Springer licking herself raw

ronn

My 6 yr old springer wont stop licking her paw, Last year i had to bring her to the vet he thought it was a cyst, Got it removed and a couple of months ago it appeared again so vet sent it off to be tested. Turns out shes licking the hair back into her leg.
So at the moment she has a lampshade collar on, i got sum dog leg protectors but she licks them down and gets at her leg, I got some stuff to spray on the paw that makes it taste awful, but after a while it wears off and shes back licking.

does anyone have any suggestion or methods i can use to make her stop licking her leg. Thanks

snipe02

mght sound simple but it could be itch from something she is allergic to like in her diet or enviroment when we get and itch we use our hands to sort it dogs usually bite or like the area and it can show up like red or pink bumps did the vet do bloods aswell and were they fine

dicky82

dog's can do this for a number of reasons, stress and boredom being two of them. other reasons could be that it's sore or itchy and she licks it then because she has licked it so much she is now licking the raw sore. vicious cycle. . .

my mate runs a kennels and this is a common problem with dogs being stressed from being away from owners etc. his solution is to give the dog a large boiled knuckle (cow) it gives the dog something else to concentrate on and gives the sore a chance to heal.

might be worth trying to keep the dog busy to see if that helps. also bare in mind that the dog could have an underlying issue that's causing the initial licking. . .

or has there been a change or incident that could be stressing the dog?

ronn

snipe02 wrote: »

mght sound simple but it could be itch from something she is allergic to like in her diet or enviroment when we get and itch we use our hands to sort it dogs usually bite or like the area and it can show up like red or pink bumps did the vet do bloods aswell and were they fine

the results were about 2 a4 pages long the vet basicly said there's hair folicals and saliva in her leg, her diet or surroundings haven't changed

Its only one spot that she licks at, She stopped licking it for around ten months then stated to go at it again a few weeks ago, So im trying to find some thing to stop her till the fur grows back. The lamp shade collar has her head wrecked:D

ronn

dicky82 wrote: »

dog's can do this for a number of reasons, stress and boredom being two of them. other reasons could be that it's sore or itchy and she licks it then because she has licked it so much she is now licking the raw sore. vicious cycle. . .

my mate runs a kennels and this is a common problem with dogs being stressed from being away from owners etc. his solution is to give the dog a large boiled knuckle (cow) it gives the dog something else to concentrate on and gives the sore a chance to heal.

might be worth trying to keep the dog busy to see if that helps. also bare in mind that the dog could have an underlying issue that's causing the initial licking. . .

or has there been a change or incident that could be stressing the dog?

I thinking of the boredom line. She doesnt get out as much when the season is off. (she gets walked on the lead more than getting to hunt away) At the moment i cant take my eyes off her she just goes straight for the paw.

juice1304

I have a mate with a dog that dose the same thing just keeps licking the same spot on his paws they get raw and infected. It seems to be like an obsessive compulsive thing.

welsummer

My lab bitch licks her paws all the time. it would drive you mad listening to her. she also regularually has bad ear infections. Vets love to see her coming but cant cure it

snipe02

ronn wrote: »

I thinking of the boredom line. She doesnt get out as much when the season is off. (she gets walked on the lead more than getting to hunt away) At the moment i cant take my eyes off her she just goes straight for the paw.

woek her hard for ba few weeks if ya have the time colud well be a friend had a lurcher that woul,d get a real bad skin rash he took em to loads of vets and nothing could sort then he brought him a vet and he told him it was stress due to not being worked my mate reckoned he was spot on the dog cleared and the prob was avoided but i dont know meself but i know id be depressed and stressed if i wasnt able to do the things i love

meoklmrk91

Not from a hunting backround but said I would through a couple of cents in anyway.

Could be an obsessive compulsive thing, if the dog is highly strung or higher energy then this is very possible. In that case you just have to work at changing the behaviour. She might be bored if its not hunting season and is getting stressed out over that. Do you have a pack? Where does she sit in ranking? how long has this been going on.

The other thing would be pain, she doesn't by any chance favour that hip or leg does she. I ask people this all the time and they say no, then after a while when I see them sitting I ask do they always sit like that and I get a yes. I'll post up a pic as its hard to explain but i see a lot of arthritic dogs in the early to mid stages and their owners have no idea. Not their fault, they just miss the signs.

Ah feck can't find a pic, the only way I can describe is them sitting off to one side with one leg underneath them. You would often see fat labs at it.

Personally I would think that she is in pain with that leg, most of the time obsessive licking wouldnt be just one paw. Could be arthritis, old injury. Maybe get an x ray done or take her to a good greyhound vet, my bet is a course of painkillers and you would see some improvement.

goss101

my cocker gets reoccurring cists on his paw, usually between the toes and when he gets one he does the same, licks it till its raw, when we take him to the vet to get it removed he then licks the scar,he has to wear the bucket on his head till its totally healed but then another cist will reappear, he gets around 2 a year, and sometimes it will cause him to go lame, can't be cured just has to be treated when it happens, he's officially retired this year so won't affect him hunting anyway! real annoyance for me and the dog though when he has it

Antoennis

Could you try putting Vicks vapor rub on it she won't like the taste of it. Works for pups eating things.:D

Ziggieire

our springer would do that a few years ago.
she had a blister she would not let it heal so i put a normal sports sock on it and taped it over her a wider part of her foot so it would not fall down and it was not tight, it took near 6 weeks but then she forgot about it and has not licked it since

MidlandsM

give her a shot of ivomec op.....

snipe02

MidlandsM wrote: »

give her a shot of ivomec op.....

what for can you explain why please might be usefull thanks

MidlandsM

snipe02 wrote: »

what for can you explain why please might be usefull thanks

we had this very issue with a springer bitch we had, and the vet gave her a shot of ivomec (for sheep, not recommended for k9's but no harm to her), and she came good, and lived on a good life.

CptMackey

My springer does the exact same thing. Vet put some stuff for sheep on her. Some thing to do with her blood being too hot.

She was murder for it tho. All you would hear was her eating the sores

ronn

Thanks for all the help lads,

think ill try putting some vicks on it:D