HELP! my dog is biting itself!!!!!!!!

today i came home and i saw blood on the carpet. it was in a trail that let to my dog biting its tail. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!<me going crazy

 

Has he been bitten by a flea recently in that area? I know flea bites can cause an animal to itch so bad they will chew until they bleed. Even animals that don't appear to have fleas...if they are prone to what my vet calls "flea bite dermatitis"... and some animals are highly allergic to fleas, and it can take just one bite to send them into orbit with chewing.

 

Oh my goodness! Your poor dog!!

After giving him/her a going over for fleas, rashes, and such, there's a chance that he/she might have an obsessive compulsive behavior pattern started. A lot of dogs do this in the tail and feet area.

All you can do is try to discourage and distract your dog from chewing the tail. Give him some other chew items to concentrate on. Always tell him NO when catching him chewing. If that's not working, you might have to try some Bitter Apple on the tail.

With severe compulsive behaviors, valium is the only solution. I suggest going to your Vet for an exam and consultation.

Let us know what you find out.

 

Biting itself

Hey Geen
I think before we can give good advice we need more information from you. First of all, can you tell what the skin looks like? The most common reason for a dog to bite itself is because it is itching so bad, it drives them crazy which is usually caused from some type of fungus or mites. (Demo mites are the worst and can drive your dog nuts). Check it out and let us know.

I know of a product that works excellant on any type of itching, dermititus, including eliminating ring worm, mange and killing and treating the wounds from mites. Its called Pets Best. I should be a sales person for this company. (ha ha) It came highly recommended to me by a breeder and after using it I have recommended it to several friends & people who needed help. I wouldn't use anything else and it has saved me lots of Vet bills.

Check it out, I must be on their mailing list. I got this from them
http:/qbased.com/marketing/petbestmange.asp

This is also a link to their website http://www.qbased.com/petsbest.asp

Sandra

 

SLB, welcome. You sound like a seasoned dog owner.
Geen: it is best to figure out what the cause is. For minor skin irritations I use sufedine. But if it were mites, which you can only detect under a microscope. That should be done by a vet. Generally, dogs get mites around the muzzle, by the eyes and top of the head. But that not written in stone. It could very well be a flea bite thats turned into a hot spot. Which need to be watched so's no infection sets in. If its a large wound have the vet take a look. If it is mites after vet checks it out maybe buy what Slb has mentioned. Instead of opting for the 100 dollar dips, which you will need more than one of. Been there. :cry:

 

SOunds like ti could be an onset of mange or mites. I just delt with two pups with it. You'll need to take him in to the vet to have an initial exam. Just to be on the safe side, and find out if its not something worse.
He can then give you "qualified" advice.

As for the dips, I have my dogs dipped twice a year anyhow. As for right now, you can try and rub some benadryl on the area to see if that helps, but keep him from licking and biting at it.
Applying a bandage might help as well.

 

Biting

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I love my pups and want only the best for them. I've been through the ringworm cross contamination thing, the dermatits thing, the itchy scaly skin and yes... the demo mange that is just horrible! I have spent hundreds of dollars on just these issues I just mentioned.

The reason I recommend the Pets Best product is because it was the only product I came accross that was non-toxic and I didn't have to worry about my pups licking it off and this stuff really works. I'm ususally reluctant to try anything new without my vet giving his approval. When my breeder friend told me to just shut up and order it... for once I did what she told me to do and we still laugh about that still today. (ha ha).

Its my understanding that the product penetrates through the skin quickly, encases and dehydrates the mites. Within a couple of minutes the itching goes away and the product has no alcohol in it to dry the skin out even more. They have other products too.

Sandra

 

thanx everybody!!!!! u guys are really smart :shock: well it turns out to be ticks atleast thats wat the vet said. i used frontline plus and i cleared it away as quick as it came. thanx for all your help. u guys are the best!!! :y_the_best: :0019: :bow_now: :m5:
hehe sorry i really like them

 

Great that was an easy fix, thank goodness.