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When Scratching Turns Into Self-Injury

Persistent licking, chewing, or biting is not always a harmless habit. It may indicate significant itching, pain, inflammation, or abnormal sensation that requires veterinary assessment.

This dog was brought to AVCI with severe self-inflicted trauma involving one of the digits. Repeated chewing had caused extensive soft-tissue injury, ulceration, and irreversible damage to the affected toe. Because the remaining tissue was no longer viable and continued to cause pain and risk further complications, surgical digit amputation was performed.

Severe self-trauma may be associated with several underlying conditions, including:

• Allergic skin disease
• Flea, mite, or other parasitic infestation
• Bacterial or fungal infection
• Foreign material lodged between the toes
• Nail-bed injury or interdigital inflammation
• Orthopedic, neurologic, or neuropathic pain
• Anxiety or compulsive behavior after medical causes are excluded

Repeated trauma damages the normal skin barrier and may lead to bleeding, swelling, secondary infection, tissue necrosis, and progressively deeper injury. Once bone, tendon, joint, or severely devitalized tissue becomes involved, conservative wound care may no longer be enough.

In this case, the damaged digit was surgically removed to eliminate nonviable tissue, reduce persistent pain, and prevent the injury from progressing. Postoperative care included pain management, wound protection, infection control when indicated, and close monitoring of the surgical site.

The patient recovered well, and the wound showed appropriate healing during follow-up.

Watch for constant paw licking, chewing that interrupts sleep, swelling between the toes, bleeding, discharge, limping, hair loss, or wounds that repeatedly reopen. Early veterinary care can help identify the underlying cause, control the discomfort, and prevent self-trauma from reaching the point where surgery is necessary.

Case handled by Dr. Jan Robert C. De Leon.