Dog butt wipes: picks for cleanup, anal glands, heat and incontinence

Pick by the job. For everyday rear-end cleanup, Earthbath Tushy Wipes. For the area around the anal glands, Glandex or Pet Parents Gland Wipes. For a female dog in heat, a big fragrance-free sheet such as Earth Rated Unscented. For a senior or leaky dog, Pogi's, which has the largest stated sheet in this group.

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Not veterinary advice. This page has not been reviewed by a veterinarian; it summarizes published veterinary sources, linked in the text. If your pet has a skin problem, a wound, or symptoms that do not clear up, talk to your vet.

None of these treats anything. Scooting, swelling, leaking or discharge outside a normal heat are vet questions, and the section below says which signs. Dog bum wipes, tushy wipes and sanitary wipes for dogs all fall into the groups below. The wider range of wipes is in best wipes for dogs.

When a wipe is the wrong answer

Start here, because the rear end is where several real problems show up.

• Scooting, or licking and biting at the base of the tail. VCA calls scooting often the first sign of an anal sac problem. It links repeat problems to obesity, loose or hard stools and possibly skin allergies.
• Swelling beside the anus, or blood or pus draining from it. VCA says an infected sac can abscess, and that swelling or dragging in an older dog can also be a tumor.
• A dog that leaks fluid with an unpleasant lingering odor. VCA lists that among anal sac signs and suggests mentioning it to your vet.
• A female with pus-like or bloody discharge outside a normal heat. The VCA pyometra page describes pus-like discharge on the fur under the tail, and says an unspayed female who is very ill and drinking more needs a vet right away. The MSD Veterinary Manual adds that vaginitis shows up mainly as discharge, often with licking of the vulva.
• Red, wet or sore skin from constant dribbling. MSD says urine left on the fur around the vulva or penis can irritate and scald the skin.

Everyday rear-end cleanup: Earthbath Tushy Wipes

This is the plain job: a loose stool, a muddy walk that ended at the back door, a long-haired dog that needs a tidy-up between baths. A sturdy sheet and a mild formula matter more than any claim about glands.

Earthbath is our pick because its maker page prints the whole ingredient list: water, saccharomyces ferment, a soy-based cleanser, rice, chamomile and rosemary extracts, baking soda, citric acid and a phenoxyethanol preservative. It states a 6-week minimum age, and the maker says the wipes are free of alcohol, soap, parabens and synthetic dyes. The scent comes from rosemary and chamomile extracts, with no fragrance on the list. The page gives no sheet size.

The maker's directions also say you can use a wipe to express anal glands. VCA's anal sac page describes expression as something a veterinarian does and gives no home instructions, so we would not take that line as a how-to. Ask your vet first. The maker also says not to flush the wipes.

Earthbath

Earthbath Tushy Wipes, Rosemary & Chamomile

Best for everyday rear-end cleanup between baths, with a full ingredient list

Skip if you want a wipe with no botanical scent or a dog that reacts to rosemary or chamomile

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Source: maker page (earthbath.com), checked 2026-10-15.

Petkin Tushie Wipes: scented, short ingredient line

Petkin's page lists four items: cleanser, aloe vera, vitamin E and eau de toilette. That last one is fragrance, so it is a scented wipe by design, with extra cleansers for hard messes. The maker says it is veterinarian approved, safe for pets that lick, and fine for daily use. It gives no sheet size, minimum age, alcohol status or made-in, and files it under dogs without saying more. Take it for a deodorizing rear-end wipe, and skip it if a dog reacts to fragrance. The deodorizing dog wipes guide explains what scent can hide. Petkin's other wipe, Big n' Thick, has its own review.

Petkin

Petkin Tushie Wipes, 100ct

Best for a scented, deodorizing rear-end wipe for messy cleanups

Skip if you want fragrance-free or a full ingredient list

Check price on Amazon

Source: maker page (petkin.com), checked 2026-10-15.

TropiClean Tushy & Paw Wipes: if you also want paws done

The maker names dogs and cats and sells these for both ends of the dog. They carry a berry and coconut fragrance, and the maker's list includes ceramide and aloe. No sheet size or age is stated. They suit a dog that comes in muddy at both ends, and not a fragrance-sensitive one.

TropiClean

TropiClean Berry + Coconut Tushy & Paw Wipes, 100ct

Best for scented muddy-day cleanup and odor freshening

Skip if you want fragrance-free

Check price on Amazon

Source: maker page (tropiclean.com), checked 2026-10-15.

Around the anal glands: Glandex and Pet Parents

Gland wipes are cleanup products with a gland name on the front. They help after a vet empties the sacs, or when a stool leaves a smell. They do not make the glands work better, and scooting is the signal to see the vet, not to buy a wipe.

