Dog licking himself sore

Shazanne

Looking for some advice please!
My daughter has a two years old terrier cross dog who is licking himself until he is raw and sore. He mainly licks his groin but sometimes his legs and paws as well. He is an extremely well looked after dog (spoiled rotten actually) and is generally fairly laid back. He has a female companion, who is most definitely the boss of the pair, and I am wondering if she might be making him anxious or stressed? He is going to the vet tomorrow but I thought I'd get some useful information on here - I usually do!:)

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Shazanne wrote: »

Looking for some advice please!
My daughter has a two years old terrier cross dog who is licking himself until he is raw and sore. He mainly licks his groin but sometimes his legs and paws as well. He is an extremely well looked after dog (spoiled rotten actually) and is generally fairly laid back. He has a female companion, who is most definitely the boss of the pair, and I am wondering if she might be making him anxious or stressed? He is going to the vet tomorrow but I thought I'd get some useful information on here - I usually do!:)

could be an O.C.D brought on by sterss how long has he being doing this?
when i got my first rescue he was licking constantly at his paws floor couch for really long periods of time and found out it was an O C D

Shazanne

He's been at it for a couple of months but it seems to be getting worse. They have had to move a number of times over the past few months due to work etc - could this have unsettled him?
If it was an OCD, how could that be treated?

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Shazanne wrote: »

He's been at it for a couple of months but it seems to be getting worse. They have had to move a number of times over the past few months due to work etc - could this have unsettled him?
If it was an OCD, how could that be treated?

yeah moving alot would be very unsettling. what i had to do was keep an eye out for when he was doing it and try and distract him straight away by either making a loud noise or shouting his name.i was shouting all day like a muppit but he got the message after a while he still does it but its very rare. i also gave him extra toys and walks so he was tired because as ya know good stimulation is great for taking there mind off things.when he starts the licking dont play with the dog straight away to stop him coz it will link playing with the licking and will only make it worse a good shout of his name or a coke bottle with some stones and give it a shake will work.
when my dog does it now i just have to say his name in a certin tone and he stops so tell them to stick to it and it will work

shelly_g

Hi there

Could it be his food .. prehaps he is allergic to it ... is he licking to scratch himself

Vet will probable be your best approach .. get him checked over

my friends dog suffers from this during the summer months ... Vet normally gives him an injection and tablets to stop the itch .... there are sprays available in pet shops too ... some are aloe vera based to cool itch...thats if thats what it is ...

prehaps it is a nervous behaviour

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shelly_g wrote: »

Hi there

Could it be his food .. prehaps he is allergic to it ... is he licking to scratch himself

Vet will probable be your best approach .. get him checked over

my friends dog suffers from this during the summer months ... Vet normally gives him an injection and tablets to stop the itch .... there are sprays available in pet shops too ... some are aloe vera based to cool itch...thats if thats what it is ...

prehaps it is a nervous behaviour

i was thinking food because thats usually the case but its not so much the scratching and more of the licking untill its sore. let us know what the vet sez tomorrow anyway

Shazanne

Will do. My daughter is up the wall over him - he's like a baby to her.

anniehoo

pokertalk wrote: »

could be an O.C.D brought on by sterss how long has he being doing this?

It could be this, causing what is called a lick granuloma

The multiple house moves could be upsetting to him or as described other conditions. Definitely get it checked out by your vet OP it doesnt sound like something that can be fixed on your own.

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anniehoo wrote: »

It could be this, causing what is called a lick granuloma

The multiple house moves could be upsetting to him or as described other conditions. Definitely get it checked out by your vet OP it doesnt sound like something that can be fixed on your own.

ouch that loks like a bad case but without help it can be nipped in the bud but would deffo bring him to the vet . i used to come home and it would look like he peed all over the couch but it was his constant licking when i say all over i mean all over. he would lick his paws and legs for ages too so the vet gave me these tips. thats the[for the want of a better word] downside to rescuing a dog not knowing the background
forgot to ask ya op . does he only constantly lick himself ?

Shazanne

He like to lick in general! Hands, feet, faces (all ours!). He can lick for hours. However, of the four dogs we have between us, he is the only one we've had since he was a puppy. He is a rescue dog but Tracey (my daughter) got him as a small puppy. I actually have his mother (weird story!) and she does not lick herself too much but loves to lick us endlessly!

PS; To explain the mother/son bit - Tracey adopted him as a puppy and I went back to that rescue centre four months later and picked his mother! It was not planned but worked out lovely:)

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Shazanne wrote: »

He like to lick in general! Hands, feet, faces (all ours!). He can lick for hours. However, of the four dogs we have between us, he is the only one we've had since he was a puppy. He is a rescue dog but Tracey (my daughter) got him as a small puppy. I actually have his mother (weird story!) and she does not lick herself too much but loves to lick us endlessly!

PS; To explain the mother/son bit - Tracey adopted him as a puppy and I went back to that rescue centre four months later and picked his mother! It was not planned but worked out lovely:)

yeah could be hot spots then or something like that and it has led to it becoming obsessive compulsive as it seems to be on the body being licked

Shazanne

Update!
We took the dog (Stig is his name!) to the vet today and he disgnosed an allergy. Did not seem able to be specific about what he might be allergic to, but suggested washing his bedding in non-bio washing liquid. He prescribed steroids for him for the next three weeks, then a break of a week, and a return visit to be checked.
Having let the vet speak first I then asked him about the possibility of it being a reaction to stress or OCD, but he deemed to dismiss this idea. He asked if Stig is on his own during the day and seemed satisfied that because he has a companion that it is unlikely to be stress related.
However, I am not 100% convinced. Obviously he will get the steroids and we will monitor his progress and, if the problem clears up, it will prove the vet is right. But I can't help wondering if Stig may just be unsettled as a result of the house moves or is maybe being bullied a bit by the other dog. Time, I suppose, will tell.

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well hopefully he is rite he would no more than us so give the roids a go and see if there is an improvement. since there is no constant licking of chairs carpets he is probably rite. what kind of treats does the dog get?did the vet not give ya a medicated shampoo

Shazanne

He did not mention any particular shampoo but did give a spray for chairs etc in case there may be any mites - although he could not see any evidence of them. As regards treats, he usually gets the little dog biccies that you can buy by weight in the pet shop and he only eats Royal Canin. Another usual thing he has done though, which I forgot to mention before, is that he kept licking at his dew claw for ages some months ago and it got very sore and irritated. Eventually he pulled it out altogether! The vet at that time (not the one we saw yesterday) presecibed a cortisone spray, which calmed things down.

getz

i live on a nature reserve,that has a lot of ducks geese ect,my bully is constantly licking his paws after going out for walks,everyday i wash his paws with HIBIscrub ,it helps because it kill the bacteria that irritates him,

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sounds like the last vet got it spot on so.maybe you could try giving him a cool bath in coal and tar see if it calms the problem down a bit

lorebringer

Sounds very like a food allergy to me - grains and protein are the usual suspects. Royal Canin is a very good food but sometimes it can be too high in protein for the particular dog. Gradually changing food to a lower protein and preferably grain free food may be the solution to your problems. Two foods that come to mind are Burns and James Wellbeloved - both are very gentle on the system while still being very good quality foods.

Another source of allergy can be chemicals used around the home - cleaners, sprays etc. Using gentle cleaners is areas that the dog would have contact (floors, bedding and such) will reduce the exposure, and therefore the reaction, if it is a chemical allergy.

Cleaning him with a very mild shampoo will help soothe irritated skin. If you use anything too strong, you may aggravate the problem by washing away all the natural oils in his skin resulting in irritation.