Biting At Her Tail

[Guest MyCody]

JJ has been biting at the base of her tail and I cannot see any fleas, ticks or flea dander.

 

I do see some small scabs and put some Neosporin on it last night. Any ideas? I'm thinking of taking her in to her vet but just wondering if anyone has experienced this with their pups.

 

Thanks

[turbotaina]

Just went through a nasty bout of this with my boy - he gets seasonal allergies, so it's really bad in the spring. He just gets itchy all over and chews himself relentlessly, causing scabs and sores. A few weeks of a good antihistimine and Genesis spray brought him around.

 

Note, too, that nerve impingement can cause numbness and tingling at the tail, so make sure there's nothing weird going on, such as LS or a disc issue.

 

Good luck!

Edited July 7, 2010 by turbotaina

[Guest Energy11]

Funny that you mentioned this!

 

Goldie is doing the same thing (the underside) of her tail. I looked very closely, and there is really nothing there, and no fleas. Her eyes have been a bit watery too, so I am attributing it to allergies.

 

You could try giving 50 mg of Benedryl (regular or generic/not allergy sinus), every four to six hours.

 

Good Luck, but it does sound like allergies. IF she is allergic to fleas, though, ONE flea can cause a reaction.

[duncan41]

A hundred years ago when I was a wee little girl with no money, a kindly vet suggested tea bags to calm itchy skin. Just steep, cool and apply to itchy area - you have to hold it on the area for as long as possible.

This time of year is murder on the kids that have the "itchies". I have one who is constantly biting, chewing or scratching. Here in FL I still "assume" fleas so I bathe with De Flea Shampoo (it's a stool softener base) and treat with Advantage monthly and mist ever-so-lightly with Adams before our nightly walks. This is the third year using that protocol and it''s working so far. Once a bug magnet, always a bug magnet, but she's much more comfortable.

[Charlies_Dad]

Jack did this last year and ended up being fleas even though we could not see anything. After combing him over and over, we finally found the little buggers.

[Guest Energy11]

Might be time to break out the Adams Flea and Tick Mist. We love it here. Works!

[Guest MyBoys]

My Henry started doing this so I mentioned it to my vet when he was in for a wellness check a few weeks ago, thinking it might be allergies. First thing she did was check his anal glands and sure enough they needed to be emptied. She said they were not to bad but it will cause him to bite back there, he has not been biting since then, that might be something to check for.

Edited July 7, 2010 by MyBoys

[Guest Sunset123]

Arrisa's done the same thing a couple of times. We've had to keep it covered until it healed or else she'll just keep chewing up her skin (we use a pair of drawstring shorts). I have some colloidal oatmeal and aloe shampoo that helps soothe the skin, and antihistamines seem to help a little, too.

[Guest MyCody]

Thank you so mucheveryone, this has been very helpful. Will look again and again for fleas and will check about allergies.

 

Thanks again, you people are wonderful.

[Guest dmona]

As someone else mentioned, it could be the anal glands. I have to have my boyz expressed every six weeks and I can tell when it's time as they start licking under their tail. Hope you find your answer.