# Puppy is bitting her feet and tail



## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

What is it about my puppy that she likes to bite her feet and tail.
Are these body parts another chew toy?
Thanks


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

Has she been checked or treated for parasites?


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## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

Have your vet check for allergies.


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

We got her Friday and we are going in for shots on Tuesday.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

What is she fed? Itchy paws can be a sign of food allergies.


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

Is she biting and looking at it like she has no idea what it is? Or is it more of a munch munch munch, concentrated itching? Puppies are like babies and like to explore everything, I can remember when Sydney was a puppy and suddenly discovered she had a tail!! lol she would see its shadow and get scared. 

I second the allergies if its a more concentrated itching. Get her on a grain free diet and see if that clears it up! Its amazing what a change in diet will do for a dog!


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

I just read the ingredients.
It does read corn as the main ingredients.
Grain free, what kind of brands provide grain free.

I have only noticed that she chews when she is playing outside.
I haven't sprayed any pesticides
Nor have I placed any fertilizer out.
Good old fashion marathon grass and it's a little moist.

But, honey could also be exploring with the flavor of the grass on her feet.


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## dustinshaw98 (Feb 22, 2012)

amosmoses89 said:


> Is she biting and looking at it like she has no idea what it is? Or is it more of a munch munch munch, concentrated itching? Puppies are like babies and like to explore everything, I can remember when Sydney was a puppy and suddenly discovered she had a tail!! lol she would see its shadow and get scared.
> 
> I second the allergies if its a more concentrated itching. Get her on a grain free diet and see if that clears it up! Its amazing what a change in diet will do for a dog!


That's right. That biting behavior is an allergic reaction. My dogs are on raw meat and bones for three years now. They don't get allergies and don't smell at all since I stopped using pelletized and grain-based food. Plant-based material will tax the pancreas of dogs because they're not meant to digest those.


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

Rock said:


> I just read the ingredients.
> It does read corn as the main ingredients.
> Grain free, what kind of brands provide grain free.


Taste of the Wild is grain free, and one of the less expensive ones available. They sell it at Tractor Supply if there is one around you, and if not you can go on their website and it tells you retailers in your area that sell it. 
As far as I know it is still an all stages dog food, meaning you can feed it to puppies. We had our foster puppy on it for the week that he was with us and he looked dramatically better then when he came to us in that short of time!!


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Rock said:


> I just read the ingredients.
> It does read corn as the main ingredients.
> Grain free, what kind of brands provide grain free.
> 
> ...


What brand of food exactly is she eating? It would help to see all the ingredients. I would avoid any dog food that has corn in it. Not good for them, is usually genetically modified, and makes for some large poops haha.

Some good brands I have had personal experience with are Taste of the Wild, Orijen, and Canidae. Some other good brands that members are happy with here ( I am not 100% sure they have a grain free) are Acana, Blue Buffalo, and Fromm.

It doesn't sound like Honey is tasting the flavor, it sounds like she is itching. I would definitely start looking to see what high quality kibbles are in your area.

My dogs are also on a diet like dustinshaw98's dogs, although it has only been about a month and I already see a huge difference. Poops are less than half the original size, zero smell, more energy, and the "doggy" smell has gone away.


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

We got a bag of pedigree kibble dog food


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

That sounds like the issue. Pedigree is an extremely low quality dog food. It is mostly grains, has unnamed meat products, chemical preservatives, and artificial ingredients, all of which could be causing problems. Here is a great article explaining exactly why these ingredients are bad and what they can cause. This food is also very low in fat, which could also be contributing to her itching, although I am betting it is the grains and chemicals.

The extra chemicals are very bad for her liver, and the very high amount of grain/plant matter is also bad for her organs to be processing. These ingredients are not species-appropriate and are making her body work harder to try and process them, not to mention her liver has to process the chemicals BHA and all the artificial colorings.


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## krystina alayne (Jun 23, 2011)

^ *like* ^


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## amandadun (Mar 11, 2012)

Switch her food and let us know if that helps!

Cheers - Amanda


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

So I started with Taste of the Wild's website and it should me many feed stores that are in the area that carry that product.
We just went to the grocery store to get our food, and grabbed a bag of food off the shelf.
The bag looked pretty and it was convenient to get.
That's marketing.

