Why is my dog chewing his discolored legs and has gunky eyes?

When a dog chews on a joint or a leg, there is usually either an itch, irritation or pain involved. If you are doing flea and tick prevention, you can pretty much rule out a flea problem. This is likely pointing to either joint pain or possibly an active mass irritating your dog. Unfortunately it is not possible to see a lot on the photo, other than that your dog has been chewing on his leg for a while. I suggest you make an appointment with your vet for an exam. He will likely want to shave the area so he can examine the skin properly and palpate the bone and other structures. depending on the findings, he may also want to do an xray to see if there is bone or joint involvement.

Poor Nash! It does sound like he may be suffering from an allergic reaction. Constant licking, chewing, and gnawing on the legs can cause the discoloration on his upper legs. I would have Nash seen by a vet first thing in the morning if possible. The vet can prescribe medications to help him with these allergies.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. This is quite severe and warrants therapy. The likely secondary infections need to to be addressed and the itchiness also need to be addressed to prevent this issue from getting worse. Medications like prednisone can be used for the itchiness and antibiotics for the infections. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar in the meantime to prevent further self-trauma. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

It sounds like Maddy may have allergies. I would have him seen by a vet immediately, as he could have scratched his eyeball while rubbing at his eyes. Scratching his eyeball can lead to infection and ulcer formation. Maddy needs his eyes examined to make sure that he hasn't scratched his eyes, and can diagnose if he has allergies and give him medication for it.

Dogs who have neurologic pain to their appendages or if they have a numb type sensation will often cause themselves extreme self trauma. I would highly encourage you to discuss using the medication Gabapentin with your veterinarian. This can be really good for neurologic pain/sensations. Also, using a basket muzzle or an e-collar will prevent him from chewing when you can not supervise him. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

You can stop it by putting an E-collar on him: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/all-four-paws-tan-comfy-cone-5000727--1 ) Obviously that is only addressing the symptom of chewing, not the underlying cause. It is best to get him to a vet for an exam. In the meantime you can use the E-collar to prevent further trauma to the area.

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking. Consider an exam with your veterinarian to diagnose and treat the underlying cause. Possibilities include parasites (fleas, mites), infection (bacterial or fungal) and allergies (environmental, foodborne, etc). Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials and antihistamine use with your veterinarian.