# my puppy is biting her leg, help!



## mllucas99 (Apr 13, 2010)

My dog is on Natures Variety Raw and in the last few days I have included Evo red meat little bites. I am not sure how long she has been chewing, maybe just since i started adding the EVO(?). I just noticed the red hairless area on her paw last night. Do you think It could be the beef bites? I just checked her paw again tonight and it is worse than last night. Should I wrap that area in hopes of preventing her from chewing there anymore? I am open to suggestions. Thanks in advance.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would cut out the kibble if you are doing NV, since there is no need to do both. In fact I don't recommend doing both raw and kibble at the same time. Either feed one or the other, NV being the better choice.

What you are seeing is called to a hotspot, which is just an area of skin that becomes irritated for one reason or another. It could be the food, or it could be something in the environment, OR it could be a behavioral issue. One of our dogs chews on herself like that when she gets nervous. 

What you can do is get an antiseptic wash like Betadine or Chlorohexadine (from Walgreens or RiteAid or a grocer-ask someone to help you if needed) and a eliz collar(cone) from a pet store. Dilute either the Betadine or Chlorohexadine (you don't have to get both, but if you do get both alternate each one with each cleaning you do) down with warm water with a 5:1 (water:cleaner) ratio. These cleaners can be $$$ but since you dilute them down, they last a long time. Trim extra fur away from the area if its getting in the way. Use a wash cloth and gently wash the spot a few times...don't rub it hard or irritate it further. Do not wrap it up to keep her from getting at it, but put the cone on her because the wound needs to be exposed to the air to heal. Then put some ointment like Neosporin on it to keep it from getting dried out, but not a whole ton. Repeat washing the wound at least three times daily for a few days and slowly backing that down until it is healed. It wont take long if you do this.

The only way for it to heal is for her to leave it alone. The more she chews at it the more irritated the skin will become and the bigger mess you will have. Hotspots get bad enough that it can turn into a huge skin infection, so make sure that you do the above stuff to prevent that from happening. 

If you don't want to use a cone you could try something like bitter apple spray (pet store) to keep her from chewing but I find that doesn't work well enough. 

Let me know if you have anymore questions.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Yes to what Natalie says. A cheap way to help hot spots is to use a 50/50 mixture of aloe vera and witch hazel and a few drops of tea tree oil. Moisten the area a few times a day with it.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

RawFedDogs said:


> Yes to what Natalie says. A cheap way to help hot spots is to use a 50/50 mixture of aloe vera and witch hazel and a few drops of tea tree oil. Moisten the area a few times a day with it.


witch hazel & tee tree oil? Sounds like a homeopathic remedy that would fall under the placebo effect to me... :wink:


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

jdatwood said:


> witch hazel & tee tree oil? Sounds like a homeopathic remedy that would fall under the placebo effect to me... :wink:


OMG. I know I shouldn't post but this is hillarious. LMAO. :tongue:


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## mllucas99 (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks so much for the thorough information!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

jdatwood said:


> witch hazel & tee tree oil? Sounds like a homeopathic remedy that would fall under the placebo effect to me... :wink:


Oh, not at all. Witch hazel is an astringent. That means it shrinks body tissue. It is a medical chemical used topically. Its used in medicines to treat bruises and insect bites and its in some hemrroid medications. Aloe vera is soothing and helps hold down itching, burning, and stinging. Tea tree oil tastes REAL bad and discourages the dog from licking/chewing on the hot spot. My vet at the time recommended this for my dog's hot spots and she certainly under no stretch of the imagination was homeopathic.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Povidone-Iodine Solution is the generic for Betadine, its a fair bit cheaper.
Do what Natalie says - as soon as you can. They can flare up into a huge weeping sore overnight and make the dog feel rotten. I had a bad introduction to them a couple of years ago (I had never heard of the word hotspot till then) and my dog ended up on steriods and antibiotics for a month.


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