Licking dermatitis: what are we talking about?
Also known as lick granuloma, lick dermatitis refers to skin lesions caused by compulsive licking of the extremities of the limbs. The areas most often affected are the dorsal side of the carpals, metacarpals, metatarsals and/or tarsals (roughly speaking, at the level of the dog's "wrist" ) although all accessible areas of the body may be affected.
There may be one or more licking areas on the animal.
What does lick dermatitis look like?
When a dog licks itself compulsively, a well-defined alopecic lesion (devoid of hair) forms in the area affected by the licking. This lesion may ulcerate and expand and then harden into a granuloma.
Due to permanent licking, it is common for licking dermatitis to suppurate due to bacterial superinfections.
What are the possible causes of licking dermatitis?
The exact cause of licking dermatitis is unknown and may vary between individuals.
Nevertheless, it is suspected that it is caused by multiple factors, combining physical factors (allergies, infections, insect bites, presence of a spikelet, joint pain, cuts) and psychological factors (anxiety , fear, obsessive-compulsive disorder).
Without really knowing why, we observe more licking dermatitis in medium to large breeds, and in particular the Doberman, the Labrador, the Great Dane or the Golden Retriever.These observations tend to suggest that there may be racial predispositions to this disorder. However, it is important to remember that all dogs, regardless of breed, can develop licking dermatitis.
How to fix it?
As a first step, it will be necessary to break the cycle of self-mutilation, inflammation and infection caused by compulsive licking by preventing the dog from licking or biting the injured areas. To do this, we will use a dressing to protect the wound or a collarette.
Then, in order to heal the wound and relieve the animal, the veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to your animal to treat secondary skin infections as well as topical anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic treatments.
But beyond these first-line symptomatic treatments, identifying the underlying cause of lick dermatitis will be crucial in determining the treatment that will provide your pet with the best relief and prevent relapses.
So if the root cause of licking dermatitis is related to anxiety or boredom, it will be helpful for you to seek behavioral consultation from a behavioral veterinarian to clearly identify the problem that is at the origin of the animal's compulsive licking. The practitioner will thus be able to best advise you on the implementation of a behavioral therapy, associated or not with a drug treatment allowing to relieve the anxious state of the dog.