Hi there,
I have a lovely eighteen month old Cairn Terrier, who for some reason keeps gnawing on his back legs? He has had all the necessary injections, and had his booster jab last week, and so I believe that he is protected against mange, although I realise that there are probably a few varieties of this condition! He has been chewing on his left leg since he was a puppy, and the fur has never grown properly on this leg (it is often referred to by the family as his 'Chicken Leg' because it is quite bald in comparison to his other legs!) however, within the last week or so, he has taken to also chewing on his right leg, and the fur has started to disappear on this leg too. We took him to the vets about 6 months ago about the problem, but they said it was nothing to worry about and that he would probably grow out of doing it. He also had an adolescent health check by a veterinary nurse last week, and she said that it was likely that he was just chewing his leg out of habit because he has been doing it for so long, however, I wondered what you think, because it seems strange that he is now chewing the other leg too?
He is a perfectly healthy, happy little dog, and he does not seem bothered by the leg at all, and when we distract him from doing it he isn't bothered. He is regularly wormed and treated for fleas, so I am sure that it cannot be this. The skin does feel a little bit bumpy when you run your fingers over it, and he has a few tiny little scabs, but I assume that these are just from him scratching himself while he is biting?
I'm hoping that it is nothing, the vet and nurses certainly didn't seem concerned, but I just wanted to double check whether there is any possible cause for concern, only he is my little baby and I would hate to think that it was irritating him or causing him any discomfort in any way! I appreciate that it is difficult to help without actually seeing the dog, but I thought I would ask on here rather than drag him to the vet again!
Thankyou in advance for any help you can give me,
Charley