Anxious behaviors vs. health issues
My 8 y/o female heeler has been diagnosed with anxiety and has been on and off sedatives (phenobarbital, gabapentin, etc). Her MO is spinning and aggressively biting at her feet. She occasionally growls and barks at them as well- almost as if they’re not hers. She doesn’t have hot spots or legions or mites visible to the eye. She has broken a toe doing this and has ruined her paw pads despite being in a cone for a prolonged period of time/constant attention/sedatives. She has also been on anxiety medications, but neither those nor the sedatives really do much to prevent her from chasing her feet.
Have any of you had this problem? I am wondering if there is another medical cause (possible allergies and/or inflammatory diseases have been tested for and ruled out). Her bloodwork is also clear. If it is anxiety, has anyone found a behavioral training method to reduce negative behaviors?
My 8 y/o female heeler has been diagnosed with anxiety and has been on and off sedatives (phenobarbital, gabapentin, etc). Her MO is spinning and aggressively biting at her feet. She occasionally growls and barks at them as well- almost as if they’re not hers. She doesn’t have hot spots or legions or mites visible to the eye. She has broken a toe doing this and has ruined her paw pads despite being in a cone for a prolonged period of time/constant attention/sedatives. She has also been on anxiety medications, but neither those nor the sedatives really do much to prevent her from chasing her feet.
Have any of you had this problem? I am wondering if there is another medical cause (possible allergies and/or inflammatory diseases have been tested for and ruled out). Her bloodwork is also clear. If it is anxiety, has anyone found a behavioral training method to reduce negative behaviors?