obsessive paw licking
Today is day #3 of Tucker's obsessive paw licking. 85% of the time it's a non-issue, but occasionally he'll get into these fits of licking his front right paw and almost nothing can distract him. No treats, no toys, hardly anything at all. Just lick, lick, lick. I have searched the paw to see if something is there, be it something stuck to him, a bug bite...but I can't see anything at all! There are no mats in that particular area (although he's doing a stellar job creating them with the licking), I've searched through the hair, looked all around, nada. He doesn't want me touching his front paws, but that's normal becuase he's never liked that so I'm not sure it's related. This morning I covered his paw with my hand and he proceded to lick my hand with the very same diligence for about a minute or so before it seemed to dawn on him that he wasn't licking his own paw anymore. This leads me to suspect that it's more of a psychological thing than something physically wrong with his paw. He does not walk with a limp, and if we can distract him enough (example open and shut the door, he'll think someone is there and get up to go see) he may not remember to go back to it for several hours. What's going on???? |
|
|
| No reddish-brown staining?
My BC-mix is a habitual licker of her front legs just before she goes to sleep. |
| Yes, it can be psychological as well as allergy.
Allergy could be to grasses he walks on, something in the air, or something in his food. Psychological may be due to a change in his routine, something has changed he can't correct, or he's just plain bored and needs more mental and physical activity. It's a difficult diagnostic challenge. |
| Thanks for the thoughts...it's starting to distress me! It is now becoming slightly raw in the area where he's licking. He is licking a very specific area: in between two toes on his right front paw. If it was allergies wouldn't he also be licking other paws? Maybe there's a bite there? If so, then how can we help?
He seems totally healthy and happy otherwise...but it's starting to really bother me emotionally because I know it isn't healthy behaviour in one way or the other. We're going to put a dab of calamine on it to see if it soothes it... |
| If you find even the tiniest wound, take him to the vet. Could be a grass awn has worked it's way into the skin between the toes. That's where my guys get them. Is there any swelling there at all? A sting/bite? You may need to, clean it out, medicate it, wrap it and apply a deterrent on top like Bitter Apple. Once in awhile that works.
Could it be arthritis? MO licks her sore "wrist" when it is especially tender. Jack as an "extra toe" atop one of his......it's a bump with a embryonic nail on it...anyway it bothers him once in awhile and I find him licking it. |
My Lily obsessively licks her right front paw, too. I have looked at every square inch of her paw and pads and felt up under them.....my first OES used to get foxtails wedged up there.........but there is nothing there on Lily. If it was an allergy, I would think more paws would be itchy. I am wiping her feet down with aloe vera wipes now after her walks. My vet said she could be OCD.  |
| Bingley began this over Christmastime. I thought he had something in his paw, but nope! Every time he licked his paw in front of us we told him "no" and gave him something else to do. Eventually he realized he shouldn't lick his paw in front of us. For him it was definitely psychological. He has pretty much stopped now and I hope it stays that way. It is highly frustrating - I know how you feel!!! With Bingley I think it was the doggy equivalent of biting your nails, so I'm going to be constantly vigilant to keep up on it. |
| We just got through paw licking with my year and a half old OES. He started licking one paw in the same spot...we went through allergy testing and switched food, etc...still licking...then one day he comes to me limping and it ends up he fractured his "toe" in that paw but at the same time, all the licking got it infected and he then had a yeast infection between the toes...we are now on medication for the yeast infection, and he is doing well....
maybe the Vet should take a look at it and ask the Vet to take a swab to test for a yeast infection. Adding some yogurt to his meals might help as well and Wild Salmon oil mixed with his food.... |
| Malaseb shampoo and pledgets (wipes) work well if yeast is causing the problem... no prescription is needed. This in combination with changes in the diet can also help. If a dog is on an antibiotic, consider adding a good probiotic/digestive enzyme.
http://www.esracarolinas.com/7062/7117.html http://www.ivxanimalhealth.com/DetailsS ... d9be5a30d9 http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=321 |
| I think a vet visit is in order. even if they start out licking for other reasons they can irritate the paw and end up with pod dermatitis. a shot and some pills and the licking stops and the foot clears up. |
| Thanks everyone...since we gave him the Benedryl the other day it's been much better, but it seems the pills make him sick if it isn't taken on a full stomach. His shots are due now anyway, so I'm about to call the vet now and make an appointment asap for both. He hasn't been licking nearly so much and it's been a day and a half since his last allergy pill, so maybe it's getting better. But no harm in having it looked at, especially since we have to see the vet anway!
I'll keep you all posted! |
| Here is the update I promised...
