I have a TINY 1 lb. 11 week old yorkie and she bites at her paws and pulls out the hair. I have also noticed her scratching her ears A LOT and the hair is going thin. The vet checked her for ear mites, fleas, etc. and says she does not have them. Any ideas on why she is doing this or what might be causing her to do this?
2007-07-21 00:19:37 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
I have had her for only 1 week. I got her from a breeder. She is the runt of the litter, as her siblings are all a lot bigger than she is. She has been in our home and has not been outside so it is not grass, etc. She is currently eating chicken and rice with a bit of honey at the vet's orders.
2007-07-21 06:58:27 · update #1
I'm sorry, but if your yorkie continues to bite at her paws and pulls out hair, and also scratches, there's something that your vet has missed. I presume by biting paws you mean the underside where the pads are. Possibly she has something caught, even like a grass seed could be painful, or has she got a claw curling round into the pad, or dew claws not clipped. If she is scratching her ears, there definitely has to be something there - animals don't scratch for fun. Have you looked to see whether there is any brown looking canker in them, or tried combing her with a flea comb just to check there are no fleas or flea dirt which would show up on a flea comb. If you recently bought her, ask where you bought her from whether the mother has problems. If its a reputable breeder you will get the truth, if you didnt see the mother, or got it from any other source, its possible the mother was not healthy.
2007-07-21 00:26:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Add more details please,
How long have you had the dog?
Is it out in the fresh cut grass, did it start soon after if yes?
Did you just recently use a top spot flea pesticide?
What brand food are you giving it?
What are you using to bath it, what brand?
I hate to see a question like this and not have an answer for you, it could be so many possibilities, it gets frustrating.
Should you get a suggestion about putting aloe vera on your Yorkie, research it first, I believe my GF says that's bad for Yorkies and she researches A LOT. Hope your lucky enough to find the cause and soon. Answering my questions above might help w/ other peoples answers so add the details. Good luck w/ the little guy.
2007-07-21 08:07:29 · answer #2 · answered by Jay45 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many types of allergies can cause a dog to scratch and lick. Food allergies are the most common one and yeast and wheat are often the culprits. You might try gradually switching to a rice and lamb type hypo allergenic food to see if that helps. Bathing regularly can also help with contact type allergies. Sometimes the only way to find out what is going on is to get a blood test for allergy information. Skin scratch tests are not necessary. Most allergies can be determined with a blood test alone.
2007-07-21 09:13:44 · answer #3 · answered by gallianomom2001 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does sound like possible allergies.. some people will switch to the duck and potato food.. A lot of companies are coming out with foods that are very simple and limited. So if it is an allergy to food should do the trick.. The biggest allergens in food are Wheat, corn, soy and by products so read the food labels.. might give you a clue.
I'm sure there will be some other great advice too.
Let me know how it goes.
2007-07-21 07:47:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This really does sound like a type of allergic reaction. I had a Yorkie, in the past, who was allergic to things like powdered carpet cleaners and rotting leaves on the ground! As it's 'summer', so forget the fallen leaves, I suggest you contact the breeder for further information. Your Yorkie is really tiny, so please check this condition now.
I am surprised your vet didn't make further investigations. Try a second opinion as there are often more vets in one practice. Tiny Yorkie pups are prone to certain problems so you really need to nip this in the bud in order to avoid troubles in the dog's adult life.
2007-07-21 13:19:59 · answer #5 · answered by Mozey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dogs that are runts like her often have health problems. Very common is the open fontella and if can cause mental problems. Liver shunts are found in runts as well and cause coat and skin problems. She could be allergic to her food too.
2007-07-21 07:40:54 · answer #6 · answered by ginbark 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's fairly rare, but some dogs have "obsessive compulsive disorders" just like people. No one really knows why; Theories say that it could be genetic inheritance, others a lack of stimulation and boredom with their environment.
Symptoms of these disorders range. Some dogs are fascinated by shadows and light, others frantically chase their tails, some pull hair like your little girl, and others jump and bite at pretend flies.
If this is the case, you should consult a professional dog trainer, because it takes a lot of experience to break a dog's compulsive behaviors, and to channel that energy somewhere else.
2007-07-21 07:31:39 · answer #7 · answered by The Samurai Lullaby 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Has your vet done a skin scraping? This is done to check for demodex a cigar looking parasite that causes "mange". Funny thing is we had a little pom come into our clinic with the same symptoms and that is what it was. Its worth a shot to check!
2007-07-21 09:57:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
could your dog be of a nervous disposition lots of loud noise or strangers can cause yous dog to get all stressed out try a little one to one with yous dog lots of T.L.C and keep out the people he is not used to for a while and see if your dog improves WE ALL GET STRESSED SOMETIME SO CAN OUR PETS. give your pet a stress free zone try a little soft music if this fails take your dog back to the vets and ask him to do an allergy test
2007-07-21 12:59:22 · answer #9 · answered by Paula M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have her checked for allergies and skin disorders. Can't believe the vet didn't take the initiativeon that.
2007-07-21 07:23:06 · answer #10 · answered by Seattle_Slacker 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