border collie chewing hair on back hind leg and tail

Question
how can I get my border collie to stop chewing the hair off her back and rear legs. It is getting to the point that it is starting to smell. This has been going on for about a month now on and off she has days when it seems to  stop and hair grows back and then it starts all over  

Answer
Dear John,

Thank you for writing to me about your Border Collie's skin problems.  I actually had the same thing happen to my own dog some time ago.  It turned out that a) her thyroid was off (which is why I always recommend a blood panel including a full thyroid test) and b) allergies.   I had an allergy panel done and whatever she was allergic to I eliminated from her diet.  This included chicken, turkey and rabbit.  Her protein source became venison, beef, pheasant, buffalo and lamb, which I rotated several times a week.  I also added fish oil, avocado and olive oil to help her skin.  Doing all this made a huge difference.  My vet put her on thyroid meds to bring her count to the exact middle.  I also want to mention that when my dog was scratching herself bloody, her skin also had a foul odor, just as you are describing.

My suggestion is to do a general bio-chemical profile with a thyroid panel, do an allergy test so you know what she is allergic to and have your vet examine her skin to make certain that there aren't any mites or fungus, etc causing the problem.  The blood tests and allergy panel will tell you a lot about the cause of your dog's skin problems.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis