We got something we didn't want for Christmas! A lovely fresh, red, weepy lick granuloma. so Penny is wearing her cone of shame right now, poor girl! I first noticed it on our after lunch Christmas Day walk. I thought she had cut her foot over the field as I saw what looked like a patch of blood on her foot and she was reluctant to stand on it as it must have been sore. When we got back to the house I wiped her down and set to inspecting her foot; whereupon I discovered that it was not a cut, but what I believe is a lick granuloma (I've seen quite a lot in my rescue work so I'm pretty confident that's what it is) - this is where an area of skin, usually legs and ankles, becomes itchy for some reason and the dog licks and chews at it, making it inflamed and sore and more itchy and sets in motion a cycle of itchiness and licking which produces a sore. If left alone these can worsen and become really deep, infected wounds. Penny's has presented as a perfectly round slightly swollen red lump on the back of her foot right next to her pad, almost her wrist I guess. I clipped all her nails only a couple of days ago and I didn't notice anything wrong then, so it must have only come up since then. Being in and out of the stream on our walk today must have aggravated it and made it more sore - she wouldn't leave it alone when we got back to the house. I've cleaned it and put her buster collar on so she can't lick it anymore whilst we were out for a few hours earlier this evening. On coming home I checked it again and it looks less weepy than before so I'm hoping if I can stop her getting to it for a few days it will dry up, and I hope for it to heal. I don't seem to remember much treatment being given when the dogs in my kennels got one except to keep them from licking at it and antibiotics if it was infected, so I don't want to bundle her off to the vets just yet - I'll give it until Monday and then see how it looks. On googling lick granulomas in dogs I have discovered a lot of information that has me quite worried. There are a lot of reasons dogs get them - the most common is boredom and stress/anxiety, however that has been debunked by some study or another. There can be psychological reasons behind them such as the dog getting into an OCD type behaviour of licking and licking and licking. There are also several medical reasons such as skin allergies (most common and most likely), or underlying joint/pain issues. They can also be caused by something as simple as irritation from a thorn or sting. So it will be difficult to identify what has caused Penny's, and I hope it is just a one time thing. Has anyone had a dog that's had one before? Did you identify the cause, and what treatment did you give? Did it clear up quickly, or was it a long term thing?
Re: Lick Granuloma Poor lass - but she's in good hands I haven't had an experience of this before but I've certainly had a dog obsessively licking his feet - this was a food allergy and it stopped when we changed his food (to raw). But it sounds like there are heaps of reasons why an itch/lick cycle might be set up and then perpetuate itself. I'd just see how she goes once the physical symptoms have cleared up. It might be the first and last time it ever happens. Try not to worry, and don't let Google get to you with stories that mostly will not apply to your dog. Google can provide some useful research articles but, again, the causal factors may not apply to Penny. Don't automatically worry that she's doing it as a stress response. Assume and cover the simple things first, like an insect bite that she's been working on.
Re: Lick Granuloma Poor penny what a shame. Sorry Lauren I've no experience of it but, sorry if your already doing this, I'd bathe it with salt and water. It will keep the area clean, help stop infection and dry it up. Hope it clears up quickly.
Re: Lick Granuloma Yes I know - step away from google! Haha! I have improvised a little bandage out of vet wrap and micropore tape so that she doesn't have to have her head collar on today whilst we are home. It doesn't look much different than it did last night but does appear to have dried up slightly so that must be good.
Re: Lick Granuloma She's really sulky today and has just spent the afternoon curled up in her bed by the sofa whilst I'm watching TV, normally she would be all over me and curled up by my side. I think she's made at me for the cone of shame
Re: Lick Granuloma I'm sure she's not mad at you. She just doesn't like the cone.... Hopefully she won't need it for too much longer though Can you take her for an on-lead walk without the cone in the morning? Might cheer her up
Re: Lick Granuloma Well it looks like it to me, and she's certainly been licking and chewing at it enough to produce one, and it seems to have improved after her wearing a buster collar so she can't get to it.... What are you thinking Stacia?
Re: Lick Granuloma Has she been anywhere where cases have been reported? Probably not. Do dogs lick and chew at Alabama Rot lesions? Not that I have read. Would an Alabama Rot lesion start to look better just by leaving it along? Highly unlikely! So far and away the most likely explanation is that it's just a spot that she's aggravated by licking (for whatever reason). Don't stress - just see how it goes Take a pic if you would like anyone else to have a look, although you are probably one of the more experienced people on here when it comes to this sort of thing.
Re: Lick Granuloma 2 years in and still still learning....I've never heard of this one Lauren...try not to panic ( Rachael replies will help you with that I'm sure) Hope it seems more improved today and she's in a better mood! Those cones can make them miserable x
Re: Lick Granuloma My old boy got something very similar to this once. As I remember, it was treated with some sort of cortisone cream... I'll see if I can find the thread, with a photo.
Re: Lick Granuloma Here's a couple of pics I took this morning. It's looking a bit weepy as we've just been for a walk and the grass was wet, it looked better than this first thing this morning.
Re: Lick Granuloma Ooh, that looks nasty! Off to the vet, I would say... I found the topic I was looking for - called 'Lump on foot' in Labrador Health. It was an infected sebaceous Gland...
Re: Lick Granuloma Alabama Rot was in my mind but I didn't want to alarm you. I have recently seen an update from some vets who are dealing with this and one of the symptoms is a lesion, these can occur up to 10 days before the illness is obvious. It probably is not that as it is rare, but I think it would be a good idea to take her up to the vet this morning. I wish I could find the link.
