Dogs lick - a lot because like barking, scratching and chewing, licking is innate in dogs. However, trouble would start when these natural behaviors become obsessive. The dog's excessive licking can result to lick granuloma or lick sores.
This condition would start when the dog incessantly licks a spot. The hair on the spot continuously licked by the dog will fall off and the skin will harden. Because the skin has hardened, it will be insensitive to the incessant licking of the dog until the skin breaks and becomes infected.
Lick granulomas are open sores usually found on the carpal area or the wrist area of the front legs and on the area above the paw of the rear legs. This skin concern is most common in short haired dog breeds like Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Irish Setter and in Golden Retrievers. The skin sore can start from a flea or an insect bite or from a fungal and bacterial infection. The lick sores can have a psychogenic origin as it often occurs in single pets that are left alone most of the time. Inactivity and boredom can spur a dog to incessantly lick a chosen spot in its body.
The dog's lick sores can be difficult to eliminate as the condition can arise from various conditions thus no single cure will be effective. The condition is worsened by the dog's incessant licking of the affected body part. To totally eliminate the problem, treatment must be focused on eliminating the causative factor before the skin lesions are treated.
Lick sores can be a headache because the lesions recur. Laser surgery is the popular method of treating lick sores. This costly treatment method becomes ineffective when the dog starts to lick again. Antibiotics and other topical medications can be applied to the lesion. With some effective methods, the tendency of the pet to lick will be modified. Bandaging the affected leg will prevent the pet from mutilating the lesion. Bitter apple, Tabasco and other bad tasting substances can stop the dog's self mutilating habit. An Elizabethan collar can also be used.
As lick sores are hard to cure it would be best to prevent the development of the lesions. As soon as the owner noticed the pet developing an excessive licking habit, the preventive methods must be used at once.
This condition would start when the dog incessantly licks a spot. The hair on the spot continuously licked by the dog will fall off and the skin will harden. Because the skin has hardened, it will be insensitive to the incessant licking of the dog until the skin breaks and becomes infected.
Lick granulomas are open sores usually found on the carpal area or the wrist area of the front legs and on the area above the paw of the rear legs. This skin concern is most common in short haired dog breeds like Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Irish Setter and in Golden Retrievers. The skin sore can start from a flea or an insect bite or from a fungal and bacterial infection. The lick sores can have a psychogenic origin as it often occurs in single pets that are left alone most of the time. Inactivity and boredom can spur a dog to incessantly lick a chosen spot in its body.
The dog's lick sores can be difficult to eliminate as the condition can arise from various conditions thus no single cure will be effective. The condition is worsened by the dog's incessant licking of the affected body part. To totally eliminate the problem, treatment must be focused on eliminating the causative factor before the skin lesions are treated.
Lick sores can be a headache because the lesions recur. Laser surgery is the popular method of treating lick sores. This costly treatment method becomes ineffective when the dog starts to lick again. Antibiotics and other topical medications can be applied to the lesion. With some effective methods, the tendency of the pet to lick will be modified. Bandaging the affected leg will prevent the pet from mutilating the lesion. Bitter apple, Tabasco and other bad tasting substances can stop the dog's self mutilating habit. An Elizabethan collar can also be used.
As lick sores are hard to cure it would be best to prevent the development of the lesions. As soon as the owner noticed the pet developing an excessive licking habit, the preventive methods must be used at once.
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