I'm being a bit cheeky but I could do with some advice/suggestions for Ralph who I'm afraid is neither my dog nor a Labrador. Ralph is a rescue who belongs to my cousin and during the week spends the day at my aunties down the lane. I exercise Ralph and my two other cousins' dogs at lunch times. He isn't allowed in the house at my aunties but stays in her very large porch. About six weeks ago I had to take Ralph to have a large, not nice looking lump removed from his thigh. Op went well, lump benign, wound healed very well. He had internal stitches with four external just as a precaution because of where it was. The vet was happy with it when he removed the stitches. Ralph, although he'd had a cone on when alone, hadn't bothered with it at all. Just over a week ago, so about two weeks after the stitches had been removed, I noticed he'd been licking it and had licked three little raw spots roughly where the stitches had been. The only thing I could think was it was itchy because of the hair growing back although I thought it was a bit of a long time after. I told my aunt to put his cone back on to hopefully break the habit. After about three days healed nicely. Told her to leave cone off but keep an eye on him. He immediately licked as soon as he was left alone. That evening I met my cousin walking Ralph home and discussed it with him. Turned out Ralph didn't bother with it at home and never had the cone on there. If it was itching presumably it wouldn't stop when he got home so my only other theory is boredom/stress associated with my aunt's porch. I doubt it's boredom he's been in my aunts porch for seven years nothing has changed. The only thing I could link it to stress wise is New Years Eve he stayed at my aunts all night. There were fireworks I noticed signs of licking the next day. :-\ Every time she tries him without the cone he licks. I suggested a bit of Vaseline while cone on as it did look dry. It was nicely healed yesterday so she left the cone off. Lunchtime he'd obviously been licking. The only solution I can think of is to keep the cone on him when he's alone until his fur has re grown fully. I'm assuming there isn't anything wrong with the wound/scar as he doesn't bother with it at home. I just wondered if anyone had any other suggestions or possible reasons. Sorry this is rather a long post. :-\
Re: Licking healed wound hmmm.... What happens if you cover it? Does he lick the skin nearest to it, or give up completely? This is something I've read (or been told, can't remember now - so might not be at all reliable! ;D ;D ;D). If I dog has a "lick habit" they will still try to lick something if they can't get to their usual spot.
Re: Licking healed wound Thanks Julie will give that a go although it's not going to be easy to cover. Will have to have a think how. ???
Re: Licking healed wound I was wondering if there is anything you could put on it that doesn't taste good? (That is safe to use, of course! )
Re: Licking healed wound It's quite common for dogs to lick healed wounds - I've seen a lot of Spey and castration wounds re opened because of licking when they should have been fully healed. My first instinct would be to say keep the buster collar on for at least a week. Take it off when he's supervised but as you mentioned he needs to beak the cycle so try the collar for at least a week. There are various sprays etc you can put on around the wound to make it taste nasty and deter licking (such as bitter apple), but they are a lot like the anti chew sprays for furniture - some dogs actually like the taste of them!!! Also take care that it doesn't go on the wound, only around it. You could try covering it, however if he's kicked it sore then it needs to dry out and let the air get to it which won't happen if it's covered. It is possible that he's licking because it's itchy with the fur growing back - this can be a surprisingly long process. Penny had a shaved patch on her foreleg from when she got speyed for about four weeks. Also I wonder if it is still healing under the skin and therefore itchy or uncomfortable and that's why he licks?
Re: Licking healed wound Thank you Karen and thank you Lauren. I have a recipe for bitter apple spray but I have a feeling Ralph probably wouldn't object to the taste. :-\ [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=9477.msg136602#msg136602 date=1421090298] It's quite common for dogs to lick healed wounds - I've seen a lot of Spey and castration wounds re opened because of licking when they should have been fully healed. My first instinct would be to say keep the buster collar on for at least a week. Take it off when he's supervised but as you mentioned he needs to beak the cycle so try the collar for at least a week. [/quote] oooo I didn't know a healed stitched wound could be reopened by licking. I think the easiest solution is to keep his cone on until the fur has grown back at least thick enough to cover the wound properly. Ralph has a thick coat, quite long compared to a lab. I'm sure he has German Shepherd in him. ??? He's very good about having his cone on puts his head through and doesn't try to get it off. Thank you all for your help.
