# Missing : 1 Tail



## TwitchiesMom (May 1, 2007)

Twitch is a little over a year old now, and she was getting this pretty Golden Retriever coat.. but.. I don't know what went wrong or what's currently going wrong, but she's ripping it all out!

Her tail almost looks like something that belongs on a rat, not a dog. :doh: 

We took her to the vet and he suggested a food change (to MediCal) and a daily pump of an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement for dry skin/fur.. We also treated her for possible parasites that could be making her itch enough to be putting so much attention on her hind legs/tail.

I know it's going to take a while before we see any real results with hair growth, but I'm not too sure she's stopped itching.

Is there anything else I can do or check to try and help her? The skin underneath her thin layer of fur is starting to look really irritated from all of her scratching and I'm worried about her.


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

Of course you want to find the underlying problem, but you might consider spraying bitter apple on her tail so she doesn't pull it out. There may actually be nothing wrong. It could be boredom.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

I'm having the same problem. The vet said it could be either his anal glands (so she expressed them), food allergy (so we switched to Canidae), apparently they have glands in their tails that swell up when in a frisky mood (he's not neutered), or fleas.

It's only been 2 days since his vet visit, so far he hasn't seemed to really go for his tail. And when he does I correct it with a firm NO!.

So, I understand completely how you feel! Tucker's tail looked like a Lab Tail at one point...lol.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

Maybe benadryl will help cut down on the itching. KayCee is allergic to Live Oak pollen (we live in a "live oak forest")bermuda grass, fleas and probably mold. I give her benadryl when she starts to itch and scratch and chew a lot. Biotin is also good for skin. Mine get two fish oil caps and a biotin tab every day.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

There is a good chance it is mental. I definitely would not let her chew it- tell her no and give her a chew toy or something if she likes them. You might consider using a Elizabethan collar for a few weeks to get her over the "hump" and let the skin heal a bit. Poor girl! Hopefully the food switch will cure her.


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## Maryanne (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm having the same problem  But I'm almost certain he's doing it for fun. He loves everything that tastes bad. I just feel like I can't win. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'll take anything.


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## ginger-ly (Jun 24, 2007)

I have an 11 month old and she just started about 4 months ago chewing her fur away along her lower back and her hind legs (its looks really awful). I have brought her to the vet 3 times and saw to 2 diffrent doctors, they could not give me an answer. I just got a suggestion today to ask the vet to do a skin scrapping so I guess that will be are next step. I would like more suggestions..... I have my question posted under Golden Retriever health,... Thanks!


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

The scraping is an excellent idea. Often times if it is a parasite, it takes several scrapings to find it


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