Obssessive Licking....Separation Anxiety?
If anyone has any helpful advice for us and Kenai, we would greatly appreciate it! We have been thinking about rescuing another OES for companionship. Do you think he's lonely for another 'dog' to play with? |
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| My girl licks her front legs until they are pink from the spit, but not till she is raw. It seems to be a comfort thing. I wish I knew how to stop Bella, but she doesn't hurt herself. Another dog may help with boredom, but you may want to try some herbal remedies...like rescue remedy. |
| I did give him rescue remedy last friday when he really licked bad. I also gave him some herbal pet calm. Yesterday he got to play with his cousin Kahl and that seemed to do him some good, but tomorrow is our LONG day and I'm worried....... |
| talk to your vet to rule out clinical issues and then focus on getting him some stimulation - walks, puzzle toys, hiding treats for him to find. these dogs need to be challenged and worked. |
| I would think your dog might have allergies. Licking of the feet and legs and also rubbing of the face is a classic sign of an allergic reaction. Have you used something new to wash the floor? Carpet cleaner? New food or treats? Something in the lawn? A trip to the vet might help. I'm sure your baby is quite uncomfrtable. Hope she/he feels better soon! |
| I agree... rule out allergies or some other itchy skin problem first. We have allergies here and the face, tops of the legs and feet, underarms, etc. get itchy.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/inhalant_allergies.html http://marvistavet.com/html/body_food_allergies.html If it's obsessive/compulsive behavior, ask your vet or trainer about feeding his meals in kongs and other food toys. This way the dog will have to work and focus on getting the food out, maybe replacing the licking of the legs with licking of the food toys instead. The trainer we've used in the past and are again using with Bumble feeds his Newfie exclusively with food toys... it takes like 8 of them to hold each meal. It provides both mental and physical redirection... If this alone doesn't work, food toys used in combination with a medication from the vet might help if it's strictly obsessive/compulsive behavior. |
| When we adopted Maggie, she was a leg-licker. We changed her food from Science Diet to Canidae (or how ever you spell it). It really helped, so we are assuming that she had an allergy. I would check with your vet about this and/or go to a reputable pet-food place that can help you with switching food. This was the great advice we got from the MOSER organization, Thanks Nancy!
To piggy-back on this topic, here is my question, she is still a LICK MONSTER. She licks us every chance she gets, licks our yawn breath, she has even been known to lick the sides of houses and the wall in the vets office....is this normal? It is a bit excessive, obsessive almost. Also, when she gets excited, she will do a half-turn and "bite at her rump." Normal or did we just get an awesomely-weird dog? |
| Thanks so much for all the suggestions!
It is possible that Kenai has some kind of allergy.......we just found yet another huge spot of mold in our house! Sadly, I am also VERY allergic to mold, so don't often feel well either! We've been looking to move for a year now! Anyway, we've seen the vet. I actually used to work as a tech for a number of years and know him well. Yes, itchy faces/noses (especially) are a good indication of an inhalant allergy (my first though...the mold). But...it's so sporadic that I questioned 'behavioral' causes. I've seen similar in many other dogs. He gets fed top of the line organic food from Wysong, which we rotate the 'meat' portion every few months to PREVENT food allergies which develop from constant exposure to the same food antigens. I have recommended this food to many pet owners w/ 'itchy' dogs and have found it to remedy the problem in every case so far. Perhaps he's feeling my stress and reacting?? (week 1: mom had major eye surgery, week 2: grandma had surgery for cancer, week 3: dad had mini-stroke?, week 4 ...past Thursday...mom got attacked by one of her students!) I think our pets react to us, don't you? Okay, well sorry for such a long post, I think you are all right with the "needs stimulated" bit! We do food filled kongs, raw bones, hide and seek, some agility, walks, bike rides, swimming (does anyone else's OES love water as much as mine?); he has learned to bring his towel when he gets a drink, and I've started to teach him to pick up his toys! OH!!! And he's the best little helper....if I'm working on a project and drop something...he runs right over and gets it and gives it to me! He's just the best boy ever! Well, if anyone can give me any other activities, etc...I would always love to hear how other sheepies play! And again, sorry for the long post, but....thanks for listening.... And to the "butt chaser".....kenai chases his round too....We call it "Phantom-tail syndrome"  |
| I want mine to pick up their toys too...sigh. |
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