my dog has chewed the end of his tail off and is consontly liking and chewing on it i cant wrap it because it just makes it worse, and i dont want to use bitter apple because i an afeade the it will hurt him. I took him to the vet and he said that if they dock it that he will most likly start on sonthing else.

   I think he might be O.C.D. cause i think he hears and sees thing( you know he barks at nothing, drives me up the wall)
we "saved" him from the wiled of the deassert. he had been running loose in the deassert for monthes so we started to feed him cause he was just skin and bones.

i think someone dumped him cause he is O.C.D., but he was nutered and trained very well. but i also think he was abused too cause if you sneese or raise a hand he freaks.

i was wonderingwhat to do about the tail

        thanks!!
  skout00

Can you tell us what you mean by O.C.D is please?

obsesiv compulsive disesse

Or more commonly known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Can include things like constant licking, tail chasing, shadow chasing etc. It usually has a behavioural cause but sometimes a medical one such as seizures.

well my dog (jeff)Has all the simptoms but not seizures which i am glad of.

If you are right in that he was abused, it may be that the OCD is a part of all that he has been through and it could have started either whilst he was with his previous owners or after. As i understand it, a dog who nibbles at himself in this way may not necessarily suffering from OCD in a clinical sense, but may be a normal dog under so much stress that he carries out a behaviour which may maintain/reach a feel-good or feel-OK mood. It's usually not that helpful to introduce "treatments" as such because often what is needed most is that the specific  needs of the dog are taken into account :)

Sometimes the chewing etc can become addictive and that is more troublesome. He sounds to me like a dog who is incredibly messed up and if the vet can't suggest any more, i would try to approach the problem with as holistic an approach as possible. I am assuming you are in the States; if the vet can supply you with a DAP diffuser it may also help a bit. It's an idea anyway.

Sorry not to be able to help more.

Best wishes
Lindsay
X

in pets at home you can but a collar like the ones vets use (after operations to stop dogs licking and chewing at wounds) have you try that to break the habit? of course as the wound heals it will be itchy and the cycle of itch ?bite,nibble goes on. s baxter

If you are in the US, I'm not sure if you have these trainers, but in the UK, there are trainers who work in a field called "T-Touch" which can be very effective for releasing stress in all types of animals.

Have a look at this website to see if it maybe of help:

http://tteam-ttouch.com/

I wish you all the best with your dog...

Go to a garden centre and buy a tree protector - they are about 1 metre long so you cut the required size and attach it to the end of the tail and tape it on with elastoplast - dog shouldnt then be able to chew the tail and if OCD you will be able to tell if it starts chewing elsewhere.  I would think there was something wrong with the tail as dogs normally start on their feet.

Has the vet ruled out any sort of skin disorder? Does the dog do it when left on his own or when you are there?

Your dog may actually find living with people incredibly stressful if he has indeed been in the desert and hence your "kindness" may actually be causing his behaviour....................................

A homoepathic vet may be able to help you but the contrast between his previous life and his present one may just be too much for him.......................

I agree with your vet - if you prevent him from getting whatever reward he gets from doing this, then he may well start on something else, such as his paws.  You need to understand canine behaviour so you (or somebody else) can understand *why* and start a programme of destressing him.