My 5 month wolf puppy won't clean her private area

by Angel
(Tulsa, OK)

Hi, we got spirit who is a wolf husky mix at about 3 1/2 weeks old. The lady was moving out of state and was separating the cubs from their mother. At the time the lady told us she was 4 weeks old.

She has never wanted to clean herself, so for a while we did it with baby wipes and baths. Now that she is older, it is still a problem. Her private area is constantly coated with urine and looks pinkish and black in some areas.

I am afraid she will get a urine infection. Should I take her to the vet, any suggestions.

Thanks,
Angel





Hi Angel
Her behavior may have something to do with being separated from her momma so early, that was definitely not good for her in any way. Sometimes people are so irresponsible about the puppies that they are happy to produce - but not take care of!

If you were cleaning her for a while, it may be that she simply hasn't figured out that she's supposed to do this for herself, especially as she may have no other canine role-models for behavior. I've never come across this problem myself, but I would imagine that at some point a natural instinct to groom herself would appear... eventually.

For now though I would recommend that you have your vet examine her to make sure that there's no infection there, and that there aren't any physical problems. He may also be able to give you some advice/input in terms of her behavior.

Although dogs do clean/groom themselves, it's not something that they do rigorously in general, and she may just not be very efficient at it.

I wish I could help more, but I think your vet is the one who can help you here. I do wish you the best of luck with your pup and hope it all works out in the end.