Elderly German Shorthair bad habits

Question
I have an extremely elderly female GSP. She'll be 18 in June of 2009. She still gets around, up and down the landing stairs and doesn't mess around the house. She weighs around 65lbs, blind in one eye, missing a few teeth and can't hear. She has taken up 3 bad habits lately,sleeping all the time, eating backyard treats from my other pointer (yuck) and chewing on herself until she bleeds. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, she's always been a great dog and is still good with the kids. I'd like her to see 18 if I can. Any advice I would appreciate. Thankyou.


Answer
Hi Philip,

Sleeping all the time is perfectly normal for an 17 year old dog.

You need to pick up the solid waste in your backyard. Prevention is the cure for this problem.

The chewing herself until she bleeds is your only real problem. The root cause of this can be many things ranging from fleas to an allergy, with about a hundred things in-between. There's no way to guess, and treatment may vary depending on what's going on.
By now your dog probably have a secondary yeast or bacterial infection due to all the chewing and licking. The secondary  infection needs treatment, as does the root cause that started all the chewing. You need to have your dog examined by your vet. She may need antibiotics or other medication. If your dog is itching, there is medication for that as well.

Until your dog can be seen by your vet, twice a day wash the raw area(s) with a mild water-based astringent or antiseptic, and pat it dry.

Best of luck,

Patti