Chewing side

[DobieZorro]

Hi this is Zorro, he’s a rescue. He’s had panacur and metronidazole for an unidentified parasite. He was doing this behavior before treatment, he would walk in circles biting his side and then lay down and just clamp his jaw on it and hold it. It stopped while on the med treatment. Just noticed it again this morning. I gave him the tiniest amount of probiotic this morning, not sure if that somehow triggered it. He’s highly reactive and sensitive to food/supplements.


Or maybe it’s just a stress thing?

 

[ABCDogs]

That’s interesting. I’ll start by saying I’m not a vet or a medical professional. This behavior could indicate some kind of pain in that area. Or it could be a learned, self-soothing behavior (Dobes are prone to these types of behaviors- licking or chewing themselves raw due to OCD/OCD tendencies).

Is the medication finished? And the parasites gone? If you haven’t confirmed that the meds worked with a fecal, I’d start there. And talk to the vet. Maybe get a video of the behavior to show them the entirety of it rather than a still image.

I usually recommend FortiFlora for probiotics. It has very few additives, it’s pretty much just the probiotics. If your probiotic is a chew or something it may have something else he’s sensitive to in it. But this isn’t a typical presentation of a food sensitivity, so I doubt it’s related.

Good luck! Keep us updated!

 

[DobieZorro]

Meds are finished and parasites should be gone. The diarrhea he has looks nothing like the one he had with the parasites. I’m not sure the rescue has enough money to repeat bloodwork. The only way we knew he had them is the raised eosinophils levels. His stool was negative. The vet has seen the behavior and gave him a steroid shot which did nothing for it. It’s a super high quality probiotic from a small company. NHV or something?

Maybe it is OCD, it’s just weird that it stopped while he was on the meds. I don’t know.

 

[Two Dobes]

"Flank sucking' is a doberman trait sometimes, hard to say if that is what is going on...how long has he been with you? Could just be self soothing.

 

[Ravenbird]

"Flank sucking' is a doberman trait sometimes, hard to say if that is what is going on...how long has he been with you? Could just be self soothing.

Looks like that to me, just a different variation of it. He appears to just be "holding" while blissing out rather than "nursing". Mine does similar with her blanket, as in just grabs and holds it and ignores the world for a few minutes, then drops it and goes on about her life. She never suckles it like so many other dogs, but it's the same thing: self soothing action.

 

[Js4fn]

Kai will go into crate flip door open with his nose lay down 3-4 times a day just to suckle on a blanket it’s weird but it’s his release. Like today after seeing the wild turkeys he went in sucked on blankets for 30 minutes never does any damage never chews holes in them

 

[DobieZorro]

Oh wow, yea actually that's exactly what it sounds like. That is the weirdest thing ever hahahaa. Now I know!

I've had him 3 weeks.

 

[JanS]

That is the weirdest thing ever hahahaa. Now I know!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Dobermans. LOL

 

[Rits]

Flank sucking. It is an undesirable OCD trait in dobermans which can be damaging to the skin and leaving an opening for skin infection. I would definitely discourage it by providing a blanket for him to suckle on instead.

 

[Ddski5]

Yes…^^^
I betcha he can be converted to the blanket. Poor thing prob had these urges when he was chained up in the field. Extremely stressed out, worried, scared….the only thing he could revert to was flank sucking to self soothe. Dammit, I don’t even like to picture that.

Said it before…say it again.
You’re an awesome person OP.

 

[strykerdobe]

Could just be what they call a sucker. We had a Dobe long time ago that laid down and would suck his shoulder.

 

[DobieZorro]

He does it when he gets stressed, like if we tell him no and it’s too harsh sounding because he’s doing something dangerous, he will do it.