How do I get my dog to stop biting his tail? What's wrong with him?

Lately, my dog has been chewing his tail nonstop. His skin on it has turned black and scaly around the edges of a spot he's chewed raw. his skin is dry and has dandruff in some places. He's chewed it so raw it's pink. He's lost half the hair on his tail and it's bleeding. He has the same problem on the peak of his paws. My mother thinks it mange because he goes to the woods of upper michigan with my dad a lot, so he might pick up something there. My dad is stubborn and says it's not that, and that 'It'll heal on it's own' which is a bunch of bs. It's not going to magically heal when he keeps re-opening and worsening the wound. My father refuses to take him to the vet and also says we "don't have the money" which is a lie, he can buy nice shirts and new suits all the time but won't take our dog to the vet. We've tried antibiotic cream, hydrocortizone, and giving him benadryl. None of it works, or he starts chewing it again so it doesn't stay on it long enough to do him any good.

It could be a number of different things- If he is losing his fur than it could be mange- He could have allergies (to food or something outside)- He could have problems with his thyroid (which can cause skin conditions) - He could just need a good deep cleaning (with an oatmeal shampoo- used to help dry skin)It would be best to try and talk your dad (or mom) into taking him to the vet. Dogs don't just chew their skin raw, unless there is a problem!

Your dog probably has allergies. It won't get better on its own. In fact, if your dog continues to chew and mutilate himself a secondary infection could set in, which could be a very expensive vet visit. An allergy test from the vet isn't that expensive, it's a simple blood test. If your dog does have allergies you don't have to get him allergy shots. He may be allergic to something in his food. In that case switching his food will help, and it's not expensive. Also, mange effects the entire body. It's not something that your dog 'picked up in the woods' either.