Hello,

I am hoping somebody can help me. I have a beautiful female Westie who will be 3 this year. The problem is she frantically clean's herself down below, i know that most dogs/bitch's do this, but i think her little problem maybe a little more serious. She will constantly clean herself in quite a worrying manner, to the point where she will circle herself and get quite breathless. Everything including her face is saturated where she has spent so long doing this, my partner and I obviously try to deter her from doing this but at the same time would like to know why. She is not due in season for quite sometime. She has never been spayed either, could this be the problem. Please help, this maybe a trait of this breed, all i can say is i am baffled!

SOS

Lou

Hi, Lou,
I assume that you have had your westie bitch checked out by your vet to make sure that there are no physical problems? You do not say how long she has had this problem. If it has always been there, maybe she has a persistent leak of urine which she wants to keep cleaning up.
Did it start after the last time she was in season? If so, maybe she has a chronic uterine discharge which she needs to keep cleaning up.
It may be a behavioural problem - maybe she knows that when she licks herself she gets your attention, which is a 'reward'!
There are so many things to consider I can only suggest a few alternatives. She will need a complete 'work-up' to reach a specific diagnosis.
Walter