Dog nibbles when i scratch him...?
If he was in pain he would let you know to stop. I think its got to be pleasurable for him. Mine lifts one back leg and scratches or her legs go wobbly cause she relaxes when you scratch her in a particular spot.
Why do cats go crazy when you scratch them at the base of their tail?
That's an easy one, especially once you've been doing TNR for a while. Not all cats go crazy when you touch or scratch them there. And, if you watch those that do react that way, nine times out of ten you'll find they're females. And, not just because they're females, but usually it's because they're, to put it nicely, what I call “experienced.”“Experienced” females, generally speaking, are those who have had at least one litter (though you'll see it more in those who've had more than just one). My Gizmo (Gizzy”) had two that I know of before I got her fixed and took her in. We sometimes call her our little streetscape kitty. She was a great mom too. As a matter of fact, the first day she was allowed to freely roam the house, a kitten on TV cried and Gizzy went nuts searching allover trying to find it. A real sweetie!Of my eight cats, three are female. Of those, two have had litter, Gizzy and Freckles, and Freckles only had one. When we trapped her she was pregnant with her second but we were able to get her in time. I can touch Freckles near her tail end—and her tail was amputated due to an infected bite!But Gizzy? Oh, boy! At first she'd actually nip at us. Now she just starts to lick in a kind of frenzied fashion if someone gets too close to “the spot.” So, yeah, I believe it mostly has to do with the fact that they associate that touch with the act of having sex and, for female cats, that's a pretty painful and stressful event. I don't know what you know about cat's mating behavior, but it's not like dating and getting to know each other first. Actually, it can get pretty brutal.Often, more than one male will impregnate a female in heat. That's one reason kittens of the same litter can look so different. And an intact (not neutered) male has barbs on its penis. Once he ejaculates, he either pulls out quickly or the female chases him off. As he pulls away the barbs cause considerable discomfort to the female (you think?). That also causes her to immediately ovulate, thereby almost positively assuring she will conceive.I could go into more detail, but I think you get the picture. I hope that answered your question. I can't recall ever reading this anywhere, but I'm standing by it. I think it's the best reason/ theory I've ever heard. At least as far as I'm concerned.You have a great day. Good luck with your cat, if it is yours. And don't forget to keep your hands away from places they shouldn't be.
Why does my dog keep scratching herself? She doesn't have fleas.
It is common for dogs with flea bite allergies to not have visible fleas on the body. Fleas are very good at hiding when fur is parted and going other places on the body so they won’t be seen. Also, a flea allergic dog will hunt down every flea on its body and remove it, usually with the mouth, then swallow it. Flea bite allergy is the most common reason for dogs to itch, especially on the back near the tail and on the belly. So, every vet uses strong flea control medications on every itchy dog. Other causes of itch are inhaled allergies, mange, contact allergies, Chyletiella mites, bacterial or fungal infections (which are usually secondary to some type of allergy), and, very rarely, food allergies. The vet needs to examine the dog and, if warranted, do some skin scrapings to look at under the microscope and do a fecal exam for parasites (this is because some worms are passed to the dog from eating fleas). He will then recommend a course of treatment to see if the itching responds. Steroids work the best to decrease itching, but sadly they cannot be safely given long term because they will cause other problems like diabetes and decrease the body’s ability to fight infection. He may recommend a type of medicated bath, treatment for mange, and other medications. It is unlikely that your changing the dogs food to another over the counter brand is going to help matters, so I don’t recommend doing that. Putting anything over the counter on the dogs skin won’t work either, and it can make the dog even more miserable. Also, over the counter antihistamines rarely work for itching in the dog.
Whats wrong with my dog? twitching muscles, scratching?
if your dog has flea allergy, make sure there are no fleas are on her and in her environment. use advantage flea drops on her and use a house/carpet treatment for fleas:usually the vet can tell you which ones are the best. I buy one from my vet,i have to spray the place once and its lasts for 3-4 months:its made by 3M the name is Sectrol or Duratrol. Another possibility, your dog can have some food allergies too:one of my dogs had the same problem,when we got her she was itching all the time,but no fleas,no ticks,nothing! The new food allergy test is a blood test,my vet sent it to a big lab in the USA(im in Canada) The lab tests look for immunoglobulins in the blood. In 2-3 weeks we got the results,and also a whole list of foods listed,that are OK for my dog to eat.
