My dog keeps licking his leg until it's raw!?

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My Great Dane is obsessively licking his front legs until they are raw, red, and bleeding. I don't know why he does this. Before he does this, his legs look normal; the skin is ...show more

Answer 1

Best Answer

It could be a food allergy-- you can develop them over time. Once they start licking the skin gets bacteria growing on it and it itches MORE. A cycle of licking is then started. I would look over his food as a possibility. The vet can give you meds to make the infection and itch go away.

Answer 2

I would take him to the vet with past experience it usually means there is something wrong. I have had animals do that then come to find out there was a good reason for it like a growth or and infection I could not see myself. Good Luck

Answer 3

There could be a number of things.
1. He hurt himself while he was outside. He is licking his wound to make him feel better. Dog's saliva has some healing properties and that's how they care for wound in the wild.
2. He has allergies and he is itching on that spot, since he can't scratch or put med on himself, he licks it trying to make it better.
3. He's OCD and that would need to be determine by a doctor.
If you are concern, have a vet check it out. Don't bother buying anything until you see a vet because you don't know what's causing the problem. You don't want to make it worse.

Answer 4

Sounds like hot spots. If they are red, bald and bleeding then they are most like hot spots. Dogs will lick and bite at them because they are so uncomfortable. I'd call your vet and ask if there is any topical cream you can buy to relieve the itching but also bring your dog to the vet so that you can be sure that that's what they really are.

Answer 5

my guess would be dry skin sometimes you cant see it on dogs and because if it being a Great Dane I'm guessing you let him outside to use the "bathroom" in that care he would not smell the best (like my boxer Chase) so you would bath him and maybe you are bathing him too much try to only bath him once a week longer if you can or maybe try a new shampoo because some shampoo can dry out the skin. Good Luck!

Answer 6

http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/lick.htm...

sounds like a lick granuloma. we have a had a few that did this over the years. One thing that seemed to work was granulex. you can either get the aerosol or the liquid dropper. apply to the leg and don't let the dog lick it off. this may mean that you need to hold the leg to physically prevent the medicine from being removed. maybe you could wrap it after applying it, but i bet he would lick it off.

a lot of times diet is the problem, but a lot of times it starts out as a wound of some type. then they just get use to licking it and then the sour comes, etc...

Answer 7

I also have a Great Dane, and I've heard a lot about them doing this.
Do you feed him a beef diet? Beef for a Great Dane can actually cause painful sores on their skin, especially near joints or hips. If beef is high the list of ingredients in his food, change him to a poultry based food.
Also, OCD is another common reason for this (I have a german shepherd who also licked herself raw), and it won't stop until you treat it.
I used the product called Bag Balm on my dog, and then covered her wound and it cleared up instantly.
If this doesn't work, take him to the vet immediately before it becomes infected.

Answer 8

i think it's a condition called "Neurogenic Dermatitis" where your dog has an impulse to lick that area due to a variety of reasons. you can read more about it here. i find this webpage very useful! hope it helps!http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html

Source(s):

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html

Answer 9

I wonder if he's under some kind of stress. Animals will do that when they're stressed.

I wonder if it's an allergy and it itches, but usually with itchy stuff, they scratch by biting gently with their front teeth.

As for treatment, I'd put neosporin on it, gauze, and then wrap it with athletic (white) tape. Try to arrange it so neither end of the tape is available to bite. If this doesn't work, he needs a cone around his head to force him to leave the sores alone.

If this doesn't work, run him to the vet.

TX Mom

Answer 10

Sounds like an allergy to me, he is getting what are called "hot spots"
The first thing you want to do is look at the ingredients in his food. Do they contain corn, wheat, or soy? These ingredients are the number ONE cause of skin allergies in dogs, especially corn. It can pop up even after the dog has been eating it for a while.
If so, switch your dog's food as soon as possible. In the meantime, they make anti-itch sprays and creams for dogs, and you can also put "bitter apple" on his fur to make it tast bad, that might hurt since his skin is raw though.

A couple of good dog foods are Innova and Wellness. I am posting a link to a good site to review what exactly goes into your dogs food.

Source(s):

www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Answer 11

My friends dog used to do this, he would bite his paws till they bled,, the vet couldn't give them an ansewer and he eventually had to be put down. She heard a few years later that it could have been something as simple as ear mites that were aggravating him.

Answer 12

Actually, he has an allergy. My parents yorkie licked his front and back feet raw. Rubbed raw and the hair off two spots on his back. He has a permanent yeast(fungal) and bacterial infection of his skin. My parents tried everything. Then they found out about colloidal silver (look it up). Well, they bathed him then rubbed it on his skin. Then everyday they put 6 drops on his treat, and a dropperful in his mouth (to eat). He doesn't really smell anymore, his hair is growing back, his skin healed right away and he hardly ever licks his feet. They have been doing this for only a month at the most. Let me tell you their dog smelled so bad, you could tell when he was in the room. Also, they eventually got one of those collars/hoods (looks like a lampshade) that the goes around the neck so they don't lick or chew. He wore that everyday all day. He doesn't need it anymore. Colloidal Silver is what they stick in newborn babies' eyes right after theya are born so their eyes don't get infected from possible stds or infection in the birth canal of the mother. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 13

My dog had something like this and we took her to the vets and she had a cone round her head and some stuff to put on it, so she couldn't lick it and it started to get better , you gotta keep an eye on him and stop him whenever you see him licking it.

Answer 14

My dog did the exact same thing. go on myneckmyblog.blogspot.com. ther is a picture of a thing around the dogs neck. buy that and put it on. thats what people do to make them stop (thats its purpose).it works. i also think you should go to the vet.

Source(s):

myneckmyblog.blogspot.com

Answer 15

It could be anxiety. Has something major changed in his life recently? You could try putting socks on him but he will probably take them off. An Elizabethan Collar would stop it. They have them at most pet stores. He'll look silly, but it will work. Take him to the vet ASAP. They can diagnose the problem and help you find a solution.

Answer 16

I had a dog that did this. I tried everything. The vet said that sometimes they get a sore or something then get obsessed with it. Anyway my dog never stopped. I think they get nervous.