# Pulling out Fur



## SMBC (Jul 31, 2012)

My dog pulls out his fur too, on his legs, rear and tail mostly, but not to the extent where you can see bald spots or any injury. We just went to the dermatologist and I asked her about it and she said it could be a sign of allergies and to keep an eye on it. I think with your dog, especially since it's on the paws, it could potentially be an allergy. I would ask the vet about it.


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## TeamH&B (Dec 7, 2013)

She has not completely pulled her fur out to where there is a bald spot, but she pulls it out to where her fur is less than 1/8" long (guessing, not too sure). She has pulled little chunks out higher up on her front legs before but I haven't seen her do it recently. She also had a nice patch missing on the right side of her neck a while back. It looked like I went and shaved it, when I have never shaved her. Some of my trainers said that it could of been the snake chain that I train her on, but I am not sure what caused it. However it has grown back now. I will ask the vet about any possible allergies when I am in there again.


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## SMBC (Jul 31, 2012)

The fur missing on the neck actually happened to my last dog when we used a choke chain, and then we never used one again. It seems like it would be difficult for her to reach her neck with her mouth, but certainly she can reach her paws. I've heard flea allergies are common in goldens, and the derm said that when they pull out fur, particularly in the back half of their body, it could be indicative of a flea allergy. Is it her front or back paws where she is tearing out the hair? My dog tears out his hair in the front and back legs, and last time we went to the derm she said it could also be a seasonal thing and to keep an eye on it, but also said she has a feeling that he might have a flea allergy. I would definitely ask your vet about it and I hope you find an answer soon!


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## mpewe (Jul 19, 2012)

my Elvis used to lick/chew his paws all the time, alternating between one or the other, just in one spot about the size of a quarter. Elvis already has allergies to foods, so my vet thought it might be something else (like environmental), but it happened year round. She suggested it might be anxiety, like a form of OCD that they are doing to relieve stress, and I thought this was possible as he is a rescue and I do leave for a few hours each day to get things done, so I bought a bunch of toys for him to keep occupied with when I left, including a bone filled with frozen peanut butter, and they haven't happened since! I had to put an ointment on the spot to get it to heal right, otherwise if it itches the cycle would just continue. It's now impossible to tell he ever did it.


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