My dog has chewed off a huge patch of fur :(

[Itsnotahoover]

Every time she's in season, there's a few days where she bites at herself like mad, and I always return from work to clumps of wet fur everywhere. It always stops after a few days, she's never made herself bald before, and she never ever does it in front of me, only when I'm out of the house.

She's in the last week of her season now, and the chewing has started, but I noticed when brushing her this evening that there is a huge bald patch starting at the join of her back leg and spreading into her groin (she's long haired so you can't really see it). The skin does not look sore at all and it doesn't seem to hurt her to touch it, and she doesn't seem agitated or itchy in any other way.

She's wormed up to date with Milbelmax, de-flead with Frontline, and on a diet of Orijen, so nothing amiss there. I've just cleaned the whole area with some diluted TCP and, as the skin isn't broken at all, sprayed her with bitter apple spray.

I don't think it's anything major and it will probably stop as soon as it started, but I'm unsure whether to take her to the vets? She's not remotely bothered by this bald patch, and I don't think there's a real cause, apart from this weird compulsion to chew herself when in season, and I know the vet will just give me some cream and try to flog me Hills Science Diet of some sort (which gives her the shits something chronic but seems to be their answer to everything!).

WWYD??

[Lifeisontheup]

Probably get her spayed unless there's a good reason why that shouldn't happen? Especially as it only happens when she's in season.

[Rikalaily]

Sounds like she is getting stressed when in season. The best thing would be to get her spayed, seasons are very uncomfortable for bitches, every instinct tells them to get jiggy and when they can't it can cause stress and frustration, could be that she's getting cramping too.

[hippppy]

Hemp oil! You can get it in Tesco, Good oil it is called. My dog does this sometimes, and it gets really sore. I put hemp oil on and it clears it up!

Hemp oil is the best! Works on human rashes, and I use it in all out cooking ..brilliant stuff!

Also if you have an Aloe plant, use the juice on the patch - soothing and it has a bitter taste..

Both work for me :)

[Itsnotahoover]

The only reason she's not yet been speyed is that until recently I was working stupid hours in 2 jobs and haven't had the time off to spend with her once she's been done. I am planning on getting her done when I have the time! In the meantime, I'll try the hemp oil :)

[rhinestone]

You don't sound very responsible to be honest. Saying 'every time' she's in season implies there's been quite a few of them and yet you've still never found the time to get her spayed?

You are entitled to 20 days leave a year - that is a legal requirement and doesn't include bank holidays. Your employers are breaking the law if they don't give you that time off. Are you honestly telling me that over the space of a few years you couldn't carve out 2 or 3 days from your annual leave?

If you're working silly hours in two jobs is she getting the time and attention she needs from you?

I feel sorry for your dog.

[DowntonTrout]

My (male) dog did this just before Christmas. He chewed off the fur on his side by his back leg.

We took him to the vets. He had to be anaesthetised, bathed and clipped, the area where he was chewing was shaved.

He needed two courses of antibiotics and steroid injections. He is also long haired. There were no fleas or mites, the vet suggested it was a skin problem, common in many long haired dogs and warned us that this could be the start of skin problems for the rest of his life.

I would take her to the vet as even if it wasn't as bad as my dog, they can give you proper medicated shampoo, not like bob martins, strong stuff. Sadly longer haired dogs are prone to these things and the really need extra special care and attention to keep them healthy.

[Itsnotahoover]

I'm saying that I've never been able to get time off from both jobs to coincide with the middle of her cycle, which is the only time my vets will neuter, apart from one time last year when she was booked in then got a d&v bug and couldn't have the op. This is the first time she's bitten herself to this extent, it's normally just that I notice more fur around the house and she's a bit itchy.

You will notice rhinestone that I said "until recently" I was working silly hours, as in I'm not doing it anymore. I was doing some hours every day, meaning that there was not a single full day in the week where I was at home and I didn't think it was right to get her speyed when I couldn't guarantee I could watch her 24/7 for a few days afterwards (knowing that she's prone to chewing herself, I feel it would be unreasonable to assume that she wouldn't chew stitches). Oh and before you ask, yes I have a dog walker when I'm at work :)

Thanks to everyone else for the advice. I will indeed visit the vet and will make it a priority to get her speyed in the middle of this next cycle.