HI,
I have a 8.5 year old male, neutered Australian Shepherd mixed dog.
I am currently located in Grenada, but am from the U.S., as is my dog, Darwin.
About 2.5 months ago he started what would be called a hot spot on his lower tail, close to his rump. He had a couple of these in his past, so we basically knew how to deal with them. Clip the hair, keep it dry, keep him from chewing on it. After a few days or trying, we were not having much luck keeping him from it, even with a cone and a wrap on his tail. We took him to the Vet Clinic here (St George's University Animal Hospital).
To make a long story short, we have been 4 times to the vet over the past 10 weeks, had skin scrapings done, anal gland squeezing, x-ray of his tail, he has been on Clavamox now for 19 days out of a 21 day course, changing his food to something new (even though he has been on this food for 18 months with no issues (current food was Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach, moving him to Honest Kitchen Keen and Science Diet z/d). When we are around, he leaves it alone for the most-part, as he knows he should not be doing it. We were still wrapping it up at night to give him a little deterrent from getting into it while we were asleep, and all was going OK for about 12 days. The tail looked basically healed, and the hair was starting to grow back.
Last night, I put him on my bed to wrap his tail for the night, went to get something and was gone for about 2 minutes, came back and he was chewing away again. I have also noticed that even though the tail looked OK, he was still acting a little odd with it, not quite wagging it as normal, and holding to one side at times. So, took him to the vet again, basically at this point they dont know what it is, and sent me home with nothing else to do, except a good luck. While he had the xray done this morning, he was left alone for a few minutes, and chewed it up again while at the vet.
He has had no trauma's on the tail, and the x-ray is 100% normal.
Anyone have any suggestions, as after 2.5 months of this, we are at a total loss for what to do next, except have our dog live in a cone and tail wrap for the remainder of his life.
He has no itches or scratching anywhere else on his body, and is eating and drinking normally.
He does/did go swimming daily in salt water, but we have been rinsing him with fresh now after every time, which hasn't but much anyway in the past 2 months since the wound has been pretty raw most of the time.
Thank for all so much for any help!
Mark
