# Help. My Golden Bites and Scratches herself



## firefly

I am new to the Forum but so glad that i found it. I have a beautiful 5 year old female golden. Whenever i leave the house (or even the room that she is in) she will bite her legs and scratch herself raw. I have tried going outside the door for a few seconds, then coming back in, every few minutes gradually lengthening the periods but she still bites.

She has lots of love and plenty of toys to keep her occupied. I should add that i have just changed her food as i think she has an allergy i.e red itchy ears, hot spots etc.

Has anyone else had this problem? I am finding it very hard to leave her now which is driving my husband crazy!!

Thank you


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## fostermom

I would take her to the vet and have her checked out.


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## PiratesAndPups

My Luna was like that all last year. I was trying a lot of things to help her. She had chewed all the fur off of her back at the base of her tail and was constantly scratching. I thought she might be gluten intolerant and was about to put her on a grain free diet, but then I started giving her fish oil with every meal and it seems to have done wonders for her. Her fur completely regrew and she only scratches momentarily at the occasional itch now.


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## Doug

Yes. You need to try a clean diet. No corn, wheat or preservatives.
The fish oil is a great idea.

A vet visit is needed. Our boy is on an antihistamine for his allergies.

Good luck! Feeling scratchy must be very uncomfortable for her.


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## Tayla's Mom

I'm interested if she does it when you are near her. Maybe a nervous habit. When you leave the room try a Kong with some frozen ____ in it. You can try peanut butter, yogurt, baby food, fruit, etc. Maybe it's not allergies, but separation issues. If she does it when you are in the room then look for allergen causes.


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## firefly

Thank you all so much for your replies. My Kea is now on a wheat free, soy free, dairy free diet. Just started her 5mg of salmon oil with every meal. I will post how she gets on as soon as i start seeing some results. Kea never bites herself or scratches when i am with her. I think a lot of her problems could be separation anxiety, as she follows me everywhere . Lays at my feet every night just looking at me with her big beautuful eyes.

Once again thank you all and i will keep you posted:wave:

Lynne


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## Wendy427

It's good that you've changed her food. You could also add a tablespoon of organic Apple Cider Vinegar to the food and mix it all up. This may help with the allergies. Search for "ACV" here on the forum for more information on its uses and benefits.

Something else that may help with the separation anxiety is to make sure she gets lots of exercise. How old is she? Depending on her age, you may want to increase the number of walks and/or make them longer.


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## goldlover68

I have a 5 year old male with similar problems. We have tried everything including giving him Benadryl, which works, but I hate medicating him. Recently I went onto a dog food website (Best Dog Foods) and researched of a good dog food for allergies. Found one and ordered it, over the last 30 days his ears and inside of his legs have cleared up (see below what we purchased). The website has many foods that are good for allergies, we chose one that was easiest to get and met our requirements....good luck
*Precise Dog Food (Dry)*


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## eleni

I had a problem like this with Chancy, my golden who died this summer at 13,5. Two years ago, we left her for 4 days to take our boat to our summer house, and left a friend whom she adored and who always took care of her whenever we had to go away, to check on her every day. We had been doing this since she was a puppy with no problem, but on this occasion, the day after we left, the friend phoned us in a panic, because Chancy was chewing her paws raw and ripping her fur off. She had just gone through her yearly check up with flying colors, so we knew there was nothing wrong with her. We rushed home to find a dog in tragic state. She had eaten and drunk nothing in 3 days, her paws were bleeding from her chewing on them and her skin was raw in many places where she had chewed it off. As soon as we came home, she recovered in a flash. Last year, exactly the same thing happened. Her vet who loved her dearly, said that these dogs are human, that she was feeling older and frailer and suffered excessive separation anxiety when we left her. The result was we never left her alone again, but she was already 12 years old when that happened. Your dog is still very young, and if you rule out food allergies etc, maybe you should consider the possibility that for some reason he feels extremely lonely and vulnerable when he doesn't see you. Golden retrievers can be very very sensitive dogs.


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