Lick Granuloma Overview
When a moist oozing lesion develops on a dog’s skin, most dog owners want to identity the exact cause. If you’ve ever battled a fast spreading hot spot on your dog, you understand they don’t disappear overnight. It’s a battle that can last weeks. Just when a hot spot almost seems to have dried up, dogs either lick and scratch it, which brings you right back to square one. Interestingly, not all hot spots are caused by skin trauma. Many are self-inflicted by your dog and we call these lick granulomas.
What is Lick Granuloma?
Some hot spots are caused by skin irritants, such as flea bites, scrapes and allergens. However, excessive licking or scratching, which breaks skin and causes bacteria to set in, creates hot spots. Determining if your dog has a lick granuloma takes observation and a diary of events.
Many years ago, lick granulomas were considered a bored dog’s disease because it was assumed bored dogs would lick themselves when they had nothing else to do. When bored dogs would rather lick their paws or limbs instead of play with toys or enjoy a food stuffed toy, there has to be more to the story.
Lick Granuloma Causes
When drilled down, most lick granulomas are caused by a dog trying to self-soothe himself. He learns that slowly licking his paws or legs provides a calming effect. Self-soothing licking becomes a major issue when it becomes a habit. This is the first thing your dog does when he’s stressed. Your dog may be worried either because a new dog is added to your household or you’re away on vacation. As a result, your dog begins to soothe himself by licking. Self-soothing is normal. Humans reach for cupcakes or wine when they’ve had a hard day. When self-soothing begins to harm someone, then it becomes a problem.
Excessive licking can most certainly be caused by pain, so it’s important to rule out other causes before assuming it’s behavioral. Some dogs lick because there’s a foreign body trapped under their skin, a nerve has been pinched or they’re experiencing acid reflux.
How to Determine If It’s Behavioral
This is tricky because not all dogs display the same signs. I’ll share my personal dog’s behavior and several other behaviors I’ve witnessed while dogs have licked themselves to self-soothe. You’ll usually notice soft licking right before bedtime or naps. Sobek’s third eyelids will slowly slide up and cover his eyes–almost like he’s going into a trance. If you call your dog’s name while he’s licking, it’s almost like you’ve startled him. Sometimes, it feels good for your dog to lick an itch he’s licked before, so licking becomes a habit.
Keep a log of all your findings, focusing on when and where it happens. Is it after meals, before bedtime or when strangers visit? Does your dog slink away to lick, or does he lick other objects excessively like furniture, flooring and you? If possible, capture video and pictures, as this will further assist in finding the cause.
Lick Granuloma Treatment
If you suspect it’s behavioral, find a veterinarian who is board certified in animal behavior. These folks are vets who have completed a lengthy internship focused on successfully addressing behavioral concerns that cause medical issues.
As an experienced dog trainer, I’ll admit dog trainers are not equipped to manage lick granulomas. It’s completely out of our wheelhouse. Don’t get caught up with someone calling herself an animal behaviorist either. There is no such occupation, school or certificate program verifying someone as an animal behaviorist.
Now, dog trainers can certainly assist you after your veterinary behaviorist consultations. We can help teach your dog other ways to self-soothe himself besides licking. While it’s tempting to skip right to this part and bypass a veterinary consultation, it will take much longer for your dog to respond and that equals more vet visits to doctor up hot spots.
If you need help finding a veterinary behaviorist, I have some great tips and websites here. Do know even if you live in a rural area, your dog can still benefit from a veterinary behaviorist, as most will work with your regular vet. I’ll be brutally honest: it’s worth every penny to find a veterinary behaviorist, as you’re finding a solution now instead of spending hundreds of dollars on temporary fixes by so-called experts.
Until your veterinary behaviorist visit, continue to walk your dog, feed your dog using food puzzles and give calming products a try. Calming music, DAP products and supplements are great ideas. Just make sure your veterinary behaviorist is aware you’re using them. These suggestions won’t address the main issue, but they do provide an outlet for stress. Don’t forget to bring your log, pictures and video along to your consultation. It will help a ton!
