# Do Animal Butts Itch After Pooping?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animal-butts-itch-after-pooping/730652>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animal-butts-itch-after-pooping/730652 "2015-09-11T07:31:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animal-butts-itch-after-pooping/730652/1 "2015-09-11T07:31:24Z")

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Inspired by this thread  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=18676466#post18676466](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=18676466#post18676466)  
My question, almost too silly for GQ, is do dogs (or any other animal) butts itch after pooping? I cant imagine how humans lived in the pre-toilet paper era?

Also, why isnt nature subject to the same health issues that plagued early cities? Animals poop anywhere and everywhere. The water is polluted by it. Why arent animals made ill from this?

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animal-butts-itch-after-pooping/730652/2 "2015-09-11T07:42:27Z")

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From observing my dog, his butt doesn’t seem to bother him after pooping. He doesn’t scoot his butt across the floor or bite at it or do anything at all to try to relieve an itch. Also, humans have large gluteal muscles that squeeze together as a result of walking upright, so there’s more area for feces to stick to. Dogs don’t have prominent ass cheeks, so they don’t have that problem.

As for the pre-toilet paper era, almost everybody who has gone camping and forgot the toilet paper has had to resort to using leaves. Make sure you know what poison ivy looks like. 🙂

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animal-butts-itch-after-pooping/730652/3 "2015-09-11T08:40:40Z")

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[Sometimes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFvkr6GBWLw) although it’s usually due to an internal problem like worms or yeast infection causing the itch.

Dogs with long hair can also end up with “[dingleberries](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1304&bih=681&q=dingleberries&oq=dingleberries&gs_l=img.3..0l9.827.2738.0.3453.13.9.0.4.4.0.88.644.9.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.13.652.YVwVVZgrcPw#imgrc=78RBHxvH_0RLWM%3A)” if you don’t keep the area around the anus well clipped.