My dog just started itching/biting himself like crazy these past days.?
Stop shampooing your dog and stop giving him flea treatments, this may aggravate the situation. My dog does not have skin problems, however she had other issues because of the food which I gave her. I have done lots of research and I discovered that the grain in dogs foods can cause numerous problems and one of them is skin problems. I will paste the details on this. If this does not work have your dog tested for thyroid problems and diabetes. I have learnt by my mistakes. My present dog had dreadful problems because of the food which I gave her, I experimented with dog food, I tried raw diets, cooked diets and over the years I tried various dog foods. She did not like the raw diets and the dog food that I gave her resulted in diarrhea. As an experienced dog owner I introduced any changes gradually. Nevertheless my dog still had problems. She was eight years old before I resolved her problem. Eventually, because of my researches on the Internet I found that the experts have discovered that GRAIN in our dog’s diet causes many problems. I now know that grain creates acidity in the blood. This causes skin problems, sickness, diarrhea, anal gland problems etc., if your dog has skin problems or any of the above problems PLEASE CHANGE THE DIET. Avoid Grain, rice, beef derivatives and dairy food I now give my dog a dried food which uses beet for fiber and fish. It’s called Fish4Dogs and I buy it on the Internet. Look on the Internet and investigate yourself. Gluten free dog food is not enough to help our dogs, it MUST BE GRAIN FREE. A rapid change of diet will upset your dog; any change of diet must be done gradually. Do please change to a grain free diet. I have had sixteen dogs throughout the years and they have had various problems. Perhaps if I had known about the dangers of GRAIN they would have had fewer problems. .
What would make a house cat obsessively scratch or bite at himself until he ripped patches of fur out, and scratch/bite at his skin until he has scabs? He doesn't have any fleas, and he's not an outdoor cat. What could be wrong?
I’m gonna go w/food allergy.Cats are obligate carnivores which mean they must have meat (majority) of their diet to survive & thrive.MOST commercial dog & cat foods, include horrible stuff like road kill, euthanized pets, you’ve heard of “the 4 D’s”???That’s dead, dying, diseased & disabled animals, amongst cheap fillers like tomato pomace, wood shavings, so it’s no wonder that there’s been a rise in cancers affecting our dogs & cats.I would first off eliminate feeding your cat (for other health reasons mainly like urinary blockages & crystals) ALL DRY KIBBLE food & find a premium wet/canned food that is GRAIN FREE.Brands like Instinct, or Canidae are great.Eliminating potential allergens may just be the cure for your cat.A trip to your vet is also needed to rule out any topical pests like mites, fleas, they’ll do a skin scrap & put it under a microscope to see if they’re anything there that’s not supposed to be there.If that comes back negative, chances are feeding your cat a species appropriate diet may be just the thing he/she needs.
Why does my dog chew the fur on his tail until it is bald?
I’m answering these questions only because I’ve experienced some of the issues with my dogs. There are probably 1000 answers, at least, here’s mine.Chewing his tale: How old is he? Does he have fleas? Does he have skin that’s oily and flaky and that has a smell? When you can see the skin because he’s chewed off the hair is what I mean. Does he have “hot spots” anywhere else?Has a Vet seen him?Okay, here goes. My dog was a female mixture of Collie, Shepherd, Husky and other things. She was a funny, sweet, beautiful, sneaky friend for almost 14 years. My understanding was, and is, that some dogs have flea allergies. I think people do too but that’s not what we’re talking about. My dog who was a female was named by my daughter because it was her turn, There was a stuffed dog at Hallmark I’m pretty sure, named Ralph and that’s who our pup became.At some age, Ralph started scratching until her skin was bloody and she had no hair. The Vet said she had a flea allergy and gave me an antibiotic and I think I remember something for itching.We went along for some years. Add very smart to that list above. And her body odor became unbearable and her hair was gone again. She had fleas from somewhere and I bathed her and I bathed her again and yet again. So back to the Vet.Lab tests showed another infection (bacterial or viral they didn’t say) in her skin. She also had a thyroid deficiency causing the odor and the flaking, I think. She took thyroid pills for that. The skin cleared up and stopped flaking. This Vet raved about her hair and it was beautiful, silky to the feel and in the breezes. It shined, oh how it shined!Please take your dog to the vet. He must be in agony.