MrSnappy Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 So last night I picked up Piper to smooch her good night and I noticed that she has pulled out all the hair on her tail, about 1/5th of the tail in total, about 1/3rd of the way down from her bottom. My dogs had a universal case of "bad bottom" last week and into the weekend, so there were a lot of poopy feathering. Piper is pretty fastidious, so I suspect it could be her overzealous attempts to clean herself. Other possibilities include; stress from the addition of Boy and maybe her Lupus? It has never caused tail-pulling before, but anything is possible. Anyway, now that she has a partially bald tail, she seems to have become someone OCD about it. My dogs NEVER have these kinds of neurosis, so I am at a bit of a loss here. The tail looks pretty painful, not to mention ugly. Is there something I can do for her? I don't want to put an ecollar on her because historically, that does not go over well. I suspect she will pull off any wrapping job I try to do, and that will probably involve taking off a lot more hair. I can soak it in Hibitane - anything else I can do to help her out? Poor Piper. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 How old is she? Does she have any chronic health issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I have a feeling she's licking it often because of the pain, not because she's developing OCD. When Jake had his ear infection and when JJ scrapes a paw, I give them a baby aspirin. I don't know how you feel about aspirin but so far our boys have never had a reaction to it. I just make sure I don't overdo it. And it really seems to help with their pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 She's almost 5. Other possibilities include; stress from the addition of Boy and maybe her Lupus? It has never caused tail-pulling before, but anything is possible. I don't think she is in any pain. She had the runs for a couple of days and her hind end was a bit dirty. Piper doesn't like to be dirty. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrid Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 My dog Joey had a fairly bald tail when he was a puppy. The vet had me wash it in Hibiclens every day for a couple of weeks. Although he never grew all his hair on his tail, he has enough now for a good comb over. My youngest Border Collie, Beaver pulled his hair out when he got bored. When I moved him into the same run as Joey, he quit pulling it out. My dog "Five" starts a lick granuloma in the same place every summer. If I give her generic prozac for a couple of weeks she will quit licking that spot. I wonder if Piper's tail itches and that is why she is chewing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 That could be it. What would cause an itchy tail? She is definitely not bored, I work really hard to keep my dogs from being bored, and she has never in her life had a lick granuloma. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Allie denuded a section of her tail before (not the bottom part either). She apparently picked up some sand burrs in it in a few places and decided to barber herself. She chewed off quite a section before I noticed (I always do a good brushing after we go romping through brush and water, but apparently I missed this spot). I noticed that she continued to work at the spot, even through the fur and sand burrs were long gone - causing irritation, which caused her to lick even harder. I sprayed Bitter Apple on the spot, which seemed to do the trick and she mostly left the spot alone. It took a while for the fur/feathers to grow back, though. If you don't notice any other obvious problems with the tail, it could easily be that Piper was trying to clean herself and got carried away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 If you don't notice any other obvious problems with the tail, it could easily be that Piper was trying to clean herself and got carried away. This really is what I think the problem is. As I said, she is fastidious about things like sticks and brambles in her coat, as well as mud. The bitter apple didn't cause any discomfort while the tail was still raw? That's my biggest concern. I'll try it. Thanks Deb! RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 If you end of having to go the e-collar way, there are some alternatives now that look like they are a bit more comfortable and practical for the dogs. This one's a foam version and this one's inflatable (looks like you can use it on the plane as well ). It sounds to me like Piper just got carried away. Sophie sometimes goes too far pulling out fur if I don't get the burrs off her quickly enough after a hike. Hopefully just stopping her for a day or two will enable it to heal/scab enough for her to stop wanting to bother it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Well, I suspect it could have stung a bit (she did jump and she hates the sound the spray bottle makes), but it didn't seem to cause more irritation and the alternative was her continuing to worry her poor tail. