Pulling Hair Off Tail
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Pulling Hair Off Tail
In the last two weeks my dog has started to pull big chunks of hair off of his tail. The part where he has pulled looks red but I'm not sure if that is irritated from him pulling it off or if his skin was irritated in the first place. He is also very sensitive when I try and touch it. It's not horrible, or too noticiable, so I hesitate taking him to the vet just yet. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could put on his tail where it's red to make it feel better or to stop him from pulling the hair off all together? Thanks!
Re: Pulling Hair Off Tail
Well while it is hard to see from here 
I will throw some things out there for you, firstly fleas, a common area for infestations is the base of the tail, sometimes dogs will chew when they have infected anal glands, seasonal allergies can cause tail chewing, as well as stress and boredom. The thing to look out for is that this does NOT become a hot spot, so be sure to wash the area with a mild, antibacterial soap and be sure it is DRY and I mean DRY so there is no break down of the skin which will turn into an infection. To check for fleas, it is usually easier to find the flea dirt, it looks like black pepper, frontline is a safe product to use on your pet to rid them of fleas. If fleas can be safely ruled out, seasonal allergies affect dogs much the same as us, runny itchy eyes, sneezing, an occasional cough and of course scratching. The stress or boredom thing only you can answer. Just some ideas. Good luck.
I will throw some things out there for you, firstly fleas, a common area for infestations is the base of the tail, sometimes dogs will chew when they have infected anal glands, seasonal allergies can cause tail chewing, as well as stress and boredom. The thing to look out for is that this does NOT become a hot spot, so be sure to wash the area with a mild, antibacterial soap and be sure it is DRY and I mean DRY so there is no break down of the skin which will turn into an infection. To check for fleas, it is usually easier to find the flea dirt, it looks like black pepper, frontline is a safe product to use on your pet to rid them of fleas. If fleas can be safely ruled out, seasonal allergies affect dogs much the same as us, runny itchy eyes, sneezing, an occasional cough and of course scratching. The stress or boredom thing only you can answer. Just some ideas. Good luck.