So about 3.5 weeks ago my Mom moved to Alabama from NY. When I was living with her she got 2 Bichon's and our one Bichon had a nervous condition, he'd rip his back hair out and chew constantly. But that was when her boyfriend showed up. When he was gone, Harpo (our dog) was fine. Right before she moved I seen my 2 dogs, Harpo and Peaches, and they looked great. All hair grown in, healthy, but my mom told me when she moved down about a week after the move he started ripping his hair out again -- Could this be cause of the change in the environment or a nervous condition? I'm concerned because I can't take care of them, I know a lot about animals but I don't know how to fix this. Help!

Did this move include a change in climate? It could be allergies, does he seem itchy? I'd go to the vet and see what he makes of it. Any changes in diet, bedding, products used on or around the dog? You need to get established with a vet anyway, if you haven't already. He may also do a skin scraping to check for mites. If it is a nervous condition, the vet can probably help with that too. Also, all that chewing can expose him to the possibility for a skin infection and the doc may want to prescribe an anti biotic too.