Behavioral issue

[ragtimedog]

Anyone ever have a dog who pulled all the hair off their tail? Sarah's tail has been hairless (well, not totally hairless - more like short-haired) for the past year. It used to be seasonal, but now seems to be constant - or the hair is refusing to grow back. I remembered that her grandmother used to do that when she was pregnant. Her's ended up staying that way too. I've tried putting stuff on it. It's hard to remember until her tail is already slimey from her mouth...She seems to go days without touching it (when I'm around, anyway). I almost hate for anyone to see her. She'd be so pretty if she just had hair on her tail!

L

[2 Devils]

Well my bc does something similar or did. Tempe chews her feathers and a spot on her tail. The tail thing cleared up on its own awhile back so she finally has some hair on that spot - well longer hair - she never chews to the skin. Tempe chews the feathers the same way never to the skin. Once it is a certain length she leaves it alone until it grows out some and starts over again.

 

We noticed this all started when she was spayed. The holistic vet has put Tempe on Symplex F to see if that helps the issue. So far so good. It has been about 5-6 weeks and hair is growing back and staying around longer. The holistic vet feels that with Tempe is not just nervousness/anxiety but actually a hormone issue. I am not sure that would be the same for the tail though. Just a thought since you said the mom did it while pregnant that could be hormone based.

[MrSnappy]

We have yet to go a full winter with a fully tailed hair on Piper. It always starts the same way - she gets a burr or something in her "pants" or tail hair that becomes a snarl immediately, and then she chews on it trying to get it out, probably because it pulls at the skin a bit, and she ends up chewing it raw, and then because it's sore, she licks and bites at it and it become a vicious circle. I check my dogs every day or so for snarls, but one can spring up really fast - wet dog at beach + roll in grass + burr = massive snarl in an hour or so. I just clipped a HUGE one of out her the other day, 24 hours after I had brushed her! Now she is missing half her pants and has a big bare gross spot on her tail. AGAIN.

 

She also has a fetish with one of her hindfeet. She actually has a "don't eat your foot" command because she will chew and lick at it relentlessly and her foot becomes all red and irritated (though never raw; just red and slimy looking). She has seen the vet many times and we have gone over that foot with a magnifying glass and there is nothing wrong with it, not even a hot spot. It could be related to her lupus, but is also could be a nervous habit, as Piper tends to be sort of fastidious, and a bit of an over-groomer anyway. If I can get her to leave it alone for a few days, we are good for a while, but eventually she starts the foot sucking again.

 

I've a friend with a male border collie who sucks one of his own feet any time he gets upset or nervous or has not had enough exercise. Oddly, his sire displays the exact same behaviour, on the exact same foot.

 

RDM

[Sue R]

I, on the other hand, have Megan whose hair-pulling issue appears to have nothing to do with hormones or diet. When we got her as a 9-month-old who had spent most of her hours crated and no freedom outside (no fenced yard, in town, occasional trips to a park to run), her tail was barely haired, only enough to see what parts were black and what parts were white.

 

In a new environment, with more activity and mental stimulation (classes, interaction with dogs and people, long walks), the hair grew back in right away. BUT, she has this little area on her tail where she still will pull - she will be cleaning her girly parts and just seems to migrate to pulling the hair on her tail in that very spot that is "next in line" for grooming. BUT, when I am taking her to regular classes and doing more with her on a one-to-one basis, that hair will grow back in. Also, if I use a bad-tasting deterrent spray, it will grow in (and, if I am consistent with it, I can stop using it for some while before the old habit resurfaces again).

 

I think that, for Megan, it was a habit that arose from boredom and, when she receives the stimuation and interaction that she requires (or a suitable deterrent like the spray), the behavior stops. Sad to say, we are no longer taking classes and I have not been consistent with the spray (the dogs cool down in the stock tank and so I have to avoid the spray at certain times of the year to prevent it from getting into the livestock water).

 

The vet did check Megan for skin irritations, mites, etc., but found no "organic" reason for the habit. I hope you are able to figure out what the case is for your girl and be able to solve the problem.

[ragtimedog]

I wondered about a hormonal cause too. She does the same thing though. She's cleaning herself and then gets excited about pulling hair. She doesn't chew skin, just pulls hair.

What is Symplex F?

L

[ragtimedog]

She also has a fetish with one of her hindfeet. RDM

I had to laugh. Reminds me of my crew. When they do the grovel in front of a "superior" dog, they do a fake earscratch manuver which ends up looking more like a kick to the head.

[Carson Crazies]

I've been struggling with a tail hair pulling thing with Nick. I thought of everything that it could possibly be, and made a whole bunch of changes. For us it meant changing flea/tick med (from Frontline to Advantix), changing foods (to a grain free... next step would have been raw), washing all dog bedding in a free & clear type detergent, treating the red parts themselves (I started with Gold Bond medicated powder, and then switched to a cream that has benzocaine, and an anti-chew solution in it), using DAP diffuser, and lastly crating Nick and June seperately.

 

Through process of elimination I have come to believe that the BIGGEST problem was Nick and June being crated in the same room. I *think* they've been having a bark-fest together, which inspires him to pull the hairs out of his tail in excitement (as he spins and grabs it). I've seen him do it, usually when he's excited, and I can put a stop to it if I'm there. He doesn't bark when he does that, so a bark collar wouldn't be effective for him there. Strangely enough this was a simple problem to solve, and it didn't occur to me to think about that until one day Julie reminded me that I'd mentioned one time June and Nick getting wound up together.

 

My initial thought was that maybe he wasn't getting enough stimulation, but even with an increase in all of that there was no change (I tried that before the other changes).

 

My point is that I would try to identify the possibilities and make some changes - see what works.

[2 Devils]

Here is info on Symplex F

 

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/Sta...alog.spi?ID=148

[ragtimedog]

Here is info on Symplex F

 

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/Sta...alog.spi?ID=148

Very interesting. I was thinking she was just a neurotic head case (well, she is) but there may be more going on. Thanks.

[ragtimedog]

I've been struggling with a tail hair pulling thing with Nick....My point is that I would try to identify the possibilities and make some changes - see what works.

I've been separating some of mine too. They do the barkfest thing when I'm gone. It has calmed down a bit....

L

[Shoofly]

I have one dog that i'm pretty sure is lactose-intolerant and every time he gets something with lactose in it, he pulls the hair out on the underside of his tail, at the base. I'm not sure if it's the diarrhea that the lactose causes that irritates the tail or the lactid acid itself passing through. Then once the skin is irritated, he goes to town on it because it's itchy and it becomes a vicious cycle. The Gold Bond medicated powder does seem to help. It's helps with the itching plus he doesn't like putting his nose near the menthol in it.

[bc4ever]

She also has a fetish with one of her hindfeet. She actually has a "don't eat your foot" command because she will chew and lick at it relentlessly and her foot becomes all red and irritated (though never raw; just red and slimy looking).

RDM

 

Scooter does that too! Has since he was a puppy. Vet checked him out. Nothing wrong. Sometimes he'll just whip around and take his whole back left foot and put it in his mouth and start chewing. He also knows the "don't eat your foot" command. We try to distract him with, "Eat your bone, not your foot!" Works for a few seconds!