tail chasing

Question
Hi there,

I have a 7 month old female multi-poo.  This afternoon she started chasing her tail obsesively.  She would bite at the base of it but to the point of where she would yelp and whine while still doing it.  She was dewormed and defleaed three weeks ago.  She is just finishing her first heat cycle and goes in to be fixed on Tuesday.  I felt bad for her, it was not the cute little puppy chasing her tail, she seemed quite frantic and was acting like something was there?  I bathed her and she let me brush around her bottom, but didnt really want me touching her there? It is Friday night and like I said she is to see the vet on Tuesday.

Answer
This may be a case of anal gland problems. You might try calling around and see if you can find a local groomer to express them for you if you do not know how to do it yourself. If the dog is better, then you have found the source of her problem.

Here is a description of some other possible reasons for this behavior: http://www.wolfweb.com.au/acd/tailchasing.html

She is a bit too young for this one since it involves arthritis:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=456