Help for OCD dog

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Help for OCD dog
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Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 8:16 am Post subject: Help for OCD dog

Poppy our Labrador has always been a bit OCD, washing her paws thoroughly after a walk and washing herself a lot. However this is now leading to problems. Inside one back leg she has licked so much that she has created a sore lump. The vet gave her some antibiotics and a collar to wear, I also treated it with purple spray and it healed, although the lump remained. We remove the collar but almost straight away she was licking it again. We've tried bitter bite spray and covering it with a dressing but she won't stop. Now I have noticed another sore patch on her leg brought about by her constant licking.

HELP - I can't leave per permanently with a collar on and I can't watch her every second of the day. She seems to ignore the bitter bite and I can't dress every would she creates.

Any ideas?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 8:35 am Post subject:

Are you sure there's nothing at all in the lump? Our lab also tends to lick continually (paws, cushions, people) without reason at times but when she had a tiny thorn in her paw she also kept licking it until I removed the thorn.

We just try an snap her out of repetitive behaviour, so a firm 'No' when she's licking stuff for example. When she was much younger ans had a tendency to jump we put some old coins in a tin an shook it once or twice to reinforce the 'No' and that seemed to work. Obviously it will depend on the dog, you don't want to make her frightened of you.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 9:30 am Post subject:
The vet had a good look at the lump and couldn't seen anything and I can't see anything in the new licked area. We do should "NO" when we catch her licking but she is looks so guilty now which could make things worse. Also it is hard to tell if she is licking her lump or her nether regions so we risk saying no when in fact she is doing nothing wrong!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45460
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 4:19 pm Post subject:
magic splosh is both soothing and healing with the bonus of tasting a bit odd and smelling too strong to stick ones nose in 10ml lavender oil 10ml frankincense oil 10 ml tea tree oil 200ml almond oil ace for many things

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 4:28 pm Post subject:
Thanks dpack - I've not got any almond oil, could I use cooking/olive oil as it is "only" the dog?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45460
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 4:37 pm Post subject:

i dont see why not ,chose the oil the dog likes least,i use almond cos it sprays well and does not set in the cold like olive oil can or go off as fast as basic cooking oil

that mix of active stuff works on most micro flora ,repels insects and mites and a bit is rather nice in ones bath water as well

reduce the amounts if you can measure it but for general use keep the proportions the same
i use a double strength version for single drop application as a wound salve

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 7:27 pm Post subject:
Labs are really prone to it, especially if anxious. Can you give her something else to munch on? Chewing releases endorphins, which helps them feel better, apparently. You could also try those pheromone thingies, maybe? Alternatively, walk the poor thing's paws off, so she's too tired (or borrow a playmate)

Woo

Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 14 8:17 pm Post subject:

please dont take this the wrong way but is the vet sure about the lump being inocious? (?sp)
i cant see just licking causing a lump, a sore bit yes but not a physical lump.
is the vet the one you go to for your livestock or small animal vet.
Mine seperated from his old practice to specialise in small pets as so many vets in rural france specialise in farm work.
i have read, but cant be sure, that vetenary medicine, is not a degree level qualification in France.
a friend's dog had been poorly for some time but missdiagnosed. he visited another vet while in kennels and got the treatment he needed.
we had an Old English who used to lick his paw in the evening while bored. have you tried new chewy things?

alice

Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Posts: 2820

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 6:21 am Post subject:
One of mine had a spell of this. We distracted her with a toy or just attention, it didn't take much. I think the habit was 'initiated' by an old tick site though, on top of her paw. There was a lump there for a long time after the tick was removed. Eventually, the lump disappeared but the habit remained. Distraction then, and exhaustion, make sure she's too tired to bother.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 9:44 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Labs are really prone to it, especially if anxious. Can you give her something else to munch on? Chewing releases endorphins, which helps them feel better, apparently. You could also try those pheromone thingies, maybe? Alternatively, walk the poor thing's paws off, so she's too tired (or borrow a playmate)

Giving her a chew sounds like a good idea. The only problem with this is she will only eat chews outside where I can't watch her!

She is slightly nervous dog by nature in so much as if she does something wrong and gets told off she looks VERY guilty so we don't want to keep telling her to stop licking.

Walking her paws off is also a good solution - she already gets a walk a day but I may try to either make that longer or give her an extra one. We do have 2 dogs but they don't play together that much.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 9:48 am Post subject:

Woo wrote:

I have every faith in my vet, she does the small animals whilst her husband and other vets tend to do the farm animals - she explained that the continual licking can cause a granulated lump which is what Poppy has - her licking had been gong on for longer than we had realised

. She is actually Belgian and I am led to understand training is better in Belgium.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 9:50 am Post subject:

alice wrote:

One of mine had a spell of this. We distracted her with a toy or just attention, it didn't take much. I think the habit was 'initiated' by an old tick site though, on top of her paw. There was a lump there for a long time after the tick was removed. Eventually, the lump disappeared but the habit remained. Distraction then, and exhaustion, make sure she's too tired to bother.

She's not one for toys so exhaustion looks like the way to go! I think this may have started with a tick bite.

alice

Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Posts: 2820

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 9:54 am Post subject:

Green Rosie wrote:

I think this may have started with a tick bite.

I hates 'em

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 9:59 am Post subject:

alice wrote:

Green Rosie wrote:

I think this may have started with a tick bite.

I hates 'em

So do I. OH had one on the back of his leg that started to go red - quick trip to A&E (it was a weekend!) and a course of VERY large, VERY strong antibiotics that completely knocked him out. But no Lyme's Disease thank goodness.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45460
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 14 10:52 am Post subject:
ditto for a dislike of ticks,ive been had a few times flea bites can be nasty as well especially of mutt or human gets them while they feed as a squeeze can inject the stomach contents into the wound distraction is good with ocd dogs but breaking the itch/lick cycle seems to work best

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