I have a 3-year old female blue heeler (Australian Cattle Dog). Her coat is medium length and coarse, and she has a softer shorter undercoat. She does not have fleas or ticks, and (almost) never scratches up near her head. But she almost constantly scratches her back (just above the tail) and belly by chewing on them - to the point she is missing patches of hair. I've used itch stick, which is supposed to help heal the dry skin, soothe the itch and make it taste bitter to prevent chewing, but she just rolls onto her back and kind of does the twist until the medicine is gone. She also sometimes scratches her back this way. She's miserable and is getting scabs on her back from so much chewing.
Is it time for a neck collar that just won't let her turn her head back to her butt? I've used a cone collar before but she's smart and strong and the cone didn't last two days.
2007-10-30 10:22:05 · 7 answers · asked by mrscjr 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
it sounds like it could be flea allergies, or allergies period. one flea can cause them to bite their fur off, and that can get infected. i would take her to the vet to make sure
2007-10-30 10:26:51 · answer #1 · answered by robby b 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a classic description of allergies. Specifically it is a text-book description of a dog's reaction to flea bite allergies...although other allergies could still be causing the same kind of chewing and scratching. I definitely wouldn't rule out fleas. Dogs with flea bite allergies can react this badly to a single flea bite, so even if you don't see fleas if she has been in an area where a flea may have jumped onto her, bit her, and jumped off again it could still be fleas.
I would recommend talking to your vet about what they recommend for flea control and maybe discuss an antihistamine such as benadryl or hydroxazine. Bathing can help sooth allergies too because it physically removes allergens from the dog's coat. And vitamin E and omega fatty acids will help promote healing of the skin (plus they seem to have anti-inflammatory properties that will help reduce the itching as well). If a cone collar will stay on, even if it's only for a few days, it's worth a shot. However, if you know she's going to get out of it you may be better off trying something else to cover her skin and keep her mouth off of it. You could try putting a t-shirt on backwards (so that the dog's back legs go through the arms and the tail comes out the neck) and using some medical tape to tape it to her waist. Or maybe just an extra long shirt worn "normally" or a dog coat would help.
2007-10-30 11:06:20 · answer #2 · answered by ainawgsd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well first of all you need to know what's causing the problem before you can try to treat it.
How can you be sure it isn't fleas? Do you treat her regularly? What do you use? The back and the belly are classic areas to bite and scratch when fleas are present. Have you checked for flea dirts?
There are many other things that can cause itching - mites, allergies to foodstuffs or plants, immune mediated disease, hormonal imbalances.
You need to go to a vet if you actually want the answer to this question because no one on here can tell you. Be aware that pet stores are not licensed to carry medications so anything you buy from there is unlikely to be helpful - also it's kind of pointless to try and treat something if you don't know what's going on!
It's kind of mean to put an e-collar on without removing the source of the itch. Nothing worse than an itch you can't scratch!
Chalice
2007-10-31 00:57:45 · answer #3 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What does your vet say about this? Your vet should be diagnosing what is causing this problem.
I will tell you that one of our dogs, a Dachshund, will itch horribly if he gets just ONE flea bite, as he gets a huge reaction to them. We know if there is a flea issue well before we'd ever see even one flea because of this. So I would not entirely rule out the possibility of fleas, unless your vet has confirmed otherwise.
2007-10-30 10:32:12 · answer #4 · answered by Shadow's Melon 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think she has fleas. They are always down near their tail & belly. Give her a bath & put flea preventive on her.
If she doesn't stop itching within a day - take her to the vet.
2007-10-30 10:28:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
short hair is good for a few people, others, not. it depends exactly what u look like
2017-02-23 00:58:09 · answer #6 · answered by Calloway 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've experienced mine both ways too... but the husband prefers it short... he never ever complains when I grow it lengthy, but is always all over him self w/the complements when I cut this off
2017-01-20 01:48:29 · answer #7 · answered by munden 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She needs to see a vet ASAP. could be mange or allergies.
2007-10-30 10:46:14 · answer #8 · answered by plynn_03 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