands. And it does no harm.

Also, it would be a good idea to have the dog's thyroid blood levels checked. Hypothyroidism can cause problems like this--and many other propblems, too.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47