Goldendoodle with allergies or bad nerves?????????

[doggy lover]

My friend has a goldendoodle, she chews her fur off of one of her front legs to the point that she makes her leg bleed. Now Fergie has been to the vet numerous times she believed that it was allergies, gave her steroids and antibiotics. Now this is the same dog that had a severe reaction to a bee sting last summer and almost died. Now the only thing I wonder is that she only chews on one leg and most of the time its when they go out and leave her alone, I'm wondering if its separation anxiety. They bandage her leg up every time they leave her with a sock, tensor bandage or vet rap. If she can't get it off she just chews up higher on her leg. She has now pulled all the fur off from the front of her leg from about the elbow to the knuckle. My friend is taking her back to the vet tomorrow to see if they can give her something to calm her down when they go out like a prozac or something as they just don't know what to do with her next. Anybody have any ideas or thoughts they would be welcomed they have also tried using bitter spray on her leg but it doesn't make any difference, we are running out of ideas.....help?

[Brandon W]

It could be allergies. My lab chews his one paw till its raw and bleeds,his ears are always itchy or infected. We just changed him to a non grain food. Im almost sure its the grain,but it could be chicken as well. Hes on a fish diet now. Hes showing good signs already,its been only 3 or 4 days. Stop chewing as much as he was,hes almost stopped fully. Talk with your vet about it,if they think its food related.

[erykah1310]

Judging that she will chew higher up on her leg if it is bandaged I would suspect more of a behavior thing. However allergies shouldnt be ruled out.
How much excercise does Fergie get? Goldens and Poodles are both sporting dogs, with a lot of energy and if said energy is not drained adequately on a regular basis dogs can and do get bored and strange things like this could happen especially if it seems worse when they leave her alone.
I live by the saying " A tired dog is a good dog" if I am leaving my dogs alone for a period of time I make sure they are dead tired before I go. This way they are more inclined to rest and sleep than be destructive or obnoxious to neighbours.

[SamIam]

That's a tough call! Food allergies would usually show up on both paws equally, but what if it's an allergy to something else, like a spider bite? If it's separation anxiety, she shouldn't do it unless alone, but if she's reached the point of getting pleasure from endorphin release, that could explain why it's also occasionally while they're home.

I think you are on the right track to consider anxiety a possibility, with the allergy treatment not working. Hope the vet is able to come up with answers this time! I would suggest to your friend to pick up an E-collar at the vet tomorrow, to prevent the dog licking the leg while it heals or while they work on finding out what's going on. Licking can cause or worsen an irritation.

[erykah1310]

E collar as in cone, not as in shock collar

[doggy lover]

thanks guys as for food allergies they switched her to duck and potato food no change, but could be an environmental allergy? Boredom could be a possibility she is a high energy dog and being in a trailer park during the winter as they vacation in Texas, she can't roam free must be leashed so she don't burn off all her energy I'm sure. The E collar I must ask if they have one that would help her not chew I believe I have one from one of my dogs. Mind you my dog before Tucker had one on when we had his back dew claws removed and he would sit on the couch push the collar in and chew on his feet, had to take him in and get his feet restitched, never put anything past a dog.. I will get her to ask her vet for a collar when she goes today. Thanks for the ideas guys, we will see what her vet says.

[erykah1310]

Roaming free hardly gives mental stimulation or adequate physical excercise, If I had this dog with this problem and history come here, First thing I would be focused on is keeping her mentally stimulated and physically drained with structured excercise. Thats just me though.
I really think in this case some structure and excercise could help.
Sounds to me to be a boredom thing that relieves stress.
Could you talk to the owners about increasing actual mental and physical stimulation/ excercise at all?