I'll be heading off to the feed store to see what's in stock.
I'll be taking the list that was recommended from up above.

Thank you guys


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

That is not unheard of for people to just pick a pretty bag at the store and be done with it. But one of the biggest things that people do for themselves but not for their pets is to check ingredients, but when you think about it, it just makes sense to check them. I would personally want to know what my dog was ingesting, which is low quality kibble is often other dogs (euthanized pets and dead zoo animals are allowed to make up some of these unnamed meat sources like "animal fat" or "meat and bone meal". I would definitely check out this link ( http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pedigree-dog-food-dry/) to understand why pedigree is such a terrible food and why to avoid the ingredients in it. I would avoid any pet food you get at the grocery store as well. 

Taste of the Wild is an EXCELLENT food. Just make sure to transition extra slowly since you are going from very low quality to very high quality. It will take some time for her body to detox all the toxins from the Pedigree so she may get a bit worse for a bit but she will probably do great on TOTW once that is all flushed out.


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

Perhaps I should start a new thread, but it was stated that I should buy non grain puppy food.
I am going this after noon to pick some up, but I have a concern and I am thinking that it is the food that I am feeding her.

Over the past few days, I have been feeding her about 2 cups through the use of chew toys.
Its doing good feeding her this way.
And the pooping has been not too much, just a hand full amounts every 8 hours or so.

But this morning I had a poop-O-rama.
6 am we did our potty brake out side, but only pee.
Waited for poop, but nothing came.
Then I placed her in the crate so I can prepare her food, and she pooped in the crate.
Then I placed her in the expen so that I could clean up the crate and she went again (in the expen), but this time more.
I got the expen cleaned and placed her back in the expen, and she went again.
It looks like she cleaned out her collin.
Is this normal?
Was she holding back?
Or is it the food?

Thanks again in advance for your help.


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## AConklin03 (Feb 28, 2012)

I think the poops could be because of the food as well..my older two dogs were on pedigree for a while and had horrible stomach issues from it. 


The itching I do think is probably from the corn. I switched my puppy over to Diamond Naturals puppy which does have grains but no corn, wheat, or soy and for her the itching has calmed down considerably. I haven't seen her chew on her paws or body except a little bit when coming in from outside. I think the issue she has with outside is that it's kind of humid but chilly outside and I think that makes her a little itchy. It's not a constant need to itch though, so for us I think grain inclusive but not corn inclusive is working.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

There can be a detox-like effect when switching from a not so good food to a very good food. The ingredients are very, very different. It could take some time for the artificial colorings and preservatives to come out. There are some people I know that have bad reactions when they eat things with those ingredients (soda, chips, etc), so I would think a dog could also have a bad reaction.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I don't think the OP's picked up the new food yet, so it's not a switch from Pedigree to TOTW yet. BUT, it could be from switching from what she was fed before she came to you, to the Pedigree. Do you know what she was eating before she came to you?

Nerves can affect poops as well. So, if she's new to you, she may have had an upset stomach, and is now kind of cleaning herself out, so to speak.

Have you had her to the vet since she came to you? 

When our puppies have upset stomachs we add a little plain yogurt to their kibble. The bacteria really helps. But, you have to make sure it's PLAIN, not vanilla or flavored. And, NOT nonfat, either. Nonfat often has additives to make it taste better. So, a low fat or regular would be ok. We just add about a tablespoon to the kibble.


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## Rock (Feb 16, 2012)

When I used pedigree kibble and put some on the grass for her to find, she wouldn't really hunt for it - pretty much she couldn't find or smell it or just not interested.
Now with the Taste of the Wild, she immediately sniffed out all the kibble.
It was exciting.
Also, the puppy's poop had changed to soft solid material instead of diarrhea.
Additionally, the poop came out just after peeing, whereas before it would take an additional 20 minutes and it was also in the diarrhea form.

But, she still is nibbling on her rear paws and tail tip.

I am going to the vet tomorrow.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

That sounds like great improvement! Give the itching some time to go away, it can take a few weeks in some instances.


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

Hang in there. I've been working on Sasha's itching since the day after we got her. Keep notes on what you do regarding food and her environment.


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