Well, I don't know anything about anxiety and self-mutilation . . unless it's something called a 'lick granuloma'. My Westie got those before just by going back to same spot and licking over and over and over . . can be from boredom or many things. The vet gave me a spray for that - he had one place on his paw. The spray tasted bad and that was the end of that!
My Westie has bad skin allergies as well; he ended up with a skin infection like your dog from scratching.
Per his vet's advice; we give Claritin or Zyrtech on days when he seems to be scratching or itching a lot. Neither make him sleepy. We also bathe him with Cortisoothe shampoo - it's not heavy duty medicated like the one for the skin infection . . . but it does help calm the skin. Rx only. We also bathe him more often when this is going on.
Lastly, we had to find the right food for him. Ringo does better with foods without a lot of grains and chicken. Right now, he's on Blue Buffalo Wilderness.
When things get really bad - usually in the fall - he gets a taper-down dose of prednisone.
His allergies seem to be pretty well under control. Good Luck! |