Rubbing Head
 

I thought I saw a thread about this but I can't find it...Lucy rubs her head on the carpet alot. First one side and then the other. She also does it in bed. Did anyone come up with a reason for this? She will scoot along the carpet with the side of her head...

TIA

well i think it can be many things... we'll start with the least serious and work our way up.. lol.. she might have an ear infection or allergies... i also read that can be a symptom of a liver shunt... NO idea how those two things relate but that's what i have read on here.. might want to get her checked out for an ear infection.. i hear if you let those go too long it can cost a lot of money to get them better. hope that is all it is :)

I would get it checked out just to be safe. But my dog does the same thing on a regular basis, especially after a bath or when he is let out of his crate in the morning. His ears are in great shape and he doesn't seem to have any allergies. We've just come to the conclusion that he's weird!:)

Does she have a smell coming from her ears? Maybe an ear infection, or ear mites?

Chachi rubs his head after a bath

Conner does this when his moustache is "itchy".

I too have a puppy that does this. It totally freaked me out when we brought him home and he did it the 1st time. I took him to the vet and the vet said I needed to constantly monitor it (due to my pup's small size and some lethargy) as it could be a sign of liver shunt. I was mortified and worried to death. I kept a check on it and started writing down when he would do it. (If a pup is doing it after eating that can be a sign of the protiens in the food causing the issues re: liver shunt).

For my pup, I would even pick him up and massage his little head in my hands to try to ease whatever it was that was bothering him. I have done alot of research on it and still don't have an answer for why my pup does it. (Yes, we did have a blood test done for liver shunt that came back w/ great levels so doesn't appear to be liver shunt). Now 2 1/2 months later, he still does it but it appears to be more of a scratching himself action rather than a head-pressing.

Also his breeder told me that his mom does it as well (more of a scratching type action). I am continuing to monitor it, but the frequency my pup does it has diminished and I remain convinced it is just a body scratch thing that some puppies do.

Keep us updated if you find a cause or reason.

That is called hepatic encephalopathy. It is where the toxins (that aren't being filtered by the liver) go to the brain causing strange symptoms. They include head pressing, seizures, circling... If it is just her head, she might be itchy from something (allergies?). If you are concerned I would go to the vet but it is probably something minor.

Thanks!!! i love knowledgable people :) now i know!

To the OP, it depends if your dog seems to be itching herself, or actually pressing her head against the furniture... Does she do it within an hour or two of eating? If you're worried about it, I would take her in to have a bile acid test done.

Also, a dog who has a liver problem could quite possibly only exhibit one of the symptoms of HE like the head pressing. They don't necessarily have to have seizures or do the circling thing.

My sisters new puppy is doing the same thing, I told her make a vet visit, I went there today and his ears do smell a bit, He rubs and scatches at them, hope fully its nothing serious, praying for you both.

I'm going to make an appointment just to rule out the Liver Shunt to be on the safe side. She doesn't do it at any given time but now that I know I will monitor it this week.

Thank you for all the replies!

Chance does this also. One side of his face then the other on the carpet. Its a daily thing for him. I have taken him to the vet, and he has check out fine. I think it is allergies because he also licks his feet at night before bed. He eats Chicken soup, I was considering switching him to the raw but I don't know much about it. I would not worry to much...maybe its just allergies or just a yorkie thing :p

Chris

Me too... Meka does it on a regular, and I thought its just something they do. She seems perfectly fine.

lexi does that too , but i think she just wipes her mouth off to be dry