My dog keeps chewing his tail raw. What can I apply to help?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Barrett so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. It sounds as though he is dealing with severe allergies and needs relief. There are multiple medications that can help with allergies. You should also consider the below products to aid in relieving the discomfort associated with a potential allergy: 1. Douxo PS Calm shampoo (found online) 2. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules (found online or at your local Petco) 3. Pramosoothe spray (can be found online) I hope these help! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Girl! Without seeing her in person, it is impossible for me to know what caused it. It could be fleas. Mange usually causes hairloss on other places like the feet and face. She likely has an infection from chewing. I would first put a cone collar on her to prevent the chewing. I would then start her on Benadryl twice a day to help decrease the itching. If it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look. Your vet will likely want to put her on antibiotics and possibly stronger allergy meds to help it heal. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/

Poor Indy! Without a full clinical history it is very hard to assess an individual case but irritation in this area is commonly linked to flea allergy (even contact with a single flea can trigger flares) and a good quality, rapid acting prevention such as seresto collar or bravecto is recommended. A food trial with a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin anallergenic (or home prepared tofu and sweet potato) for 8 weeks would also be recommended to rule out any food triggers or sensitivities; followed by an anti-al;lergy medication such as apoquel if not responding. A pelvic MRI or x-ray and possibly Acupuncture and/or chiropractic care should also be considered as any nerve pain or tingling in the area could also be triggering self trauma

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would make sure Chuck Finley is on appropriate flea medication. I like the oral medications like bravecto (once every three months) or simparica (once every month). If he is on the right flea medication, then I worry that Chuck may have an environmental or food allergy. It is easier to treat environmental allergies first since food trials are tedious. I would recommend visiting your veterinarian and getting Chuck a full physical examination to ensure that he does not have a secondary infection needing antibiotics. If he does, then his skin issues will only get worse if not treated. Your vet can discuss medications that can help mitigate environmental allergies. If this does not help- then they can discuss the appropriate food to try for a food trial. Typically, animals allergic to the protein in the food. Therefore, a prescription food trial will be necessary. Good luck!

The spot on the tail looks like a hotspot right now. Hot spots can be common with food allergies and fleas (which you are already treating). The article below discusses treating hot spots. If Summer can still lick his tail, you may need a long e-collar. https://www.petcoach.co/article/hot-spots-acute-moist-dermatitis-in-dogs/

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this. The first step is to determine if Duke is chasing and chewing at his tail due to itching. If not, then it may actually be an obsessive/compulsive type of behavior. So, the first step I would recommend would be having your vet examine the skin on his tail to determine if they suspect there is something physical going on with his skin. This may involve them doing some simple skin tests or trying some more potent anti-itching medication since Benadryl has helped a little. They may also check his anal glands and anus region since German Shepherd can have some additional problems there. Don't forget that the tail base if the most common area that we will see dogs chew if they have a flea allergy (even if you never see fleas), so make sure that Duke is on a monthly flea preventative. If your vet is unable to find a physical cause or resolve the chewing, then it might be worth trying medication for a possible behavioral component. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you are able to find a solution. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.