Parasites do cause scooting. Scooting is an anal sac disease. First we need to understand scooting in some detail. "Scooting" is the dog's dragging of his anus with his hind limbs extended. Parasites causing irritation in the anal area lead to such behavior in animals like dogs.
In the case of dogs, however, one should not believe that it is the parasite alone causing the behavior. There are many occasions in which the dog may be scooting without any parasite based etiological agent. There can be anal gland infections, tumors at the anus, and injury near the anal area that will cause such behavior.
Flea bite as well as allergy to fleas can cause irritation about the anus, and the dog may bite at the irritation. Due to these factors lthe dog may scoot about the ground.
Cestodiasis in dogs is a condition caused by tapeworms. In such cases, if the dog is not treated in a timely manner, he may exhibit scooting behavior. Tapeworm segments passed in the stool create a crawling sensation for the dog about the anus. Such sensations of the tapeworm segments lead to severe itching, hence, for relief, the dog starts pressing the anal area on the ground first then drags across the ground with the typical extension of the rear limbs.
In diagnosing for cestodiasis, there is a packet of eggs when a fecal sample from the affected dog is examined by microscope. However, the flotation technique in examination leads to breakage of these packets, hence, diagnosis can be difficult. Scooting dogs need to be examined so to rule out tapeworm as the cause. These segments, appearing rice-like, are white in color, turning to yellow when removed from the body. Tapeworms themselves may be seen in motion at or near the anal region. Consult your veterinarian for specific measures to cure this.
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