My dog's tail hurts and he keeps licking it. What's the cause?

The most common things that could cause this behavior are flea bites around the back or tail, anal sacs that are full and itchy or infected, or a tail injury. You can check for fleas by combing the fur with a fine tooth comb. If you see fleas on the comb then give a bath and apply a flea prevention product. If you see him scooting I recommend your veterinarian express the anal sacs to empty the fluid and see if there is an anal sac infection. You can feel his tail and if there is a tail injury there will be one area that is more sensitive. Usually tail injuries will heal without treatment over a few days. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Savage.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Charlie. This is typically a sign there is a problem around that area. Dogs when they have an area that bothers them they lick it a lot. Licking around this area could be due to impacted and/or infected anal sacs, fleas, or intestinal worms. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. The way to know for certain is to have him seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose what is causing this licking and can treat it, such as expressing his glands, prescribing flea medication, or giving him a deworming treatment. I hope this helps!

Poor guy. I would be concerned about his anal glands being full, or him having a superficial bacterial or yeast infection at the base of his tail. For either issue, a quick vet visit should give him a lot of relief. Even if it started as a an anal gland issue, he may have caused a superficial infection with constant licking and now need a medicated bath or even oral antibiotics. I hope that helps and that he's back to normal soon!

Red’s anus does look irritated and I can see some redness on the underside of his tail as well. He might be licking due to irritation from full anal glands, parasites or allergies. I would recommend having your vet examine him and check his anal glands. They may want to check a stool sample as well. Oral or topical medications might help. I would recommend putting an e-collar on to prevent licking until you can get to the vet.

Hi. Poor Max. It sounds like something is hurting him. It could be associated with the tail, it could be anal glands bothering him, and many other possibilities. If he is that uncomfortable, he needs an exam to help to pinpoint where the issue is and what the most likely causes may be. They could then also give him pain medications to help with comfort.

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.

Unfortunately, you can’t tell the cause of the rash just by looks alone. It’s possible this is related to fleas in the environment or that this is an allergic reaction. This could also be related to hypothyroidism. I recommend to discuss treating him with a good flea product like Simparica with his veterinarian. If you must use an over-the-counter product, use Frontline. This is still a good product but there are some resistance with fleas. Make sure to protect the area from any licking or scratching with an Elizabethan collar. You can wash the area once a day and rinse it well. Start him on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement. If this does not start to look better within a week or if it starts to get worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.