chewing the hair off his leg

wannadoodle · 05-01-2006, 09:57 PM

It used to be kind of cute that Toby "sucked his thumb" - - not so any more. Any suggestions? He eats the hair off of one back leg (just one). He had what looked like a tiny pimple there once and vet scraped it. No mites, or anything???? Now he has most of the leg naked. No skin irritation, just missing hair. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks.

KMO20057 · 05-01-2006, 10:04 PM

Is it the front paws too? Paw chewing can be a symptom of allergies. Dogs can be allergic to many things like wheat, corn, dairy, lamb, chicken, beef etc. Its hard to know what the cause is unitl you do an elimination diet.

We just switched Sammy to a low-allergy food (Natural Balance Duck and Potato-- the duck is a protein source that most dogs have not been exposed to which is why its good allergy food) for this reason. Now the ONLY thing she gets is this food. We have the kibble, the treats and the canned food (just to freeze in her kong) and this is ALL she is getting. I even am going to ask the Vet for a non-chewable heartguard.

We're hoping it helps! Her back legs are going bald! She must be miserable... but they say you wont see an improvement for a few weeks. The upside is that she LOVES the food! Scarfs it down WAY faster than she did the Nutro. So thats a good thing.

If thats not it I am not sure about any other reason...

wannadoodle · 05-01-2006, 10:17 PM

Well, it could be allergies. It is just the one leg. He eats EaglePack Lamb and Rice because of his tummy condition and it is one of the highly recommended allergy foods as well. Will you please let me know how the duck and potato works for you? So Sammy has lost hair on both back legs? Does she chew on them? Thank you for your help.

KMO20057 · 05-01-2006, 11:12 PM

She has little thin patches on both of her back legs as well as a couple spots on her back and tail. Poor thing!

Well I suppose if its just one leg and hes already on an allergy food thats probably not it.

Jac · 05-02-2006, 10:53 AM

My Bayley did that to one foot, the top of her paw was hairless, raw and bleeding because of her licking...I worried and checked the internet resources...I was afraid that she was getting a compulsive disorder (yes, they do get them.)
But on closer inspection (after checking UNDER her paw many times) I looked between her toes on the TOP and she had a small dirt clot stuck in betweeen her toes...not a big one...but bad enough that it bothered her.
Now, granted, your pup can't have a dirt clot on his leg...but when you said he had little bumps there, I suspect that something is going on with that one leg. (Perhaps a small thorn, sticker or sliver?) Maybe you could get a magnifying glass and take a look...just a thought.
I'd suggest checking into a canine dermatology...maybe it is something simple. I hope so.

gracielou · 05-02-2006, 11:43 AM

A lot of dogs believe it or not are allergic to grass.

wannadoodle · 05-02-2006, 04:38 PM

If any dog is allergic to grass, poor old Toby probably will be. I'm gonna try to look at it with a magnifying glass and try to find something. I do appreciate all of the advice. He doesn't have any apparent raw spots at all, but now almost the whole leg is bare. It seem he does it when he's bored, but................

05-01-2006, 09:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
wannadoodle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Knoxville TN Posts: 377	chewing the hair off his leg It used to be kind of cute that Toby "sucked his thumb" - - not so any more. Any suggestions? He eats the hair off of one back leg (just one). He had what looked like a tiny pimple there once and vet scraped it. No mites, or anything???? Now he has most of the leg naked. No skin irritation, just missing hair. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks. __________________ LeeBeth and Toby-Doodle Dandy

05-01-2006, 10:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
KMO20057 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 269	Is it the front paws too? Paw chewing can be a symptom of allergies. Dogs can be allergic to many things like wheat, corn, dairy, lamb, chicken, beef etc. Its hard to know what the cause is unitl you do an elimination diet. We just switched Sammy to a low-allergy food (Natural Balance Duck and Potato-- the duck is a protein source that most dogs have not been exposed to which is why its good allergy food) for this reason. Now the ONLY thing she gets is this food. We have the kibble, the treats and the canned food (just to freeze in her kong) and this is ALL she is getting. I even am going to ask the Vet for a non-chewable heartguard. We're hoping it helps! Her back legs are going bald! She must be miserable... but they say you wont see an improvement for a few weeks. The upside is that she LOVES the food! Scarfs it down WAY faster than she did the Nutro. So thats a good thing. If thats not it I am not sure about any other reason... __________________ ~Kelly~ http://sammydoodle.tripod.com

05-01-2006, 10:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
wannadoodle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Knoxville TN Posts: 377	Well, it could be allergies. It is just the one leg. He eats EaglePack Lamb and Rice because of his tummy condition and it is one of the highly recommended allergy foods as well. Will you please let me know how the duck and potato works for you? So Sammy has lost hair on both back legs? Does she chew on them? Thank you for your help. __________________ LeeBeth and Toby-Doodle Dandy

05-01-2006, 11:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
KMO20057 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 269	She has little thin patches on both of her back legs as well as a couple spots on her back and tail. Poor thing! Well I suppose if its just one leg and hes already on an allergy food thats probably not it. __________________ ~Kelly~ http://sammydoodle.tripod.com

05-02-2006, 11:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
gracielou Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Kansas Posts: 1,366	A lot of dogs believe it or not are allergic to grass. __________________ Linda & Gracielou Valley Center, KS http://www.4pawslabradoodles.com

05-02-2006, 10:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jac Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: northern California Posts: 9,243	My Bayley did that to one foot, the top of her paw was hairless, raw and bleeding because of her licking...I worried and checked the internet resources...I was afraid that she was getting a compulsive disorder (yes, they do get them.) But on closer inspection (after checking UNDER her paw many times) I looked between her toes on the TOP and she had a small dirt clot stuck in betweeen her toes...not a big one...but bad enough that it bothered her. Now, granted, your pup can't have a dirt clot on his leg...but when you said he had little bumps there, I suspect that something is going on with that one leg. (Perhaps a small thorn, sticker or sliver?) Maybe you could get a magnifying glass and take a look...just a thought. I'd suggest checking into a canine dermatology...maybe it is something simple. I hope so.

05-02-2006, 04:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
wannadoodle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Knoxville TN Posts: 377	If any dog is allergic to grass, poor old Toby probably will be. I'm gonna try to look at it with a magnifying glass and try to find something. I do appreciate all of the advice. He doesn't have any apparent raw spots at all, but now almost the whole leg is bare. It seem he does it when he's bored, but................ __________________ LeeBeth and Toby-Doodle Dandy

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Labradoodle Forums Advertisement