Tail Pocket/Rear sensitivity

[Hanks Mother]

My Hank usually loves getting his tail pocket cleaned. I mean he LOVES it. I usually wipe it with baby wipes, followed with something dry, like a tissue or paper towel. I clean it 3-4 times a week. I went to clean it today and he won't let me touch it. I finally got a hold of him and wiped underneath and he yelped so loud. The wipe didn't have any blood or anything, just the normal hair and gunk. Any ideas? This is so unlike him. He has a really tight corkscrew tail, so we can't see underneath it. I want to know what possibilities there are before we take an expensive trip to the vet.

 

[dolphin]

He may have hurt his tail bone or fanny on something. I would just keep an eye on him, it will most likely go away and he'll be back to loving the cleaning in no time.

 

[2BullyMama]

agree with Phil... if he still is not wanting you to touch it tomorrow or shows signs of pain, you may want to have the vet check for infection just to make sure nothing is going on that you can not see or reach

 

[madie4589]

This happened to me for a few days with frank. He would nip at me and yelp. Frank doesn't even have a pocket but I do have to clean it after he poops. I left it alone for a few days, this was also right before he got neutered and was on pain meds, and within a few days he went back to loving getting his bum wiped. I assumed he hurt/sprained his tail a bit. Not sure how long you can leave it alone though, I know out of control a tail pocket can get within a few days.

 

[johns5150]

That was the first sign of my Dottie's tail pocket infection. I am not saying that is the case here but I would definitely check it. If you can, use a Qtip and go under "nub" and see what comes out on tip. Good luck

 

[Davidh]

Sounds like he could have an infection back there.

 

[Grecbro]

Ok, so my little gigi has been scooting around the rug and "fake " itching for weeks now. We figured it was just allergies or irritation but after doing some research I discovered she needed her anal glands expressed. So we took her to get this done yesterday and she's still doing the same scooting and attempted scratching of her back side. I feel horrible and helpless because I can't figure out now how to help her.. Although her glands were full, there's still an issue. I discovered her tail pocket also recently (she has never had a tail) and I saw what appears to be dried up poop (I think) in her hair and I've been trying to pull them out and keep it clean.. What's the best way to do this?? I was using moist paper towels but now I'm reading that's no good. Any help would be so much appreciated ...Thank You in advance . Joe & Gigi

 

[brutus77]

I clean franks tail with witchhazel, then dry the area, then powder his little backside. It is kinda cute! Anyway, sometimes it gets a bit irritated and he doesnt really want me messing around back there so I will cover the area with bacitracin and let it be for the day and it will be back to normal the next day.

 

[Hanks Mother]

Hey everyone! Thank you for your posts. We took Hank to the vet last week and it's an infection. We got some medicated wipes and antibiotics. It's still sensitive, but he's not yelping every time I wipe it now. I think we're on track to loving tail pocket time again! The vet gave us a pretty big container of wipes, and they also having a drying aspect to them so I think we'll use them until they're all gone!

 

[Hanks Mother]

Ok, so my little gigi has been scooting around the rug and "fake " itching for weeks now. We figured it was just allergies or irritation but after doing some research I discovered she needed her anal glands expressed. So we took her to get this done yesterday and she's still doing the same scooting and attempted scratching of her back side. I feel horrible and helpless because I can't figure out now how to help her.. Although her glands were full, there's still an issue. I discovered her tail pocket also recently (she has never had a tail) and I saw what appears to be dried up poop (I think) in her hair and I've been trying to pull them out and keep it clean.. What's the best way to do this?? I was using moist paper towels but now I'm reading that's no good. Any help would be so much appreciated ...Thank You in advance . Joe & Gigi

We were using hypoallergenic baby wipes followed with a dry paper towel. After this infection I think we're going to switch to witch hazel because it helps keep the area dry.