I finally found a (weird) solution to my dog licking her feet!!!

[simplepeace]

Originally Posted by kayanne

Thanks for trying to be helpful, but her thyroid has been checked (I said I was probably forgetting some things we'd tried) as well as allergen testing. Her feet show no sign of inflammation or irritation, and since putting the Puppy Bumper on her, she is not acting uncomfortable at all. If her feet were physically bothering her, she'd be showing signs of distress. The vets have all said it is just a behavioral thing, much like a baby sucking her thumb or someone who chews his fingernails.

I plan to have her wear this thing for a couple weeks, then see if the paw licking habit has been broken.

So glad you found something that works.

I had a dog who gave himself a lick granuloma a few times before I figured something out (his would start after a cut or after grooming (shaved paws). I finally resorted to spraying bitter apple on my hands and dabbing it on the hair around where he licked.

He was usually sore by then so I had to be sure not to get any on the skin. And I had to do it numerous times a day. It did work though to get him past his obsession until the next time

Once it starts it does need something to kick start them out of it. It sounds like it was the perfect solution for you. Oh and I didn't know about puppy bumpers! Thanks for sharing.

[kayanne]

Originally Posted by simplepeace

So glad you found something that works.

I had a dog who gave himself a lick granuloma a few times before I figured something out (his would start after a cut or after grooming (shaved paws). I finally resorted to spraying bitter apple on my hands and dabbing it on the hair around where he licked.

He was usually sore by then so I had to be sure not to get any on the skin. And I had to do it numerous times a day. It did work though to get him past his obsession until the next time

Once it starts it does need something to kick start them out of it. It sounds like it was the perfect solution for you. Oh and I didn't know about puppy bumpers! Thanks for sharing.

I'd never heard of a lick granuloma until your post. For others who may not know (from Wiki):

A lick granuloma, also known as acral lick dermatitis, is a skin disorder found most commonly in dogs, but also in cats. In dogs, it results typically from the dog's urge to lick the lower portion of one of his or her legs.

The lesion can initially be red, swollen, irritated, and bleeding, similar to a hot spot (wet eczema). The animal's incessant licking of the lesion eventually results in a thickened, firm, oval plaque, which is the granuloma.

A major cause of lick granuloma appears to be psychological, related to stress, anxiety, separation anxiety, boredom, or compulsiveness. Lick granulomas are especially seen in active dogs left alone for long periods of time. One theory is that excessive licking causes endorphin release, which reduces pain and makes the animal feel euphoric temporarily; that effect then causes an addiction to licking.


I can definitely believe the part about endorphin release. I've suspected something like that in my dog's licking. She just loves to do it. And not only her feet, if I am holding her close to my face, she goes NUTS licking my neck, face, and especially inside my ears. It's like she's an addict, frantically licking me (I tolerate it for a few seconds then I have to distract her with something else).

Interesting that the article said licking may be due to being left alone, because now that I think about it, Lily didn't have this problem when I worked full time, but now that I'm retired, she does. I'm with her all day most days, so we play a lot. She loves to play hide and seek, go through her repertoire of many tricks, play with toys, and cuddle time too. She gets lots of attention.

It may have started for a specific, but unknown, reason, but became a self-perpetuating problem. When she licks, her sticky saliva causes little mats to form in her fur. Then I think those mats annoy her, because she does this little nibbling thing on her feet, I'm guessing on the little matted fur balls. And eventually licking and nibbling just became more and more of a psychological habit.

For her, this Puppy Bumper seems to have a tremendous calming effect. I've noticed she's not even being as reactive (barky, running around) to the sound of cars driving past, for example. It's kind of like what Thunder Shirts claim to do for dogs. She definitely doesn't mind wearing it, because she could easily pull it off if she wanted to. (They are designed to be attached to the dog's collar, which would make it much more secure, but I just put it directly around Lily's neck, no collar, and it slips easily off and on. She chooses to leave it on)

[simplepeace]

Funny, my dog was plenty entertained as well, got to run, and played with the other dogs too. He never cared about toys. I worked from home too. He was very sensitive to emotions, but Still his only ever started after a cut or razor burn.

I think once it "feels good" to (some dogs) them they have no reason to stop. No talking them out of it.

[MrRational]

Someone mentioned they were told about a relationship between paw licking and EAR issues (infection?).
That's 3rd hand information but from an otherwise reliable source.

Might be worth checking out.