7 months old Pitbull Mix

Question
Me and my husband just adopted a 7 month old puppy and she is the sweetest thing ever. The only problem is that she bites the tip of her tail to the point that it bleeds a pretty good amount. What can i do????

Answer
Hi Laura,

Congratulations on your new puppy!
Several questions, was the puppy kenneled for a while? Inadequate exercise for weeks or months at a shelter?
Several days/weeks/months leaves a lot of pent up energy. As an example, simple house dogs get bored that are not properly exercised or stimulated develop neurotic behaviors as do animals at shelters. Then you see lots of chewing behaviors because energy needs to go somewhere.
There are several different beliefs in holistic medicine about chewing, skin issues and hot spots.

Firstly, if this is a kind of "neurotic chewing:"
I will tell you a puppy requires a lot of exercise, daily, good socialization with other dogs and people. How much is she getting outdoors, not in the yard but exploring beaches, parks, safe trails? It needs to be daily exercise, and cardiovascular, not just a walk.
There are certain dog breeds that have higher energy requirements, pits and labs are a couple of examples.
I usually recommend 45 min to 1 full hour of running outdoors in the sunshine, snow or rain, running the beach, and frolicking with other dogs.
With active breed adolescent puppies and pits, I say it's best to DOUBLE that time esp at a young age. When dogs don't have adequate exercise outlet they develop all types of anxious behaviors and behaviors people label as "destructive."
Run her, teach her fetch if she dosent already know how, make sure she has excellent recall and take her to a safe, dog friendly beach/park or trails that
allow dogs off leash and get her blood pumping (when she has earned your full trust in recall.)
Provided she likes other dogs, have her play with other dog with lots of running and chasing. If she dosent like other dogs, learn the skills to work with that and change it asap.  Supervise her and make sure she is excellent in recall and obedience before you allow her off leash if in an open area. Until then, run with her on leash, or pick a safe area to play.
That is my prescription for 'neurotic chewing.'
For the tail to heal, the fur around should be shaved/clipped by professional then cleaned and wrapped with bandage. Some people put 'e' collars on their dog for a week while it heals. If you decide to use collar take it off for feeding, water and play sessions. When she is not supervised it is ok to leave on.

If it is not neurotic or excessive un-drained energy:
Some animals will chew because there is pain or itching. I do not believe in the standard flea treatment (but once is fine). Generally chewing at the base of the tail is more common with fleas (of course accompanied with flea dirt)and she is chewing the tip. Barring a tail injury that is causing her to continually tend to it, and over-tend to make it bleed, holistic medicine believes some of these skin reactions can be from vaccines and definitely inadequate nutrition which is 90% of what is sold on the market as dog food. Some vaccines and certainly "over-vaccinating" can cause a host of immune and skin problems.
Puppies in particular need help building their immune system so make sure she is fed an excellent diet. I believe in home prepared diet specifically designed for canine needs, but if you are unable supplement her  canned dog food (like Innova, Wellness, Prairie, Wysong, Eagle Pack, California Natural) with things like steamed leafy greens, organic chicken, beef and fish. Yams, and squash, olive oil, supplement with phytonutrients and a good quality dog vitamin. I only believe in dry food given occasionally. Get her used to teeth brushing or chewing good quality dog bones to keep her teeth from collecting tartar.

Eliminate health/injury issues that could cause her to overlick or chew to "soothe,"
exercise her and commit to it, (this is the part of owning a dog many people get lazy about), give her excellent nutrition,  protect the tail until it heals,  find a good holistic vet and keep me posted!

Shanti