My dog licks himself orange. How can I stop this?

Question

I have a Shih Tzu and where ever he licks he turns orange. He is orange on his mouth also. I have had no help from my vet with this problem. She just put him on antihistimines. I give him a good food with no artificials colors. I take him to the groomers, but two days later he is licking himself orange again. Please Help!

Answer 1

try putting a small amount of peroxide on the area he is licking.

Answer 2

The orange color you are seeing is from the bacteria reacting to his saliva. It is commonly seen on light colored fur on the feet, legs, around the muzzle. The same staining occurs from tear discharge around the eyes of many dogs. He is licking because most likely he is itchy for some reason. If your vet can't figure it out or hasn't offered you other options (and there are a lot of them), then ask for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist or seek another opinion.

Answer 3

White dogs stain orange whenever their fur comes in contact with saliva or gunk from runny eyes. For the licking try "Bitter Apple" or "Bitter Orange." Both from vet, most pet stores, and 1-800-PET-MEDS. Sometimes cornstarch rubbed carefully on eye "dripping" can help with the discoloration common in cockers and poodles, but don't get it in the eyes. You can mix the corn starch with a bit of water to make a paste.

Answer 4

I had a dog which did this and I found out it was the type of cleaner I was using on the carpet. She was allergic to it and she would lick and lick. Finally I figured out what it was, cleaned the carpets thoroughly and the problem went away. Have you been using a new product recently perhaps?

Answer 5

This might mean he's sick. But I'm not sure. Try to ring the vet or vist the vet. Hope it's sucessful! :)

Answer 6

Maybe it's what he eat's. (Just guessing.)