Help! Magoo is licking off his fur!

[magoo's_mama]

Magoo is losing his fur on his lower half because he licks it constantly. I asked the Vet she rules out medical causes, mange, fleas, etc.. She does not believe it to be an allergy. She thinks it is anxiety related. She asked if it had started after the baby was born, and yes it did. But He has been doing it about 2 months and the baby is 5 months old.
I stay home with him all day he goes in his crate once or twice a day for not more then an hour at a time. He does it when we're sitting next to him on the couch, when he's in bed etc..
I don't scold him for being around the baby, he is welcome to come near and sniff her etc.. He still gets alot of attention and is walked and played with everyday. In short I'm not sure what he has to be anxious about. So how can I get him to stop licking off his fur?

 

[gmacleod]

Well, it could be an allergy. Lots of new environmental things around once you've got a baby - wipes, cleaners, etc No food changes in the last six months? What does he eat, btw?

Or, your vet could be right and it's stress. I'd be inclined in that case to (1) discourage the licking by distracting him from it, and encouraging him to do something else (he can't lick if he's doing sits and downs and stuff ), (2) get him something very enticing to chew on (raw bones and so forth) as chewing is supposedly a good stress reliever for dogs. You could also look into some herbal stress relievers such as rescue remedy, and see if that makes any difference to him.

 

[magoo's_mama]

Thanks for the suggestions

I will go and get him something yummy to chew on. He eats Natural Balance Ultra Premium, I have had him on the duck and potato version as well. But we have not changed his food recently.
I was actaully planning on switching him to wellness next week or so. Maybe that will help if it is allergies.

 

[BasilStreets]

Streets, one of my dogs, took to doing the same thing, to the point that he would have large red irritated bald spots. I put aloe on it to help sooth the skin, because once they irritate the area they will keep liking it because it hurts, making worse....on and on.
I also would watch him and say "stop", which he already understood, not in a scolding tone of voice at all, and then give him something else to chew on.
You basically have to intercept the cycle of behavior and then try and heal the area as quickely as possible so that they don't want to keep licking the same spots.
Dogs do this as a stress release, but it could also be the food (vets are notorious for knowing very little about food). If the dogs skin is dry and itchy because they are not doing well on whatever food they are eating, this will start them licking. If you look at the dogs skin and it seems flakey or in not such great condition, try switching food and/or adding a tiny bit of cold pressed flax oil to the food.

 

[Duece's mom]

I was just in the pet store and I was looking for this bitter stuff to put on my plants so my dog wouldn't eat them and I came across something. It is called BITTER APPLE, in a green and yellow label. I remember it saying, to keep your dog from licking and biting their hair! So you may want to give it a shot!