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Constant Licking
#8831 - 01/18/2002 09:57 AM |
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I have an eight-year-old male GSD who, other than the dysplasia and pancreatitis he has had for years, seems healthy. His appetite and energy levels are excellent. He takes a pancreatic supplement and a daily dose of glucosamine chondroitin for his hips.
Recently he has started to lick at himself almost constantly--his fur, paws, perianum, anyplace he can get at. No hot spots, and no particular place that seems to bother him especially. I guess I would call it "generalized licking."
Any ideas as to what's going on here? One thing I might mention is that I changed his (commercial) dog food about two months ago to another brand--supposedly hypoallergenic. This was at the suggestion of a vet.
Thanks--
Pete Felknor
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8832 - 01/18/2002 11:27 AM |
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The first thing I would do is switch back to the food he was on and see if the itching stops. That might give you a simple answer to the problem.
As well, constant licking can also indicate pain. So, it might be that your dog is feeling more pain now than he has before. Have you noticed more stiffness? or any other arthritic changes?
Any vaccines lately?
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8833 - 01/18/2002 11:43 AM |
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Thanks for the feedback, Aiko. I really would prefer not to switch him back to the other food, since he seemed to be having problems digesting it (which was the reason for the switch). He does better on this formulation, at least digestively.
You may have hit the nail on the head with the stiffness. Yes, he has been getting noticeably more lame in his back end during the past two months. I've given him Rimadyl a couple of times, but don't want to overdo it because I hear Rimadyl has high liver toxicity.
In your opinion--the licking should not be real cause for worry? Thanks again.
Pete Felknor
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8834 - 01/18/2002 11:50 AM |
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Pete,
Another thing to look at is if there has been a change in the dogs routine. Stress can cause licking problems in some dogs. There seems to be a comforting component to it. Our mini has seperation anxiety really bad. We can always tell when she is stressed because she starts licking her feet and legs. If there has been a significant change in your or the dog's life style there may be a stress component to it too.
If you can't be a Good Example,then You'll just have to Serve as a Horrible Warning. Catherine Aird. |
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8835 - 01/18/2002 12:15 PM |
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I once read that 10 percent of dogs allergies is related to food.Never overlook the most obvious. Living in WI. the last few months you had the furnace on. It could be as simple as dry skin not enough humidity.
Milt
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8836 - 01/18/2002 01:06 PM |
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Reg: 11-30-2001
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I would bet that number is a lot higher than 10% for food allergies. It is most often the root of an allergy problem.
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8837 - 01/18/2002 01:17 PM |
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Beth how much do you want to bet? I believe I read it on Drs. Foster and Smith web site. I could be wrong they could be wrong. Doesn't matter. Whats the Bet do you want to give me odds.
Milt
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8838 - 01/18/2002 01:42 PM |
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Uh oh, what I have I done now??? LOL! No, I'm not discrediting you or your source, Milt. I'm just saying that given what I have read from various sources (too many to remember), and experiences I have witnessed, as well as information I received from my own vet, I would venture to say that the "real life" figure would be a lot higher. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8839 - 01/18/2002 01:56 PM |
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Beth you are probaly right I just regurgitated something I read once. I'm sure the holistic vets will say food contibutes to 99.9% allergies. Perhaps our boards food guru Shandar will shed some light on this.He is very informative.
Milt
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Re: Constant Licking
[Re: Pete Felknor ]
#8840 - 01/18/2002 02:14 PM |
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I'd like to thank everyone for their input. No, my dog has never had any issues with separation anxiety or other anxiety-related syndromes and in fact, in eight years he has never destroyed a single household item (and he's by himself for ten hours a day). No big changes in his routine for the past couple of years.
The humidity is an interesting notion. His skin has been very dry lately. That might also be due to the change in diet. Any thoughts on adding Linatone to his food? I've used it once or twice and he doesn't mind eating it.
I'd really be loathe to change his diet yet again if I didn't absolutely have to. This is a dog with pancreatitis and a sensitive digestive tract--if it comes down to having a dog who licks himself a lot or a dog who can't digest his food, I think I know which way I'd go.
Thanks again, everybody.
Pete Felknor
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