My dog keeps biting his tail and it's bleeding. What should I do?

Tail wounds are difficult to heal. You are doing a good job but need to place her in a cone to stop the licking and chewing. The wound can’t heal with constant irritation. I also would check her for fleas to make sure that isn’t the reason she started the chewing, and also you may want to have her anal sacs checked since if they are full they can cause itching in this area. Your veterinarian can also prescribe medication to control the itch and inflammation and antibiotics if they feel the area is infected. Be patient and continue with your treatment and this will heal in time. A tail amputation is a serious surgery and she would probably chew the incision and make a sore so you wouldn’t be any better off than you are now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Leia.

Tail wounds can be difficult and frustrating to treat. Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent any more chewing. Gently clean the tail, applying direct pressure with a clean cloth to stem any bleeding. When she is in the crate, offer a special toy or treat to keep her distracted. Make sure she has enough room to turn around so she isn't whacking her tail against the sides. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may decrease stress and anxiety if she gets worked up while crated.

Poor Baby! Excessive biting or chewing at the paws, tail, or other parts of the body is most often caused by allergies, but could also be due to other skin problems such as a bacterial or fungal skin infection, fleas, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would recommend taking her to the vet tomorrow for an exam. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it. In the meantime, if she's making herself bleed, you may need to get an e-collar (plastic cone) for her to wear until you're able to see the vet. This will keep her from continuing to chew on herself and make the skin problem worse.

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!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. About 99/100 times if a dog comes to the vet clinic with something like this they also have fleas. If you don't have him on a good flea prevention then he is likely scratching this location due to fleas. I do think I see some "flea dirt" in the photo. I strongly recommend you get him to the vet for an exam. If he has fleas you need to get a good prescription flea prevention. Also, this type of lesion almost always needs oral antibiotics and some type of oral antiinflammatory to stop the itch cycle for it to heal. As long as he keeps scratching it, it will not heal no matter what you apply topically. If you choose to try and treat it yourself at home, you can use this hot spot spray gel 3- 4 times per day. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) You will also need to get some dog boots to put on his back feet so if he tries to scratch the area it won't continue to traumatize the skin. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/search?query=dog%20boots ) If you do this at home for about 5-7 days and there is no improvement or it looks worse at any time then he needs to see the vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Oh that’s not good! It’s quite concerning the skin is exposed, and it may be infected. You did the right thing by putting a cone on him. I would have him seen by a vet on Monday for this issue. Best of luck.

Lesions like this could be for many things including fleas, trauma or bacterial infection. You must protect the area from licking and Allura should wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. You can wash the area and let it air dry. Otherwise no action is generally needed. If she continues itching, have her examined by the veterinarian to look for underlying causes. I hope this helps.