HELP! My dog has poop stuck on its butt!

The story of Hattie Mae and Pseudocoprostasis

I know it is Summer, but I love soup year around. I found a perfect Summer chili recipe that would pair wonderfully with this cool Summer night. The fragrance was filling the air as the soup began to simmer. Suddenly, I glance over at my sweet Hattie Mae. I think to myself, “that’s different!”, so I watched a little longer. Hattie Mae, who is still working on potty training, was trying to poop, but nothing was coming out. You could tell she was in distress, but why?

I grabbed a paper towel and explored a little closer. Quickly, I realized there was some big hunk of something stuck around her anus!

As all good Mom’s do, I turned down my Summer chili in efforts to help my sweet baby girl. After further exploration I was able to answer, YES! my dog has a poop mat stuck on its butt. So, I knew this was going to be a larger task than I could handle so I called for reinforcements.

What to do next?

Honestly, I didn’t even know how to answer that question! I first ran to the bath tub, thinking she could sit and soak. The more I thought about it, the more I realized, she would never sit still. So, I settled on a warm bowl of soapy water, a grooming table, a pair of grooming scissors, plenty of treats and a wonderful neighbor to assist.

The Process of Pseudocoprostasis Removal (or poop mat as I call it!):

  1. I moistened the area with a warm soapy washcloth by letting the warm washcloth sit on the area for several minutes.
  2. Scissor time! I trimmed away the poop mat a little at a time (let me tell you there was a lot). In efforts not to cut her, I trimmed a little at a time making sure to stay away from the skin.
  3. I ran and grabbed a mask – it was so bad even the Summer chili didn’t mask the odor.
  4. Moistened, trimmed, repeat.
  5. Examine. This was an important step. I held her while my neighbor checked for more poop mat. She would tell me where to trim so I wasn’t flying blind.
  6. Moistened, trimmed, examine. repeat.
  7. No poop mat! I finished by cleaning the area with warm, soapy water until it washed away clear.

What I learned.

The poop mat taught me that I never want to deal with something like that again. So, I took to Google to try to find more information. What I soon discovered is the information on a poop mat was sparse. Not many people write about it or have information surrounding it. After several different search phrases I finally came across it. It actually has a name! It is called Pseudocoprostasis or “fecal matter stuck in hair”.

After reading, there are a lot of complications that can come from fecal mater stuck in hair. From minor irritations, infections to flies laying larva in the fecal matter. Who knew? All I know is I never wanted it to happen again.

So, as my research said, be sure to keep the area short around anus, always check for poop in hair, pay attention if you notice the dog straining and be sure to always check the area!

I am so thankful to have found the poop mat before it caused any further complications. Also, good news is that Hattie Mae seems to be in better spirits. I know she was secretly telling me thank you as we worked through the poop mat together.

Stay poop mat free! and make the Summer chili – it was delicious!