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojo Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Here's a bunch of things to consider: I read that canine discoid lupus tends to affect the face/nose more than any other part of the body, so it would seem unlikely that she is having this problem due to a lupus flare...but maybe check for any lesions on the tail anyway [scaling/flaking/redness/blisters]. If it really is due to lupus, she may need steroids. Otherwise: any possibility of fleas/ticks? Were the dogs' loose stools checked for worms? Any yeast-like smell in the affected skin area? Does the tail feel smooth to you (no broken bones) and is she wagging/moving it normally? Does she seem to be in pain when you touch the tail in that area? As for what to do to make your poor girl feel better at the moment: you said the skin was "raw," so definitely don't let her swim in the ocean until the skin is totally healed. Here's what I would do: wash the entire tail from base to tip really well with some sort of soothing cleanser (like colloidal oatmeal shampoo) in as cold water as she can tolerate (the warmer the water, the itchier it makes them), and then rinse the hair extremely well until the water is totally clear. Blow the hair dry on a cool setting--the moisture will otherwise encourage skin flora to grow, irritating the area further. When the hair is dry, then apply your chlorhexidine solution (Hibitane) very liberally to the affected area. Stay with her until the Hibitane has had a chance to dry (to make sure she doesn't lick it). Then, if you have an anti-itch spray, apply that at this time (I use Coolspot 2000, which is organic/plant-based, does not seem to sting the dogs when I apply it, even to weeping skin, and has a naturally bitter taste). To finish off, I apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin) and then wait/monitor to prevent licking for another 10-15 minutes to give the ointment a chance to work, and then I wipe off any excess so that when the dog does start licking, they are not lapping up too much ointment. I would do this twice a day until you see that the skin has healed over, omitting the shampoo/blowdry step. If mine are itching *a lot* for whatever reason, I will sometimes risk a tiny dab of Calamine after the chlorhexidine but before applying the antibiotic ointment, leaving the Calamine in contact with the skin for a few minutes to give it a chance to work, and then I will wipe it off completely with a damp cotton pad, since it definitely should not be licked. [Calamine is an effective human anti-itch lotion that is often used to dry out weeping/oozing wounds and blisters and has some antiseptic properties, btw.] I hope that helps...poor Piper. ETA: if she is not fond of Elizabethan collars, I would not use one--it would only stress her out more. Dogs who are fastidious about things "on" them, like burrs/twigs, etc., as you described, would also get more stressed with a wrapped tail (mine would, for sure). Besides, depending on the specific skin problem, it is often best to expose the wound to open air, and thus, wrapping could actually slow the healing process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 If you end of having to go the e-collar way, there are some alternatives now that look like they are a bit more comfortable and practical for the dogs. This one's a foam version and this one's inflatable (looks like you can use it on the plane as well ). I just thought I’d add my experience with both of these. The inflatable one works if your dog is not flexible. It worked great on my lab/heeler but Rhys is made out of rubber. I tried this one on Rhys prior to his amputation and it was useless so I bought the foam one. The foam one alone was also useless but paired together they would have worked okay but he did look a bit silly. Fortunately he didn’t lick the incision enough to need to wear an e-collar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I just thought I'd add my experience with both of these. The inflatable one works if your dog is not flexible. It worked great on my lab/heeler but Rhys is made out of rubber. I tried this one on Rhys prior to his amputation and it was useless so I bought the foam one. The foam one alone was also useless but paired together they would have worked okay but he did look a bit silly. Fortunately he didn't lick the incision enough to need to wear an e-collar. Well, that's disappointing... Neither of these match what a friend of mine has, which is a cloth tube with those teeny beads inside (they have pillows made of it at Target) and fastened with velcro. It looks to be a little longer on the neck than these. It's flexible and did work on her border collie. But I am not sure where she got it, and I was hoping a quick internet search would reveal it. I couldn't find it and was hoping they all worked the same, since they kinda operate on the same principle. Oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 RDM, how is Piper's poor tail doing??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Well, it looks stupid but she's stopped bothering with it. So I suppose one of these days it will grow back in. I hope. Mr. Woo is mildly obsessed with it, which makes her angry. I did get your email BTW. Sorry I didn't get around to answering. Too much on my plate! RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexie Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Well, it looks stupid but she's stopped bothering with it. So I suppose one of these days it will grow back in. I hope. Mr. Woo is mildly obsessed with it, which makes her angry. So is Woo obsessed because he's got a thing about tail fluff or does he just like to piss off Piper? ;-) I hope she is soon feeling herself again. At least Woo's annoyances should give you plenty of opportunity for mad teeth photo ops. She probably just hated being dirty and maybe it even smelled some so it really disturbed the neat freak. I hope the dogs are all over their stomach troubles and getting back to normal now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Oh yes, thanks, they are well over it. They've been fine for ages. Whatever it was wasn't catching, as Boy never got it. Piper just looks sorta ... ragged. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Glad to hear it wasn't anything more serious. I hate to say it, but it took 3+ mos. for Allie's fur and feathers to grow back when she went after her tail, so hopefully Woo has patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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