Acral Lick Granulomas

[Dobified]

Acral Lick Granulomas
Acral lick granulomas are a common problem in dogs. There are a number of treatments that have been advocated for this problem, mostly because none of them is consistently successful in eliminating all cases of lick granuloma.

Lick granulomas can occur secondary to allergies -- in this case, treatment for the allergy is often successful. It is a good idea to consider allergy testing in dogs with persistent lick granulomas or recurrent ones. The standard treatments for allergies are itch control medications or hyposensitizing "allergy shots". Skin testing is the most accurate way to diagnose allergies. Veterinary dermatologists frequently do this. Blood testing for allergies is considered to be less accurate but can be substituted when skin testing is hard to arrange.

Acral lick granulomas can occur secondary to injuries, underlying bone infection (this is a tricky diagnosis because the persistent licking can lead to periosteal inflammation around the bone making it seem like an infection was the cause), bacterial skin infection, parasites and other physical causes.

These lesions are thought to be due to stress or boredom in some dogs and even to be an obsessive/compulsive disorder in others.

So the first step in treatment is to do a thorough examination for an underlying cause. If one can be identified, it should be treated. If a bacterial infection is suspected antibiotics must be used for at least 6 to 8 weeks. If an underlying cause can not be found then the lick granuloma itself should be treated. There are a number of ways of doing this. Topical treatment with a combination of Synotic and Banamine has been advocated. Local anesthestic preparations like DermaCool or Relief can be helpful. Application of aversives like bitter apple or chloramphenicol ophthalmic ointment is sometimes done. Bandaging or using a sock to cover the lesion helps in some cases. A good adjunct to this type of therapy appears to be administration of hydrocodone to cut down on the irritation and/or fill the need for endorphins that the dog may be experiencing.
The psychological cases can respond to simple changes in environment (reducing stress or boredom). In more difficult cases, amitriptyline (Elavil), naltrexone (Trexane), clomipramine (Anafranil)and fluoxetine (Prozac) have been advocated. Acupuncture is reported to work well in some dogs, anecdotally.

For really desperate situations, radiation therapy, casts over the area, cryosurgery, and surgical excision have all been attempted.
This condition is frustrating and often will take several approaches to find the one that will work. Keep working with your vet to find a solution to the problem for your dog.

[BabyElephant]

i know i'm dragging up and old post but it saves me having to re-type this out - lol

i think that poppy may have this condition so i'm planning on taking her to the vets if i can't make any headway with this myself. her licking isn't too bad at the moment and her skin doesn't look infected although it is a bit sore looking i'm going to try some things myself before going to the vets.

i just wondered if anybody else had come across this and how did you eliminate the many possible causes. dobified, how did you managed to treat rudy's when he got it earlier this year?

[rottiegirl]

I had a foster Bull Terrier who did this, it was actually a boredom thing, once he was out of the shelter's kennel and into my home he was ok. We had to wrap it to get his attention off of it, and he required extra play time... but it was simply a boredom thing.

[Bellabianca]

Jett got a little nick from a barbed-wire fence and obsessively licked it to the same end-a lick granuloma. He had a steroid shot and was put on antibiotics (as it had become infected). The shot lasted for about 5 days which was long enough to get his attention off of it and it began to heal. The vet said that he has a beagle that gets them all of the time. I was glad that Jett didn't get any more-at least not so far.

[Dobified]

Rudy does this alot, the main reason I posted this thread. I think he does it when bored.