Biting herself all the time

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by Athenas Mom on 23 June 2009 - 07:06

My Athena is 4 1/2 months old and is biting at her hip area alot. She bites other areas sometimes but mostly right at her hip or on the front of her back legs. I read somewhere that food may be a problem. The vet put her on missing link in case she has dry skin. She doesn't look like she has dry skin but what do I know. She is eating Iams smart puppy large breed. I am also putting in a couple of spoonfuls of Iams lamb and rice canned food because she doesn't really like to eat. We also put a raw egg yolk in once in a while.
Stools are real good and plentiful so I hated to change food.

by Liebe on 23 June 2009 - 09:06

I had a dog who would chew himself until he bled, main places he target were middle of his back and is front legs. After loads of tests at the vets with no results we stumbled on to the problem. He couldnt take the high protein diets that are so popular today. We had to keep his protein levels to a maximum of 21%. There are some out there that are kibble, other ways are to resort to the BARF diets.

The problem is often referred to as "hot spots" in the skin.

His coat and skin never looked poor and in every other way he was doing really well. Within about 1 week of the food swap improvements were seen and we never looked back.

by Mindhunt on 23 June 2009 - 13:06

I had to switch my female to Flint River Ranch Trout and Sweet Potato. She would chew herself as well, including the bottoms of her feet which I was told is a good sign that she is allergic to something (usually something in the food, either the ingredients, processing, or how it is stored). Also, she began chewing and licking her left hip area, we later found out during her OFA's at 2 years old, she has no left hip and lots of arthritis.

The nice thing about the new food is, lots less chewing (takes 8 wks to detoxify and 12 wks to get a good idea of how the new food is working, no other food sources including treats), less poop piles because she is digesting more of her food, and less shedding. I was told by my vet and trainer that lots of poop can mean a dog is not digesting the food well.

by Sunsilver on 23 June 2009 - 15:06

It is possible she is very sensitive to fleas. I've had this happen with my female, when I could find no evidence of fleas anywhere in her bedding or coat. The hip is an area that is often in contact with the floor or ground, so it is a prime place for fleas to bite. Remember that fleas spend most of their life cycle OFF the dog!

Is she on a flea control product like Advantage? If not, I'd see if that helps. I'd also try a medicated bath to soothe the itching.

And yes, the suggestions re. food are well worth looking into, too!

by Kalibeck on 23 June 2009 - 18:06

Biting at a particular area, especially an area with a skeletal protrubance, such as a hip, can indicate that the dog is having discomfort in the structure underlying that area...pay attention to her gait & sitting, & how she goes up & down stairs. If she has difficulty with stairs, or suddenly turns & bites at herself after strenuous activity like stairs consistantly, that may be a sign of difficulty. Of course, doing it just once or twice is not consistantly. It would have to be every time, or almost every time. Take note of any signs of lameness. Of course puppies at this age are growing rapidly, & may have little discomforts as they grow, but if you do not find an issue with the skin, and the biting continues or escalates, have a competant vet (one who has experience with GSD & hip evaluation, or a good breeder), evaluate her hips. Probably she is fine, just growing & itchy, but keep it in the back of your mind to check on, if things don't improve. Good luck! jackie harris

by Two Moons on 23 June 2009 - 18:06

Does your dog get to run in fields, the woods, or grass? Swim in a lake or stream?
It could be many things she's scratching, fleas, ticks, chiggers, grass, weed seeds, preening out things like dirt particles, any kind of leaf, grass or twigs they pick up running or laying on the ground, or shedding a knot in the fur.

Your vet had you switch food in case she has dry skin? Couldn't the vet tell if she had dry skin or not?
Does she have any raw spots or rashes?

Do you bath her often?

Some dogs like to scratch.

How long do these scratching episodes last?

More details.

by Two Moons on 23 June 2009 - 20:06

LOL....
Just for fun,

www.youtube.com/watch

Moons.

by Two Moons on 24 June 2009 - 07:06

So....
Mom.
What do you think ?

by Athenas Mom on 25 June 2009 - 02:06

We have 100 acres of grass and she runs around everywhere. I have seen no bites on her in the areas she is biting. I use a flea comb almost everyday and have seen no fleas. We do have star thistle and that might be why she bites on the front of her back legs( my husband says her knee) but not he hip area. It is really not her hip but her back close to her hip. I took her off the canned food totally and will see if that helps. I am going to try one thing at a time. The one thing you mentioned was chiggers and we do have some problems with that. Our pond is dry now so no more swimming. She seems to scratch and bite when she is laying around. It doesn't wake her up and she doesn't do it when she is playing.
The vet put her on missing link but did not change her diet. He looked at her skin but didn't say it was dry.
No rashes or bald spots. We have only given her 2 baths since we got her with hartz puppy shampoo. The episodes last about 30 secs and it happen quite a few times a hour.

by Athenas Mom on 25 June 2009 - 02:06

How much is alot of poo?
She goes 3 or 4 times a day.

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