Apparently, little puppies of smaller breeds that have a lot of fur can develop a “poop mat” when they poop…which means that poop has matted in the fur and dried. The next time the puppy tries to “go”, the poop mat makes doing the job difficult and the puppy often will strain. (Still with me?) This can cause the puppy discomfort, hemorrhoids and constipation.
Our little puppy Rigley developed a poop mat 2 days ago. I noticed it but thought it was “normal”. (What was I thinking?) Tyler told me that Rigley was having trouble pooping, and when I looked, I could see that she was straining and rubbing her butt along the ground.
A quick call to the vet and I learn about “poop mats”. The recommended at home treatment is a bath to wash away the offending material, followed up by some ointment.
So I filled the bathtub. Washed the puppy. Dried the puppy. Rubbed some Polysporin on the butt. Then proceeded to scrub the tub, wash my hands, think to myself “eeew, gross”, wash my hands again. Feel sorry for the puppy. Cuddle the puppy.
After raising two kids,I thought I was done with poop.
LOL This post had me in near tears. Puppy poop mats. Oh gosh!
Aw, I just read your most recent post so I wanted to see more about your puppies and I found this post. Poor puppy 🙁 My family got a pup about a year and a half ago and I have definitely gone soft after being around her. We get grossed out by poop, but I know my family would do the same thing if that happened to their pup!