Toenail Biting

Hi all,

I'm new and I have a question about my 2 year old German Shepard. She recently just started biting her toenails and pulling some of them out. I normally take her to the vet and have them clipped when she gets her shots. I also take her for regular walks and play ball with her and she is with me most of the time so she is getting regular attention.

Do you think she is doing this because she's bored? There doesn't seem to be a problem with her feet. Should I call the vet?

I've had other dogs before and this is the first time this problem has come up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

Oh me it sounds very painful! She pulls some of them out? Im sorry I can't be of any help. Im sure someone else will pop in who can give you some good advice. Again Sorry I was of no help. But I do want to Welcome you to the board!

 

Welcome to the board, Hilara!

Hmm?! I wonder? I would still at least call the vet and see what they think? I would say it sounds like allergies, but then she wouldn't bite only her nails?

Jamyia, what do you think? Sams? MaryNH?

 

Hi Gina and Dogangel,

Thank you for the welcome. Maxie has pulled out about three so far. She likes to lay by a chair in the living room at night when my Mom and I are watching TV. I will look over at Maxie and she's chewing on her nails. I tell her to stop and give her a chew toy which distracts her for a little while but then she goes back to her nails again.

I think I will try calling the vet too to see if it could be an allergy.

 

Hi and welcome. that is strange, I would think if it was allergies she would also be chewing other parts of her body and not be so destructive.
have you changed her food, shampoo, what aoubt where you live, unusual pollen.

I wonder if it could be like an obessive compuslive thing. Like me when I get to biting my nails, I cant stop, and then they hurt! and its usually when I am watching TV because I dont have anything else to occupy me.


but again it could very well be allergies

I found this info
By far the most common cause of biting or chewing on the feet is allergy.
The two most common allergic reactions that lead to this are food allergies
and inhalant allergies ( atopy). Less commonly this can occur due to flea
allergy or contact allergy.

Food allergies usually, but not always, show up before a year of age. If
your chocolate Lab started chewing her feet before she was a year of age,
it would be a good idea to consider a dietary trial to see if food
allergies are the cause of the itchiness.

To do a dietary food trial for allergies, it is necessary to find a protein
source that your dog has never eaten during its lifetime. This can be
something like venison or duck, or it is possible to use newer allergy
diets with manufactured proteins that do not occur in nature. In addition,
it is a good idea to use a carbohydrate source that is unfamiliar to your
dog, as well. Rice sometimes works for this, but potato or some other
carbohydrate is a better choice since it isn't used in dog food,
usually. This diet must be fed for at least six to eight weeks to be sure
that a dietary ingredient is not the cause of the itchiness. It is
important to remember that food allergies are to specific ingredients, such
as beef, lamb, milk, chicken, etc. -- not to a brand of dog food. Food
allergies tend to be a continuous problem, so itchiness that is not
seasonal is another hint that this might be the problem.

Inhalant allergies can be tested for by serology (blood tests) or injection
of suspected allergens into the skin (intradermal skin testing). The skin
testing is considered to be more accurate. Inhalant allergies tend to show
up later than food allergies, but sometimes show up as early as eight
months or so. They tend to be seasonal at first, but then to occur over
more and more of the year, as dogs develop allergies to additional
irritants. Dogs can be allergic to tree pollens, weed pollens, dust mites,
fungi and other allergens that affect people, too. Testing for allergies is
a really good idea when it is necessary to use cortisones frequently. It is
often possible to design a program of allergy shots using small doses of
the substances the dog is allergic to that help to "desensitize" the dog to
the allergic substances. This has much less side effects than
cortisone. The success rate of allergy desensitization programs is between
60 and 80%. Allergy testing and injections can be expensive, especially
the first year, but they are much better for the dog and if they work, may
be less expensive in the long run.

