help! older bichon ripping her fur out!

[BirdLuver288]

well, sinse she is a small dog, and is older, my parents claim she cant hold her blatter, so they crate her up, it is a large crate, can be used for a med/large dog, she has water, and a blanket, the blanket it folded up, so half is bed, the other half is plastic bottom. when we get home ovcourse she is estatic, she crys, jumps, and sometimes she leakes, everyone when u have been holding it all day, then get excited ur gunna leak a little, its harder to contemplate on holding it when ur jumping and shaking ur blatter here and about, but anyway, she is illergic to fleas, beef, and some other foods like fish she gets fed 2-3 times a day, at 7:00 am 3:00pm and i try to give her last feeding around 8-9 but sometimes she gets it at 5:00pm, but she scratches almost uncontrollably sometimes, and at night i can here her sucking and licking at her sides, knees, rump, tummy, and back, she has short hair anyway, but now she is plastered with bald spots, and i keep putting neosporin on the large red welts she gives herself, its sad, her mom should be coming to pick her up next week, she hasnt seen her in 6 months! we arnt sure if its bordom or....

[amanda622]

it could be cause she misses her mom and she going threw a depression does she have fleas cause that what it sounds like i dont know if you should be putting neospoin on a dog you should try balmex the baby diaper rash cream i use that on brownie when he bites himself it works real well good luck

[BirdLuver288]

i checked all over her last night, not a single flea, she gets baths atleast once a week, it has an anti ich med in it, i use baby cream too, but she hates it when i put that on her, so i try to stick to neosporin, and it is safe to use on pets, she has been bounced around so much this older woman, well i dont think she treated her very well :mad: she cowers down alot more than when we had her the first time, but she is starting to show her old self again, slowly, she has short fur, because the vet had to shave her because all the mats :mad:

[amanda622]

let me know what it is im wondering :)

[Sassyblonde]

Ok, here we go! First of all, your dog really needs to go to the vet. The reason that she is itching so badly could be due to a number of things, but is most likely a bacterial infection, yeast infection, or flea bite allergy. Flea bite allergies are very severe, and can be brought on by even the presence of one flea....many times no fleas will be found on physical exam. The vet will be able to do a skin scrape and smear to look for organisms under the microscope, then will be able to perscribe the appropriate medication.

When an older dog has skin disease, there is sometimes and underlying cause to the problem. Many hormonal diseases, including hypothyroidism, Diabetes mellitus, and Cushing disease (which are all common in bichons!) will show up as skin infections, and all of these also cause excessive drinking and urination. If your vet suspects this, they should also take blood to check for these disorders.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your baby! -SB

[Sassyblonde]

Sorry, one more thing.....it is very uncommon for dogs to lick themselves out of boredom (cats lick to clean themselves, but dogs absolutely do not!) Dogs lick themselves because they itch!

[MariaRosa]

Listen to Sassyblonde cause she really knows what she's talking about....excellent advice. I wanted to mention that my furbaby, Bootsie, would lick obsessively at her front paws, and many people believe this could indicate liver disease (which she did have).
Also.....about that Neosporin....maybe try some of that bitter apple stuff? There is some stuff that my vet used on a bandage that Bootsie had on her front leg to keep her from messing with it. Can't remember the name but it was something like "ick gel", lol.
I really can't say why your sweet little dog is doing this obsessive licking/chewing, but I would follow sassyblondes advice, get her a good work-up at the vets to check for those conditions. I'm hoping it's nothing more than a case of nerves......in which case I would suggest using Bach Rescue Remedy.
---Paula

[BirdLuver288]

my mom is getting a blank check from her mommy, i will talk to my mom about going to the vet. we dident use bitter apple because we dont know if she is illergic to it, but i brought it up to my mom a long time ago, when i first noticed all the hair loss, after i washed her with a rinse cream, i forgot she came with :o i have noticed a difference in the iching, so i will give it a few days and see how it goes, i just gave her a bath, ah, yesterday, im pretty sure it was yestersay but it could have been the day before

[BirdLuver288]

well i talked to her and she said "their just allergies thats it!" but she just wont listen:(

[Sassyblonde]

Yes, your dog probably IS allergic, but her allergies are out of control. Instead of just having an allergy, your dog obviously has a perpetuating infection that is causing extreme itching that CAN BE TREATED! Allergic dogs often get secondary bacterial and yeast infections that need to be treated with antibiotics and antifungal medications. These conditions are extremely uncomfortable for your dog...enough to make him pull his fur out!!!!!!!!!

After ridding him of any infections, there are medications that can be given to control your dogs allergies as well. PLEASE urge your parent to take your dog to a vet....if she still won't listen, maybe at least get on the internet and try to find a shampoo that has miconazole and chlorhexidine in it (Malaseb is one example) that will help clear the infection.

[Sassyblonde]

Sorry, I just reread my last post and it comes off a little rude....I didn't mean it that way. I realize that your mom has absolute control over your situation. I just feel bad for your itchy baby! -SB

[Wolat]

i agree. your poor bichon needs veterinary help. but those shampoos that sassyblone suggested should help. its too bad you can't do anything more without your mother's help. poor little bichon shouldn't be left in a crate =( . there are medictions to help with urine leakage as well. but all this costs money, and in this happy season, money is short for a vet visit i'm sure =( .... again good luck.

[BirdLuver288]

well, i am now giving her baths everyother day, and as long as i dont do her head everytime, she seems to enjoy her baths better, and the more i scrath her and bath her, the more she trusts me, this morn she was sooo cute, she jumped on my back (i was in bed) and then started to rub her head on my pillow, them i gave a moany groan and she cocked her head soo adorably, then started licking me, and after i got up she started to stand on her hind legs and streched up COMPLETLY STRAIT! i cant even do that with out stubling :p the itching is more under control now, and she is sleeping with me too, she usually sleeps under my bed, but her mom is coming next week, hopefully, so she should do something, she has 1-2 days in a 5 day school week out of the crate, but, its not like she cant turn around in there, i can get the mesurements for the crate and her when i get home from school today, the leaking only happens when i let her out ofthe crate, and 1 reason she gets baths more often is because i have a med/large bordercollieX who doesnt wait till she is done peeing before he goes :rolleyes: and well, u get the point

[BirdLuver288]

well i found a solution, i keep her in my room, with a baby gate up, so she nor the other dogs can have contact, i did this once, and she never had a messy, so i guess she will be better off in there with pee pads than in a cold bared cage:(, plus, my room is warmer, and its a good size, she can run, eat sleep, pee, and drink, thats much better i think:D

[Wolat]

that is awesome enws birdlover299!! =D
i'm so glad she's feeling ebtter and getting some luvings too! =D
keep up the good work!
oh and make sure you use some moisturizing conditioner on her, cos doggy skin can get dry and itchy if its bathed too often, not somethign we want happenign again! lol!