What do i do for my dog that is self mutilating himself due to a spider bite?

My dog was bitten by a brown recluse spider. His wound has healed however he is now biting the area. The doctor said he is self mutilating himself. What is causing this? and how do i get him to stop? Will this sensation ever go away?My dog has a cone (he's had it on for 3 months now) we have tried bitter sprays and he has a bandage on the area where the wound was. The open wound is now healed. He must still be having paid/itching etc due to the tissue that is still healing underneath. My vet is trying to contact a neuro psych doctor to get recommendations for meds for the self mutilation. My only concern is will this last forever? If there is nerve damage will it ever repair itself so he will stop doing this? Has anyone else had this problem? Will we have to keep the bandage on his leg until this is over? Is it ok to leave a bandage on a leg that by site is healed? HELP!!!

you could try putting pet-safe bitter sprays on the areas where he is self-mutilating. they usually sell them in pet stores.if this doesn't work, i would consult an animal behaviorist.

Get him a cone so he can't bite himself or cover the spot with bandages (which he will probably bite off) or get some kind of spray from the pet store that has a bitter taste and spray it around the spot.

It probably itches, I would find out if their is a dog ointment to stop the itching and put a gentle muzzle on him before he starts bleeding or damaging his flesh. Oh ,and find a better doctor!

Is he biting or scratching? If he is biting, get one of those cones that you can put around his neck that prevents him from biting himself. If he is scratching, there may be some kind of "slipper" you can get that will cover his foot and keep his claws away from the wound at least. It just needs to heal. If you can get it to heal without him being able to get at it, then he will eventually stop it. If the wound is in a spot where he can scratch, however, it will be more difficult to do than if he is biting. The neck cone or some anti-bacterial spray with a bad taste will work well for biting. Good luck!

This works but it sure looks stupid. Cut the bottom out of a bucket and attach it to his collar. Then he cant mutilate himself.

well your dog needs one of those big things they put around the neck that keeps them from being able to reach the area.ask the doctor for anti itch shot or medication and if its mental, how about some relaxation medication also.dogs always lick and bite their wounds too much because they itch during the healing process.

a brown recluse spider bite will cause tissue and can even cause nerve damage to the area, its possible that he will continue to so this, ask him about having a surgical procedure done to remove some of the damage tissue

have you called your vet sometimes they can prescribe some lotion to help with the irritation

Although the wound is healing, it is probably still itching (many wounds are when they are healing), and might even still be painful.Depending on where the wound was, have you considered a Victorian collar to prevent him from reaching the wound?

Are you kidding me!!! Get your dog to another vet. This is not right. To have your vet just pass this off as self mutilation is so wrong. Your dog needs help that is evident, your vet cant give him or just doesnt know how to help him. . Find another vet and get your dog to it pronto.

Dude,WTF !!! Go to a new vet cause your vet is an idiot...There is something still inside the wound that is driving your dog crazy. (poison, broken off spider tooth etc...)The bite needs to be opened and cleaned or surgically removed or he will eventually chew his arm off.Your dog is suffering. Do something about it.No cones or anti chew sprays...A better vet.

What did you do take the dog to your doctor. Get him to a vet that will treat him. Geesh he shouldn't be chewing himself to pieces like that. Something obviously isn't right. He needs to bee seen by someone that's not just going to say he's mutilating himself and not do a thing about it, no vet is going to give you a diagnoses like that and send ya home without doing anything. Com' on .

If you get the doctor to put some kind of bandage or covering around the bite then your dog won't be able to chew on it. My dog once got this cut on his leg that he kept biting, so the vet put a little cast around his leg so he couldn't bite it any more.