Question:
We adopted a dog at the age of 7. She is now 13 years old. She is a good-natured, lovable dog and we love her very much. She is a Lowchen. She has the one bad habit of biting her paws. It appears she bit one of her paws so hard that there was blood on her fur. How can we stop her from doing this? We've tried almost everything and are at our wits' end.
G.S., Loxahatchee, FL Oct 11, 2009
Answer:
There are many reasons why dogs lick and chew at themselves like your poor old dog. A veterinary examination is advisable to help make your dog's final years more enjoyable. One flea on a dog can trigger this behavior, as can a thorn or other foreign body in the paw. Sometimes, such self-mutilating dogs turn out to have an allergy to anything from grass to dust mites, floor cleaner or one or more food ingredients. Further research on your part is needed because I can offer no simple home remedies. General discomfort, as with arthritis and boredom, can bring on this behavior that has elements of obsessive/compulsiveness (OCD) and self-comforting behavior gone haywire. In many instances, a sedating dose of antihistamine helps, or a very short course of steroid therapy. The OCD may be effectively treated with a psychotropic medication like Prozac, but I would first rule out possible physical cause before considering this to be primarily a psychological problem. At least try distracting her with a clicker-dog training tool, and give her safe items to enjoy chewing on.
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