I took Tucker to the vet this afternoon and he has some dermatitis going on on all of his paws, but where he has been licking incessantly, which is presumably from just an insect bite or something that he stepped on, is inflamed. And because of the licking, it is slighly infected and even more inflamed. They shaved those two toes (wow does that ever look fabulous) and gave me a cream to put on the area twice a day for 7-10 days or until it clears up. The thing that sucks is that he had actually STOPPED licking it, but now that it's shaved and there's cream on it, he is licking it even more. We have to keep a cone on him because as soon as we take it off he's back at it. I even gave him a Benedryl, which is what worked before, and even that has had no success. I find it hard to watch him walk around with this cone on his head, bumping into everything and not being able to fit in places he normally likes to lie down. I know he doesn't care and I'm trying not to treat him differently but I find myself feeling quite upset about it!! Hopefully the cone can come off tomorrow...friends of ours are looking after him this weekend and I would like it if he could go there and play with their dogs without scaring them all and scratching up the walls and furniture! So there you have it...the update. Things can always be worse, but I was sort of hoping it was a "here's a pill..POOF! It's gone!" sort of thing. Because THAT happens all the time. |
Mop lover wrote: Bingley began this over Christmastime. I thought he had something in his paw, but nope! Every time he licked his paw in front of us we told him "no" and gave him something else to do. Eventually he realized he shouldn't lick his paw in front of us. For him it was definitely psychological. He has pretty much stopped now and I hope it stays that way. It is highly frustrating - I know how you feel!!! With Bingley I think it was the doggy equivalent of biting your nails, so I'm going to be constantly vigilant to keep up on it.
Emily - Mad did this two years in a row when she was younger. Always in Dec/early January. I finally traced it to my training club not offering classes all of December through early January because people tend to be so busy over the holidays. Once I realized she was the type of dog who needed steady work I hooked up with a Jewish friend  and arranged to train with her and it never returned.
Holiday stress alone could probably be enough to trigger it also. Keep an eye on him when the baby is born because you'll both be soooo tired, it'll be hard to keep up his normal routine. Young, athletic dogs need an outlet. Mad would just get a tiny bald spot. A friend told me to put some witchhazel on it. Worked like a charm. Of course, in her case, well, she's always been a little ODD. Her big thing when I come home and let everyone out is to run through the tunnel in the dog yard again and again and again. It's WOOF! enter tunnel, race out, WOOF!, immediately re-enter and so on and so forth. I call it her infinite tunnel loop. She seems to need that outlet. Woe to any of her children who are foolish enough to get in her way. I saw Che run in the opposite end and I thought "You foolish, foolish boy!" and sure enough he came flying right back out the way he went in  I think it's more typical of a high drive dog. How long till the baby bump can be a junior agility handler?  You have to start planning these things early you know
Kristine |
Mel & Tucker wrote: They shaved those two toes (wow does that ever look fabulous) and gave me a cream to put on the area twice a day for 7-10 days or until it clears up.
I don't think most vets understand how counterproductive it can be to shave an OES. I understand why they do it, it's easier to keep clean and dry, but....
The former conehead, Che, and I offer our heartfelt sympathies. Kristine |
Mel & Tucker wrote: So there you have it...the update. Things can always be worse, but I was sort of hoping it was a "here's a pill..POOF! It's gone!" sort of thing.
Because THAT happens all the time. Actually that has always been my experience with this. an antibiotic shot and a sulphur drug. once they get the shot they stop licking and a week of pills they don't go back to licking until a new situation occurs - usually happens once or twice a year. Sorry. |
Huh...well then 
Today is much better. Well, it didn't start off that way. Tucker slept through the night just fine, no cone or anything. But as soon as we got up he was back at it again, so back to the cone we went. Poor guy. I took him for a bike/run to tire him out and played with him some more, in the attempt to make him tired enough that he wouldn't lick so much while I crated him in the 2 hours I went to do some errands (I didn't want to leave the cone on him while he was in the crate). I stopped by our pet store on the way home and the owner recommended a cream that is intended to both soothe hot spots, inflamed skin, etc. and because it has tea tree oil in it, it deters them from licking. I got home and let Tucker out of his crate. Lick, lick, lick. Put on the tea tree oil cream, li-EW! No more lick. Several times he has bent down to lick it, got close and then popped his head back up again. Ta-DAAAAAAAA!!!!! I'm going to use this in combination with the presription we got. I'll put the antibiotic cream on, cone on, let it soak in, then tea tree and cone off. Et voila!! I'm so happy about this - the cone was really upsetting to me. I know he didn't care, but I did!!! |
| we use tea tree oil for its antisceptic properties when we can't get to the vet- I also like benadry spray - instant no lick - sorry I forgot about that |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|