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Post by sierrasmom on Aug 14, 2014 20:45:12 GMT -5
Sierra has started a new habit of chewing her dew claws. One is starting to look pretty bad and now she is moving on to the other one. Any suggestions?
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Post by angelollie on Aug 15, 2014 18:54:49 GMT -5
Sometimes dogs chew or lick their dew claws/toe nails out of boredom or stress. Have you checked the nail for any cracks or splits, fungus, length, also check the base of the nail (where it meets the skin) for any redness or swelling ... if anything like this is present, Sierra will try to take care of the situation herself by licking and chewing that nail. Licking causes the dog's body to release a chemical which in turn makes the dog feel good and reduce pain, and so because it feels good, they continue to lick and chew, but continuous licking can cause additional problems.
If you can't see anything visibly wrong with the nail/nail bed, I would cover it temporarily with vet wrap so she doesn't have access and correct her whenever she wants to lick and chew that nail. Maybe others will comment as well ... hopefully you'll be able to get to the root of the problem. Hugs to Sierra ....
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Post by newtothis1 on Aug 17, 2014 19:14:59 GMT -5
I would have suggested the same thing as Angelollie. Make sure it is not torn of split etc and if all else fails vet wrap works wonders in keeping the licking to a min. God luck and keep us posted.
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Post by sierrasmom on Aug 18, 2014 7:21:33 GMT -5
It's not cracked or split. It looks like it could use a good trim (along with the rest of her nails) so I will get that done and try the wrap too. She has not been bothering with it as much the last couple days but it does look a little red and I have been correcting her when she is licking. Thanks!
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