Nervous lick?

Question

I have a dog who constantly licks a little spot on her "wrist" and she is now devoid of hair there. There are times she gets it quite red. She's a lab/aussie mix, and I know they're prone to nerves, but this is nuts! (Or is it?)

Answer 1

Have you taken her to the vet for this? There are several things that can cause this condition and only a vet can determine what it is for sure. They are proscribing anti-depressants for dogs now. While anti-d's would be a last resort, there may be some other medication that will help with this.

A friend of ours had a dog that would do this, too. He would wrap the foot (or leg) with sport wrap, it is an elastic wrap kind of similar to an ace bandage, but has sticky properties to it so it will stick to itself, it stays in place, but it does not stick to the dog the way adhesive does. Be sure to not wrap too tightly.

There is a chance that it is a food allergy. If you decide to switch foods, be sure to do it gradually. First week 3 parts original food to 1 part new food, second week 2:2, third week, 1:3, fourth week, all new food. If you do an abrupt change of food it can cause gastric upset and diarrhea. No fun for anyone.

Good luck.

Answer 2

First off, you do not mention your dog's age and that is important. If she is an older dog, she MAY have arthritis in that joint. It is very common for a dog to lick at a spot that is causing them pain.
If she is a young dog, you are correct. It could be nerves. If that is the case, there are commercial products that you can buy at the local pet store that you can spray on her paw that will deter her from licking it. It tastes nasty and they will stop.
If, on the other hand, she is an older dog, I would check with the vet because it could well be arthritis and they can recommend a pain killing regime for you.
Hope that helped somewhat.

Answer 3

OMG!
someone who has an aussie, or mix i suppose! i have 2 aussies. the dog was probably scared by something right after she was born. its just a habit of hers. she might feel comforted by it. take her to the vet or wrap iy up somehow. it might get infected or something. GOOD LUCK!