Have you ever wondered why do some dogs keep raising their rear end? It is doubtful to see such strange behavior from your beloved dog as a dog parent.
Because you may be wondering if this behavior manifests something abnormal or if it’s just an ordinary behavior.
By the way, here is a quick answer for you.
Your dog may keep raising its rear end in the air due to pancreatitis, an intestinal foreign body, gastrointestinal upset, bloat, “play bow”, stretching, calming signal, or any other possible cause of abdominal pain. Consulting a veterinarian ASAP is only the solution for abnormal circumstances.
As it seems, this can happen due to both normal and abnormal reasons. So, it’s wise to examine those reasons in detail and find the solutions accordingly.
Why does your dog keeps raising its back?
First, to start off with, let’s examine the reasons behind this issue.
If your dog stays keep raising its back in the air, this unusual posture usually indicates abdominal pain. But this particular abdominal pain can be caused by several different health problems.
1. Due to pancreatitis.
Dogs usually manifest this weird behavior because of abdominal pain, especially associated with pancreatitis.
Further, don’t forget to check if the dog exhibits the following symptoms.
- Lethargy.
- Vomiting.
- Lack of appetite.
- Fever.
- Diarrhea.
- Nausea,
- Abdominal pain.
If your dog exhibits the above symptoms, she is most likely to suffer from pancreatitis.
Here are the major causes of pancreatitis in dogs.
- Obesity.
- High fat diet.
- Hypothyroidism
- Some of the medications.
- Diabetes mellitus.
In fact, a significantly higher percentage of dogs with pancreatitis can be found among the following dog breeds.
- Poodles.
- Cocker spaniels.
- Miniature Schnauzers.
- Dachshunds.
- Yorkshire terriers.
2. Due to an intestinal foreign body.
If your dog keeps its rear end high, just like the praying position, while keeping the chest on the ground and stretching the body, this may indicate an intentional foreign body in your dog.
This happens when your furry friend has eaten something non-food foreign object which cannot pass through the gastrointestinal tract.
This circumstance is really dangerous and causes severe discomfort. Further, this may take up to 24 hours for the foreign object to pass through the gastrointestinal tract. However, some foreign objects may even take months.
Here are some of the other symptoms that indicate if a foreign body has stuck in the gastrointestinal tract in your dog.
- Vomiting.
- Lethargy
- Ab abnormal behavior that is inclined toward an unusual aggressiveness.
- Diarrhea.
- Lack of appetite.
Read this to understand what to do when your dog eats a piece of a rubber toy.
3. Gastritis.
Dogs tend to keep their rear end in the air due to gastritis. For your sake of easiness, check if your dog exhibits the following symptoms. These symptoms can be found in dogs with gastritis issues.
- Lethargy.
- Blood in vomit and stool.
- Abdominal pain.
- Psychological issues like depression.
- Lack of appetite.
- Vomiting.
- Increased thirst.
Suggested Reading: Can Rawhides cause gas in dogs?
4. Due to bloat.
Dogs tend to keep their rear end in the air due to bloat. Here are the symptoms of bloat in dogs.
- Heavy drooling.
- Hard and swollen belly.
- Abdomen pain when touched.
- Restlessness.
- Heavy panting.
- Retching.
The next 3 reasons apply only when your dog does not have a stomach-related health problem.
5. The play bow.
Assuming your dog is perfectly healthy and well, if she seems to be happy and fully engaged with the present moment, if she keeps raising its back in the air for some time, this is an invitation to play with her, which is a very common behavior among dogs.
However, they won’t stay in the “play bow” for more than a minute. She will immediately start running here and there whenever she recognizes a hint of movement from you or from the other pet.
6. Stretching.
Almost every dog tends to stretch its body after a good and comfortable nap. Dogs that sleep the most amounts of the time during the day tend to stretch more, especially greyhounds as they sleep around 18-20 hours a day.
7. A calming signal.
This behavior can also be described as a calming behavior in dogs. Dogs tend to exhibit these signals when they need to calm down,
- Another dog
- Another person
- Or calm itself when stressed or excited.
Should you worry if your dog keeps raising its rear end?
We’ve discussed 7 reasons for this unusual behavior. Apart from the play bow, stretching, and calming behavior, the other 4 reasons are reasons that every dog parent must be worried about, and especially most of them are severe conditions.
I guess anyone can understand what the play bow, stretching, and calming signals are in dogs. Since the first four reasons are the most dangerous, I have discussed them with the common symptoms.
In fact, play-bow and stretching are not behaviors that are generally last longer more than a minute. So, it’s pretty much easy to guess if this behavior is something to worry about just by looking at the dog’s appearance and the behavior.
However, when it comes to the other reasons, YOU HAVE TO WORRY!
What should you do if your dog keeps raising its rear end?
If your dog does this due to normal circumstances like play-bow, stretching, and stress (obviously stress is not a normal condition. However, it can be solved by yourself with enough effort), you don’t have to do anything more than spending quality time together, fulfilling its needs and wants.
However, when it comes to the severe conditions, as we discussed in the first 4 reasons, you have no choice other than to consult a licensed veterinarian.
Sometimes, she may require
- Bloodwork
- An abdominal ultrasound.
- Hospitalization,
to treat its abdominal pain and any kind of disorder/disease associated with this unusual behavior.
Also, here are some common indications that tell you to take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.
- Unwilling or unable to rest and eat.
- Vomiting.
- Gums look pale.
- Extremely lethargic.
- Loose stools.
- Worsening pain.
Things to be aware of.
Now I guess you have sufficient knowledge of why dogs keep their back in the air. As it seems, you gotta meet the veterinarian as soon as possible. However, there’re a few more things to keep in mind.
Aspirin: Please be aware that Aspirin is not something to use on a regular basis, but the prescription medications are.
Other causes of abdominal pain: Keep in mind that the causes we have discussed under Reasons are not all causes for abdominal pain. So, it’s better to keep in mind that kidney injury, GI pain, and gallbladder mucocele are also reasons for abdominal pain in dogs.
Food: If the dog seems unwell but eats, consider going with bland foods, especially rice, a low-fat diet, cottage cheese, chicken.
Be quick: As I mentioned earlier, this problem can severely impact your dog. So it’s best to hurry up to consult a veterinarian as soon as you realize the dog has something wrong.
Home remedies: Since this is an abnormal inner pain, you have no time to guess and try home remedies. Now, do not even think about the vet bill. You gotta go. By the way, read this to understand whether veterinarians overcharge.
Conclusion.
Many dog owners are desperate to find out why their dogs keep their rear ends in the air. Well, this can happen due to both ordinary and abnormal circumstances, especially due to abnormal causes. So, in this article, we’ve discussed why this could happen, what the symptoms are, and what to do about this. I hope you found this helpful.
