My dog bites his tail and pulls out hair. Is it behavioral or medical?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Riki. I would consider asking his veterinarian about a medication trial on him as he seems to be displaying signs of a compulsive disorder. If he is injuring himself or exhausting himself by this behavior, that is not normal. If his veterinarian is not comfortable prescribing psychotropic drugs, then he may need to see a veterinary behaviorist. I hope this information helps!

Poor guy. This sounds like he may have a common condition called “happy tail” and likely injured the end of his tail due to hitting it on hard surfaces. Another possible cause is a fungal infection, but typically this causes hair loss as well. The hair needs to first be shaved to get a better look at the skin and also allow the area to be cleansed antiseptically and apply topical ointment or spray if needed. Oral antibiotics will also likely be needed if the infection is deep. This would be best taken care of by visiting your vet. Proper wound management is essential for wounds like this to heal well and since it is the tail area it already proves difficult to shave without causing further harm. Your vet will be able to do this quickly and efficiently and also be able to provide a prescription for antibiotics which is often needed for tail wounds to prevent the infection from seeping into the bone and causing further issues. Until you can get Louis seen, you can clean it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water. Best of luck with your pet Louis and his tail wound. I hope this heals well soon! Take care.

There are several conditions that can cause these symptoms. You'll want to try to keep the area as clean and dry as possible and prevent any licking. This will help prevent any secondary bacterial or yeast infection from forming. Be sure to visit your local Veterinarian and request a Skin scraping exam. This will allow your doctor to rule out any mites, mange, or fungal infection. Your doctor should be able to prescribe a treatment plan to clear this up pretty easily.

I am sorry to hear about Jake. I would be concerned he could have either intense itching or pain near his hind end that is causing this behavior. The base of the tail/hind end is a common site for flea bites. I would recommend a visit to the vet for an examination. They can check for fleas and skin infection (some dogs will get a skin infection secondary to flea allergy). They can also check for pain and neurological abnormalities that may cause these signs.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Storm. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. He may have a skin infection known as a hot spot. His veterinarian will examine him and then prescribe medications to help him feel better. If this is a recurrent issue for him, then longterm management strategies should be discussed. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent any further licking. I hope this information helps!

He could have pain in his tail from a skin wound or fracture that is causing him to traumatize his tail. He might also have feline hyperesthesia syndrome, a likely neurologic disease that can result in self trauma. I’d recommend having your vet examine him to see if there is any evidence of other diseases and to discuss starting medication if needed.

At that age, he's exploring and figuring things out and just having fun! With an older dog, I'd be worried about it being more of an obsessive compulsive disorder if it was very frequent or hard to distract him from, but it's normal behavior for a baby.