Lick Granulomas

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by Kalibeck on 19 August 2009 - 14:08

I didn't want to hyjack some else's thread---so I just want to thank DDR-DSH for her ideas on treating lick granulomas. One of my girls will lick the end of her tail raw if she's crated for even a couple hours....& she suggested mayo added to the diet. I'm gonna give it a try. Unfortunately we've had a couple of days this summer that we've had to attend to business at Carl's other house a few hours away, so the dogs go out & get a good run & a little training very early, & then fed & crated until we get home that night. Every one does well except for Lil Bit....she'll have her tail bald (& maybe bloody)at the end by the time we get home....so we'll probably take her with us. But there are times when we simply can't take a dog....any advise on how to break her of this habit? I am reluctant to leave toys in the crate, the little high drive terror can destroy anything! Any thoughts would be helpful!. I used to give her big, thick cow femur bones to keep her busy, but she even splintered the end of one of those, so that's out.....Any thoughts? Thanks, jackie harris

by DKiah on 19 August 2009 - 14:08

Although I do agree a large number of lick granulomas are caused by boredom.. allergies and in some cases, discomfort can also be the cause
My first competition dog would always start chewing on something when he needed a chiropractic adjustment or in the end when the meds for his spondylosis were not working or he needed an acupuncture session.....
He frequently chewed his tail or a rear leg..... its just a thought.....

I often used bitter apple after cleaning the wound and putting either HydroPlus or EMT Spray or some lick deterrent.... and sometimes I bandaged it.......

by AnjaBlue on 19 August 2009 - 15:08

It can be classified as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - it's often blamed on boredom, but dogs that are highly engaged in day to day activities can get them. Some doctors believe it is a neurological problem.... We had a Malamute which had a lick granuloma on his leg for almost his entire life - nothing we tried worked, then, just as we were giving up we discovered acupuncture and homeopathy. The combination of the two (the homeopathic remedy Silica was the best) finally brought it under control - not indefinitely, because he was already older when we started the treatment, and his immune system had become suppressed because of all the antibiotics we had tried over the years (the constant licking and resulting open wound meant he developed a deep seated staph infection.) But for about 1.5 years he had relief............Had we discovered alternative medicine ealier in his life I believe we would have had a cure for him.....

Otherwise I don't have any advice - as I said we tried everything. Keeping him busy, neutering, different food. Nothing topical would stay on long enough to do any good. I didn't know anything about raw diets in those days, so I can't say what effect that might have had .......... good luck, it is a very frustrating condition.

by Krazy Bout K9s on 19 August 2009 - 21:08

Hey Jackie,
I wouldn't have minded you highjacking my thread!!!! LOL...

I hope this girl I got in, that has them, on both feet and all the way up onto her hocks will get over them. I am going to try some holistic medicines myself and now she is on better dog food may help. She is not crated at all. She has a doggy door to the outside yard she is available to use, once she figures out how...

I stated on another thread about a natural healing site that someone sent me for a dog that had a mast cell tumor. Cancer...guess it is treatable with natural foods also. Hope it helps...
The site is
www.naturalrearing.com

Take care, Steph

by czechGSD on 19 August 2009 - 23:08

We had a problem with a lick granuloma on our male GSD's hind leg. He got into chewing the area between his ankle and his hock due to allergies and we had quite a time getting him to leave it alone so it could heal. In additon to applying banamine/synotic (sp?) prescribed by our vet topically, we used a gauze pad under a human wrist brace that stays on using overlapping velcro. We decided to try one after seeing a website that sells custom made covers for dogs legs (www.dogleggs.com). That did the trick, but it still took quite a while.
We used something similar to Bitter Apple called Bitter Yuck (all natural ingredients), and it worked for a while, but wasn't the solution in our case.
The only way I can see getting a dog to leave its tail alone is to use an Elizabethan collar or something similar, but you probably wouldn't want to leave her alone wearing one of those.

by Kalibeck on 20 August 2009 - 02:08

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. In Lil Bits case I think it is boredom/anxiety, because when we're at home she doesn't do it, even if crated. She only bothers the very end of her tail, & since Carl is now at home full time with her it has healed....so we took her with us today, & she had a blast playing with her sire, Wolf. She was a brat, & he treated her with the attention you'd expect from a human father....when Miss Busy-ness finally got on his nerves he put one foot up on her face, like he was saying,"Enough!" They had not met before, but they acted like best friends right away....wonder if they knew? They shared Wolf's toys, played in the sprinkler, & never a growl or any dominance/sexual issues, good dogs! But back to the issue- Lil Bit was gnawing on her sisters fur for a while, when they first graduated to their 'big dog' crates, the 2 sisters were right next to each other, & one morning I let Ansgar out to find a nearly bald spot on her hip.....couldn't figure out what had happened to her...then that evening I just sat by their crates for an hour, nearly fell asleep, before I started hearing a soft rip-rip-rip sound....it was Lil Bit, tearing out Ansgars' hair bit by bit! When Ansgar would settle down to sleep, she'd lay down against the side of her crate close by her sister, & her evil sister Lil Bit would pull out a chunk of hair, Ansgar would whip around to see what happened, only to find Lil Bit 'asleep' in the other corner. This happened over & over, until I couldn't take it anymore....the crating arrangement was changed...now Ansgar has a lovely coat again, & Lil Bit pulls out her own hair, just on the tippy tip of her tail. If we're home, (& we're almost always home), she settles at night, rolls over on her back like a puppy (which she is at only 18 months) & sleeps like a good one. But if she is left alone, I guarantee she will lick it open again. I don't dare leave a bandage on it, she have that off in a flash, & probably swallow it. She'll eat anything. They got some mayo with their dinner, which they loved. I'm going to check out the link, in case the mayo doesn't help. I'll have to see if there's anyone around here that does accupunture for dogs, as well. Thanks again! jackie harris

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