My dog over the last week has been chewing on hit tail where it meets the rest of his body. I've been tried the bitter apple. Soaked cotton ball and held it in his mouth for about a minute 3 or 4 days in a row, and have been spraying him since. It works for a while, but then he sucks it up and goes right through it.
It is now starting to become a sore.

What can I put on it to aid healing and start hair growing back again. Can you use neosporin on dogs?

The only thing I can think of to make sure he cant get to it, would be to put on one of those 'cones' that dogs get when they have a surgery or something so they dont mess with the wound. I would think that should work until it heals up.

Any other ideas on helping it heal quickly?

I'm 99% sure you can use neosporin on dogs. What side of the tail is it on? The bottom, side, top? What's the situation? Is he chasing his tail? Sometimes my dog twirls around once, then lays down n "cleans himself" back there, if it's the bottom of his tail maybe there's a medical reason why he's biting back there.

If your dog was biting the end or midway up his tail then without seeing the dog, I would assume that it was a sign of bordom. However biting where he is biting would suggest that it was either blocked anal glands, lice or mites, whichever it may be a visit to the vets would be my next step.

Its on the top of his tail, right at the base where it meets his back. He isnt 'chasing his tail'. He'll be walking along then whip back to itch...or if he is laying down, every now and then I'll catch him chewing back there.

I had him into the vet a while back (month or two) and they checked the anal glands and they were fine.

I think it may have started as just an itch then became habit, now as its healing you get the itchy feeling again, etc. Kinda repeats itself. I was holding off hoping the bitter apple would eventually take effect and he wouldnt mess with it. Now like I said, its becoming a sore and I dont want infection obviously, so i think a cone for his head and some type of ointment would be best, like neosporin.

This started when I had to keep him in a different part of the yard while we planted new grass. Where he is at is alot dirtier than were he was, so I think maybe he got dry skin and the itching turned into biting and it just escalated. Thats the only thing I can think of. I havent changed his diet, he always has advantix on for fleas and tics (as we have alot of tics around here...ranch, woods, etc). And I havent seen any type of 'bug' on him.

Do those 'cones' work fairly well to keep him away from his tail?

What you are describing sounds like a 'hot spot'. You might find more information on this board using that to search with.

There are some OTC medicine for hot spots, it is supposed to relieve the itch and help heal, not sure of the antiboitic properties (if any). It is also supposed to taste bad enough to keep them from going back there. I've never used it so cannot vouch for it or not.

The collar might be worth a shot to try out. You can pick one up a Petsmart if you don't already have one.

Linda

Mike
you did not mention if his exercise is sufficient or what breed dog his is. My Golden Ret. is driving me crazy licking and chewing on his "hot sot". I have had him to the vet several times, and the only thing that works is a shot and some antibiotics. But that only lasts so long. I have tried bitter apple with no success, also tried the OTC spray on bandages which he hates, but still he licks, just moved to anotner spot. I also tried the head cone, but Noley was able to defeat that and eventually broke the cone. I have given up trying to spray something on him, so I just keep the wound clean, apply gentimcin spray and have put a muzzle on him to deny him access to the spot. Not sure if this is the right approach, but I am tired of my boy chewing and licking himself raw. Hope this helps.

Terry

Treat them like they are animals
Train them like they are animals
Love them like they are people ................. Louis Grant

He gets alot of exercise, running, playing, etc every day.
He is a Bandogge (Neo.Mastiff/Am.Staff.)

He did this a long time ago before I switched to raw, but back then his skin/coat were REALLY messed up, bad.
Everything appears to be fine except for this one spot, I shouldnt have waited this long to take action, I was just hoping that the bitter apple would start working.

Hi Mike, my female has been getting hot spots since she was a 1 yr. old, i can tell you what works on my dog, but it doesn't mean it will work on yours, we've never been able to pin down what triggers it, also she gets it the same time every yr., maybe an environmental thing,anyhow, i shave the spot with clippers,i found that if you don't expose it, it stays wet, put peroxide,(twice a day) pat dry, wait about 10 mins., then apply some cool spot (which is mostly witch hazel) to help dry it out, check with your vet first, of course. we spent 2 yrs. trying to figure out the cause, now we just deal with it. my girl stops chewing on it in about a day or two, again, this works on my dog, it might not on yours, good luck,
AL

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My dog over the last week has been chewing on hit tail where it meets the rest of his body.......

Al Curbow is telling you what has worked best for me, too: Getting that spot clipped closely and exposed to air, then washing it in mild water-based antiseptic, patting it dry, and applying the mild astringent. The possible causes are numerous, and sometimes it's a regular but infrequent airborne allergy that doesn't present in any other way, meaning (to me) that stopping the itch cycle is my top priority. That spot on the rump is one of the most common places.

I am PMing you with a couple of URLs to very good explanations of hot spots and their causes and treatments.

Also.........I learned from a PM on this site about a newer kind of those cone collars that's soft, comfortable, and less in the way when the dog is trying to lie down, etc. I like it MUCH better than the old rigid kind. I don't remember where I got it (online), but here's one like the one I got:

http://www.bonafido.com/page6.html

My gsd got bit by a fire ant on his tail and chewed it until he had no hair on the last 4 inches. I was like he wanted to be a rat. yuck. I shaved the rest of the hair on the bite and cleaned it. It took about 3 months before it grew back all the way, but he stopped chewing after I shaved the itchy spot.