Itchy Boogie

August 7, 2008 at 7:21 am Leave a comment

Posted Date: : Aug 7, 2008 4:32 PM

This has been going on for about 3 weeks now…. Boogie has been obsessively licking and chewing on his behind. I am not sure if it’s his BUTT or his TAIL because I can’t see clearly what he’s getting at when his big head is in the way. The whole area around his butt is wet. The fur on his tail is looking very scraggly and I am worried that before long he will have a bald nub for a tail. Sometimes his butt looks pink, too.

I have inspected his tail very closely and I can’t see anything wrong back there other than some “pinkness” (probably from the relentless licking). I can’t see any insect bites or rashes or any reason for him to be so fixated ….I don’t know if it’s a “hot spot” or if there is some serious tail injury, or if he is really trying to get at some problem deep inside his butt but can only reach as far as his tail.

Regardless, I have been spraying his toosh with Hydrocortisone (bitter) spray which is supposed to help with any irritations/inflammations. I have also been using anti-flea spray (natural non-toxic stuff). And whenever Boogie sees me with any sort of spray bottle, he runs and hides under a table. The bitter stuff doesn’t deter him either. He just looks depressed and grumpy about it.

I have also tried using some (non-chemical) Emu Oil on his behind – having read that this is good for itchiness and skin issues. I am not sure if it’s making any difference… Boogie continues to chew on his tail, leaving large wet spots on his cushion, the couch, the bed…

He stops when I shout at him to stop. And then he disappears into my closet and licks his butt/tail there. I have caught him several times. The guilty deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face when I switch on the closet light is priceless.

But alas, I am not sure what to do about this crazy tail-chewing/licking business. Each day the fur on his tail looks thinner and thinner. And everytime we stop him from chewing/licking on his butt for fear of worsening the problem, he stops, lies down, and looks SO miserable.

Would a vet be able to see what’s wrong with his tail, if I can’t see anything wrong with it?

EDIT TO ADD/UPDATE: I examined his tail again this afternoon and underneath it was all crusty and bloody! Poor little Boogs. I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide but it’s still irritated, I can tell… the little bug hasn’t been himself today. He keeps looking at me with a sad look on his face; otherwise he has been really sleepy and mopey, not even in the mood to play ball. It could be this terrible heat. It has been unbearably hot and humid today.

And then tonight Boogie “escaped” when the door was open. He has never done this before; he usually stays close to us, follows me from room to room. When I noticed that he was missing I searched the closet… He wasn’t there and I panicked. Wes found him outside and some neighbors said he was headed towards the street !!!

Now he is back in his bed curled up asleep. Again.