my 2 year old basset male

Question
hi Nicole.
my basset hound is 2 years old and just a little while ago he started scratching and chewing at him self until he cuts himself open on his tail and back. he doesn't do this to any other part of his body and when he does it he makes a whining sound. everytime i see him do it, i try to turn his attention to something else, but he always goes back to it. I've been to many places and the have said to feed him holistic food, and I've been feeding him that for about 2 and a half months now and it seems to not be working, and I've also tryed to give him a peppermint bath which i was told to do from the lady at petsmart but that didn't seem to work either. do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Shea,

Sorry to hear that your guy is eating himself raw.  He needs to be seen by a vet if he hasn't already.  It could be anything from allergies to a true skin condition.

Holistic food is great but it's not the be all end all.  :)  What works for my dog isn't necessarily going to work for yours just because the bag says 'holistic'...and bear in mind that most of the things bags say...holistic, large breed, specific breed, all natural, etc. are gimmicks for humans.  It makes US feel good to feed them a holistic, all-natural, organic, Hound specific food...what a great marketing tool!  ;)  

A switch in food usually starts to curb what's ailing in about 4 weeks.  That he's been on it for 10 weeks is telling me either this food isn't the solution or he's not got a food allergy.

I've not heard of a peppermint bath and taking advice from a pet store clerk is about as big a crap shoot as asking the kid on the corner.  I used to work at a chain store and trust me when I tell you, there is little to no training.

Unfortunately, without a diagnosis, it's going to be very difficult for you to treat...either with food, homeopathy or standard medicine.  Because he's making himself raw, there's definitely something wrong...please phone your vet and make an appointment.  Once he's properly diagnosed, let me know and we can sort out what can be done for him if you aren't comfortable using standardized care...I have a couple books on homeopathy and natural healing and I'd be more than happy to do some research for you.  :)