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8 Reasons Why Bichon Frise Bites Himself

Why Bichon Frise Bite Themselves

Imagine! You just settled in after a long and hectic day of work in your room and suddenly you hear the sound of your Bichon biting itself.

Well, it’s irritating to see your Bichon continually biting itself. Biting is a natural way for dogs to deal with the itchy condition every now and then, if your bichon doesn’t stop this behavior, they must be suffering from a chronic infection.

If you want to know the reasons why your Bichon bites itself and how you can avoid biting it, read the instructions below.

Hot Spot What to do Dr Mercola

8 Reasons Why Bichon Frise Bites Himself

There are many reasons why your Bichon frise bites himself and some of the reasons are

Allergies by a Change of Weather

If your bichon suffers from seasonal allergy, it will show many symptoms of skin irritation and itching. Some common grass and pollen allergies in humans can also affect your Bichon Frise.

When your Bichon returned after walking outside, if he bit his feet or abdomen, the allergens touched him. Simple irritation can be treated by bathing your Bichon frise with a soothing oatmeal base that will remove most allergens and soothe irritated skin. We generally give our Bichons Baths, on Every Saturday Mornings.

If it becomes a chronic condition, you can contact your vet for effective treatment.

Bichon May be Suffering from Injury

If your Bichon has sustained an injury, such as a small cut, it may cause a bite at the site of the injury. If there is something ingrained in its leg, your bichon will try to remove it by biting itself. Ours sometimes get those as they explore our garden right after we have planted it.

If you left that injury of your Bichon untreated, it can cause even more discomfort and the biting and chewing behavior will increase. If you see your Bichon continually biting into the same area, carefully examine that area for signs of injury or infection.

If you see any injuries, make an appointment with your vet for a complete exam.

Hot to Deal with Hot Spots

Your Bichon may be Suffering from Flea Infestation

Fleas are an ongoing problem for a dog to chew on. You will see that at the flea bite your Bichon will constantly gnaw and bite. Sometimes the itching is so severe that they will bite until they have literally removed the meat from their body. – Hot Spots

To treat a simple flea infestation, you can bathe your Bichon at home with a bottle of flea shampoo. If there is a serious infestation problem, you can contact your vet.

We give all our Bichon’s Puppy Hair Cuts. We do that because we give our Bichon’s Free Range of our Back Yard. When their Hair is Shorter it is easier to bathe and spot a flea that might be there.

Your Bichon may be Trying to Remove Ticks

Ticks have been sucking the blood of our canine friends for a long time. Ticks can cling to your dog when we take them out for a walk.

Ticks are a serious problem that cannot be ignored. Ticks are like dirty needles with legs and teeth and they move from one host to another and also transmit deadly diseases and toxins with them.

Tick-borne diseases are Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Even if your dog does not contract any tick disease, the loss of blood will certainly be detrimental to his health, not to mention skin irritation.

I took our Bichon’s Mushroom Hunting with me last week, on our little male picked up three ticks. I didn’t get to go over them until the next day, all three had latched on.

You need to use care in removing them, just pulling them causes them to break off and loose their heads, into your or the dogs skin. You can smear vaseline on them, they begin to suffocate and will back off, we sprayed all three with Deep Woods Insect repellent and within 10 seconds they all backed out to leave. Then down the toilet, they went.

Bichon may be Suffering from a Food Allergy

Some foods in dogs can develop food allergies, and symptoms are often evident on the skin. If your Bichon suffers from a food allergy, it will bite your feet or tail.

Common food allergens in Bichon are corn, wheat, soy, chicken, and beef. Select food for your Bichon with limited ingredients, grain-free foods with a unique protein formulation. We also used lamb based products.

You can also use a homemade or raw diet to feed your dog. Some dog treats also contain allergens that should also be removed from the diet. You will need to keep your dog on the new diet for at least four to six weeks before determining if the bite is the result of a food allergy.

We removed feeding anything that had a By Product listed in the Ingredients Table. We noticed a remarkable change in the number of Hotspots that they had when we made feed adjustment. At the time we had 9 Females and one male. So we were going through a lot of dog food, which made it more expensive…. But it was worth it.

16 All Natural Remedies

Bichon may just Have Dandruff

Dandruff, also known as seborrhea, will sometimes upset your Bichon. Dandruff is caused by a yeast-like bacteria that causes itchy, red spots to form on the skin. These patches are often accompanied by dry skin and many scales.

If your Bichon is peeling scales from your skin, you will notice that when it shakes it looks like a little dust storm! Some people believe that dandruff is caused by dry skin, but this is not the case.

Dry skin can play a role in dandruff formation, but it is only caused by some specific bacteria. You can get rid of your dog’s dander by giving him a medicated shampoo designed to kill the bacteria.

We also spotted the location of our Dog cages, ones that were closer to the heating vents, made the dogs warmer, but also contributed to dry skin.

Your Bichon Bite Himself When He is Nervous

Your Bichon will chew its skin like a nervous habit. This is similar in the human case when they crack their knuckles or bite their nails. When dealing with your sensitive Bichon, it is always important to consider simple solutions.

Your Bichon will bite when he gets bored or they simply when having nothing to do with their time. If your dog feels anxious, he will start chewing like a child who goes to school to chew on his pencil. Your Bichon will also bite itself when it is afraid of something.

Give your pet more mental and physical stimulation to solve this problem. You can spend more time with him, especially when walking and playing outside and give him some new toys. Talk to your vet about managing stress or emotional issues, too.

Other Possible Causes

Excessive itching can also be caused by nutrient deficiencies, thyroid dysfunction, chemical exposure, and any other unlikely condition.

Sometimes a minor irritant, such as a thorn or a bug bite or sting, is simply driving your pet crazy. If you see something stuck in your Bichon paw, remove it and use the appropriate topical antibiotic to treat the dog.

If your dog suffers from ligament or joint problems, it sometimes reacts to pain by biting itself. A small fracture or break may be to blame, or your dog may have arthritis, hip dysplasia, or another degenerative condition.

Conclusion

There are many causes for biting in Bichons and you can get rid of these problems through simple and careful research. Hope this article helps you to get rid of this problem.

Bichon Frise Resource Links

Bichon Frise Club of AmericaUnited StatesLink
Bichon Frise AKCUnited StatesLink
Bichon Frise United Kennel ClubUKLink
Resources for Bichon Frise Owners and Breeders

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