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Why is my dog anxious and chewing her tail after I came home?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | 11 years and 10 months old

My husband was in the hospital 2 weeks ago and after he came home Cupcake has been so unsettled,I can’t go to bed,with or without her,she want sleep except during the day,she even tore up her tail,so now we have to put a dog funnel on her head,she continues to lick,she drinks a lot of water. Please help me,we cannot afford to take her to a vet here in Candler. What can we try to get her settled back down Thank You for your time in this matter

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Published on October 8th, 2017

Poor Cupcake! She sounds very anxious. Aside from giving her lots of attention and love at home, there isn't much you can do for her without seeing a vet. If she continues to be very anxious and worried, she would likely be much more comfortable on anti-anxiety medication like Lorazepam that you can get from your vet. A dog-specific neutroceutical medication that often works well is Zylkene that your vet might recommend as well. Since she was chewing on her tail, it's possible she is itchy and not just anxious, and might benefit from allergy medication like Apoquel. Unfortunately, to really get her feeling better I think you'll likely need to see the vet for help. Good luck!
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