Antihistamines help some itchy dogs. The antihistamine most likely to work
for allergies in dogs is clemastine (Tavist (tm) or TavistD (tm)). Other
choices are diphenhydramine (Bendryl tm), chlorpheniramine (Chlortrimeton
tm), hydroxyzine (Atarax Rx) and several other antihistamines. Even if
antihistamines won't totally control the itching they might extend the
length of time between cortisone injections.

Most veterinary pharmacologists recommend using oral corticosteroids on an
every other day (or greater interval) basis rather than using injections.
When it is necessary to give injections close together, this is even more
important to consider.

Hope this helps some.

 

It might even be a compulsive disorder due to something that is stressful to the dog such as moving, new baby, schedule changes, something totally new in the household.

 

Yeah, I'm sort of wondering about the compulsive thing. Has anything changed in your environment? Try to think of things from the dog's point of view.


Jamiya

 

Nail bitting

I had a Dashhound and he would pull his nails out all the time so i tried rubbing garlic oil on his nails and he stopped chewing them.Maybe you could try it because it wont hurt him. I dont know weather he didn"t like the taste of it or if his feet where itchie and the garlic stopped the itch. But you can only try it.
Good Luck. \/

 

As for the allergy aspect, have you knoticed a change in the plants around your area that you walk him? He could be allergic to the plants he's walking on. Have you checked his feet for stickers? There could be one embedded in his toes and he's pulling the nails thinking thats it. I would definatly consult your vet and see what they have to say.

 

i once had a crab who would pull his legs off, they told me it was stress and anxiety. never heard of a dog biting its toenails off though.

 

Gotta hate it when your crab is stressed.


Jamiya

 

Oh Jamiya

 

Who's got Crabs!!!!!???!!!!! he he he..... :wink:

 

Seriously. I mean, with all the things we already worry about with our pets, now we have a stressed CRAB?! What the heck do you DO for an anxious crustacean? Sing to it? Play classical music? Light an aromatic candle?

The sad thing is, if it were me I would be searching for a forum on crabs to find out how to help it...

I need to find myself a good looney bin. I can share it with Sams, who will be mumbling to herself while she attempts to remember her name. :0010:


Jamiya

 

ha ha ha, :x smart a$$!!! he he he

 

You rent the movie Little Mermaid so it well relax and what ever you do don't take it near a Red Lobster restaurant.
2pyrs

 

I haven't changed anything in her diet and we haven't changed anything in her enviroment. The only thing that I can think of that is different is that we have had a mother fox and her two babies that have been coming close to the house at night. And one time when the dog and I were out walking in our back lot we saw them hanging out on an old pile of sticks and they barked at us and my dog did act afraid and ran in the other direction. We haven't had any up close and personal encounters with the foxes since but I'm wondering if their being around is upsetting her. We have also contacted someone about possibly relocating the foxes if they keep coming so close to the house so they won't bring mange or other diseases to Maxie as they've left a dead skunk and a deer part in our yard.

Maxie hasn't done it today but if I see her doing it again, I will try the garlic and call the vet.

Thanks everyone! I will keep you posted.

 

This is just to wild. I ask a friend if they have ever heard of such a thing and they said yes. "Not me" I have had them bite at there nails but never pull them out. She seems to feel that there is more going on then a nervous habit or some kind of compulsion disorder. She said this dog should be showing pain and crying from pulling them out and having a very difficult time walking and there should be a lot of blood loss. She said she would be looking into a brain dysfunction ( a possible form of epilepsy ) if it was in a very young dog and if older she would consider some from of prelacies or stroke. Although rare it is possible there could be a problem with the nails and there growth and roots, easy to check with and x-ray. Also they can check the feet,pads by sticking a needle in it to see if there is any feeling. She also said it would not hurt to get a white blood count to eliminate and infection of some sort. Her concern was the amount of time this has been going on.
Just a few notes, disagree if you want because I have know idea other then I would be pushing my vet just a little bit harder about this matter it were me, but that's me pushy.

2pyrs