Any suggestions for tearing the fur out???/
 

Woody is constantly licking his legs and actually will pull the hair out. We have been watching him when this occurs and it seems to be when he has nothing to do, or Rocky our other Yorkie stares at him..... He was on steroids but that was a waste. It still occurs. If he has a toy and occupied he is fine...... but let him have a few minutes where he is bored and he will start tearing out his fur and whining. I been watching him and it appears it is for attention. Could that be????/ He does not have a rash or anything but his leg will be beet red...... Help... The Vet is not much help at all in this situation. He is on a salmon and potato diet because the vet thinks it might be food allergy but I have my doubts.

With being retired, we give him plenty of attention.... but sometimes I think the other Yorkie may be sending him signals that I am not aware of.

Have you had Woody to the vet for any kind of allergy or skin testing? Have you checked his teeth and gums to be sure everything is o.k. in his mouth? With my Jo-Jo the fish based foods were too oily for him, he would lick his feet more and get very oily just 2 days after a bath...plus he got little blisters on his underbelly that he would lick and break open. The vet said his hair folicles were getting blocked by the excess oil in his skin. I changed his food just a couple of weeks ago and I am already seeing great progess...no more greasy hair or blisters and he doesn't lick his feet quite so much now.

I posted part of this in another thread yesterday but maybe it will help Woody.....

If you have Woody on a good food that does not contain corn or other known allergens then there are a couple other things you can do. My 2 boyz have different coat types...Riley is pretty normal but Jo gets oily a few days after a bath...I bathe them both once a week, unless Jo needs it in between. The vet gave me a medicated shampoo for Jo called Pyoben, it contains Benzoyl Peroxide and it is an Antimicrobial, Keratolytic, follicular Flushing Shampoo...it cleans the hair follicles. This shampoo has to be left on for 10 or 15 minutes which can be hard on both of you but worth the trouble if it helps.

I also bought a shampoo at PetSmart called *efa HyLyt shampoo with *Essential fatty acids. It is a soap-free, Hypoallergenic shampoo for routine cleansing of normal, dry or sensitive skin.

I use the second shampoo on both of my boys and it works well. I make sure to get between their toes, in their armpits and the underbelly and rinse, rinse, rinse when you're done. This shampoo really seems to help Jo, he licks his feet but not so much with this one.

Do you have another vet you can see for a second opinion? I think that would be a good idea if you have one available. I hope something in all of that helps and you find some relief for Woody!

He uses a premium shampoo and it is not the paws he licks but his front leg and then he grabs the hair and actually pulls it out. His skin is not oily, nor are there any little blisters. He pulls the hair out of the same leg, and looks as if he has rolled up his pants leg to ride a bike. we have tried all that stuff but it seems more like he is just frustrated.... We have tried everything that we can think of.