Glandex Anal Gland Hygienic Wipes from Vetnique are the more established name. A distributor listing describes them as for cleaning the anal area after expression and for daily rear-end hygiene, with DeoPlex enzymatic deodorizers, aloe, vitamin E and a fresh fragrance. A PetSmart listing adds that they are alcohol-free and paraben-free. Neither lists the full ingredients, and we could not open Vetnique's own page, so treat the details as secondary. There is also a medicated Glandex wipe. That is a different product, so ask your vet before choosing it.

Vetnique Labs

Glandex Anal Gland Hygienic Pet Wipes, Fresh Scent

Best for cleanup after anal gland expression by a vet or after a messy stool

Skip if you want fragrance-free, a full ingredient list, or a wipe that treats the glands

Check price on Amazon

Source: retailer listings; we could not read a maker page, checked 2026-10-15.

Pet Parents Gland Wipes publish what Glandex does not. A retailer listing shows a full ingredient list: aloe, cucumber, colloidal oatmeal, Epsom salt, calendula extract and vanilla oil, preserved with phenoxyethanol. The maker's claim that Epsom salt and calendula pull out toxins and calm inflammation is marketing, and we found no study behind it. Vanilla oil is a scent, so a sensitive dog may still react. The maker page was blocked for us as well, so this is secondary data too.

Pet Parents

Pet Parents Pet WiPees Gland Wipes, Natural Scent

Best for a rear-end wipe with a published ingredient list for irritated or leaky bums

Skip if you want fragrance-free or a medicated product; the Epsom salt anti-inflammatory claim is the maker's, not a treatment

Check price on Amazon

Source: retailer listings; we could not read a maker page, checked 2026-10-15.

Between the two, choose Pet Parents if you want to read an ingredient list before buying, and Glandex if your vet already uses the brand. If your dog is reactive, check the label for Fragrance (parfum) and for Phenoxyethanol, which appears in both Earthbath and Pet Parents.

A female dog's private area in heat: keep it mild

We did not find a US maker selling a wipe for dogs in heat, so this section is about which of the existing wipes fits. The AKC says bloody discharge and a swollen vulva are signs of proestrus, which it puts at roughly 6 to 11 days, and that the discharge in estrus may turn straw-colored. Cycles come about every 6 to 12 months. MSD ties heat signs lasting beyond about 40 days to follicular cysts, so a very long heat is worth a call.

A wipe over the outside of the vulva and the fur around it is the whole job. Choose fragrance-free and a sheet big enough that you do not need to scrub. Earth Rated Unscented has an 8 x 8 in. sheet, a fragrance-free claim and a stated 8-week minimum age, and the maker says it is formulated for dogs (see the Earth Rated review). Use a fresh sheet for each pass and stay on the outside. Pants or a pad catch what the wipe cannot.

One timing point. Discharge in the weeks after a heat is not routine: MSD says pyometra often appears 4 to 6 weeks after heat, and VCA says it can develop 2 to 16 weeks after the last one. Spayed dogs should not show heat-like discharge at all.

Senior and incontinent dogs: big sheets, gentle formula

With a dog that dribbles, the wipe is the second step after the leak. MSD says constant dribbling can leave the fur wet and the skin inflamed. Wipe soon, dry the area, and ask your vet about the leak itself: MSD lists bladder inflammation, weak urethral muscles, low sex hormones after neutering, birth defects, overflow and nerve damage among the causes, and treatment depends on which one it is.

Pogi's Fragrance-Free is our pick. The maker states an 8 x 9 in. sheet and bamboo fiber, and labels it fragrance-free and alcohol-free, with an ingredient list short enough to check in full. That makes it easy to vet for skin that is already red. It states no minimum age and nothing about cats. See the Pogi's review.

If the skin is raw, skip scented wipes and ask your vet whether a medicated option fits. Our guide to hypoallergenic dog wipes lists the gentlest picks.

Dog butt wipes compared

Using a wipe on a dog's rear end

These steps are our suggestion, not a maker's or a vet's protocol.

1. Look first. Redness, swelling, a wound or a strong smell means a vet, not a wipe.
2. Lift the tail and wipe from the anus outward, using a new sheet for each pass. For a female, wipe away from the vulva.
3. Pat dry. Damp fur holds urine and stool against the skin.
4. Put used wipes in the bin. Earthbath's maker says not to flush, and we would not flush any pet wipe.
5. Wash your hands.

Two ingredients that appear in this group, Aloe vera (leaf juice / powder) and Chamomile extract, are covered in the ingredient guide, along with the rest.