# Lick granuloma that won't go away



## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

My passed on boy Toby had problems with that. The vet kept saying it was behavioral but in Toby's case it was not. He was not a bored dog at all or anxious.

The last time Toby got treatment for a sore the vet prescribed Synotic drops to put on it and it really helped. My sister's GSD also used it and his had Benadryl in it as well, cleared right up. 

I also did some Epsom salt baths on Toby's foot, it helped a little. Another med that really helped heal up and dry sores fast that I used on several of my boys is Neo-predef powder, have you tried that yet? Have you also tried Benadryl to heal help stop the itch and dry it up? 

Other than that, adding Bragg's apple cider vinegar to food or water can have healing effects. 

I also used to wrap up my Toby's paw when the sore got really bad, the only thing is, if the bandage is too thick, the wound will stay moist because it is not getting any air. So, I usually put the powder or other meds on it and then put one of my socks over it and taped it to his hair so it would not slip. It was a light bandage then with plenty of air flow. You can also put a light gauze pad or one of the non stick sterile pads on it, secure it with tape and then put the sock over it. 
I hope this helps a bit and gives you some ideas.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks
Is the powder something you can get OTC or is it an Rx?
I haven't tried any sort of benadryl spray either-I believe the genesis spray was supposed to help with that, plus I started bathing her every 2 weeks and was using an antipruritic (anti-itch?) cream on her.
I have wondered about the bandage not allowing it to heal. The vet wrap I've been using is a human brand and pretty thick. I tried a sock on her and she wouldn't leave it alone. She never messes with the bandage though. I wonder if I could try just wrapping it in gauze if she would leave that alone? Or get a thinner wrap? I wonder if animal vet wrap is made thinner?


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

The Benadryl is the tablets not spray. 1-2 tablets twice a day, was all I needed for my boy, which is underdosing but it worked. 
You can go to your vet clinic and ask for the Neo-predef powder - the vet might have to approve it, but it really works great in drying up wounds. 
Working as a licensed tech, we used the powder a lot on weeping wounds and on surgery incisions before bandaging them as in orthopedic surgeries and such.

My vet always prescribed Gentocin spray but it really did not do much for hot spots or lick sores since it won't stay put and runs off. 
The Neo- predef powder sticks to the wound as well as something simple like neosporing ointment which I have used before as well. 

The veterinary type vet wrap is the same as the human vet wrap - can be bought at petsmart, tractor supply, etc. 
You can try a gauze bandage, you just have to make sure that she won't pull it off and eat it.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I will ask about the powder.
Genesis is the brand of the spray, the medicine is actually triamcinolone acetonide which according to their website is supposed to help "control pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis in dogs."

When this first started we had concern that my vet saw some cells similar to mast cells so she was on benadryl twice a day for a few days waiting for the path results. But I stopped at that point. I guess I could try benadryl again. Although with it wrapped she is definitely not licking it-but I do think the wrap is keeping it from healing.

I will try the gauze wrap when I can keep a close eye on her for a few days to see if she tries to get it off/eat it. I will try the sock again as well and maybe just tape it up better.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

My Joker has had a number of skin issues, including a lick granuloma on his foot that got so bad that we had it surgically removed. Since then, we have had very good luck with a prescription product called Douxo Mousse. There are three versions of it, ranging from a treatment for itchy skin to the strongest one, which we use, that is anti-microbial. It might help your girl.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I forgot, if the wound looks really red, weeping and infected - you might have to take her to the vet and get antibiotics to combat infection. along with the topicals and bandage.


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## Bosn'sMom (Feb 11, 2013)

I dont have any experience in a lick granuloma lasting this long, but our boy has had them before (lasting 2-3 weeks) and I know how annoying and frustrating they can be. We always left his uncovered and i would clean it with medicated wipes the vet gave us when we came in from walks. If I wasn't home to supervise him not to lick it he was in the cone. I wish you the best of luck and a very speedy recovery for your pup!


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I tried a cone early on, she can still get to the spot!
The ointment she's on now is mupirocin, which I think is supposed to help with resistant strains. I just changed the bandage and it does look better today, more pink than red.

I'll see how she does with a sock when I can stay with her.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Have you taken a look at the BiteNot collar? Instead of the usual cone, the BiteNot is wide band of plastic that wraps around the neck and is held in place with velcro and straps, one of which goes behind the front legs. Here's a link: Home Page. We ordered from Amazon and have been really pleased with the collar, though Joker needed it to keep him from licking his thighs, not front legs. The BiteNot has the advantages that a dog can still easily eat, drink, navigate stairs, and use a dog door while wearing it. 

Good luck!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Jennifer - have you had xrays done to check the elbows? Thinking outside the box here, but we had something similar with my Danny. In his case, he'd lick because of "referred pain". Because he always had achy elbows - the cause for him licking never went away, so we were never able to completely get him to stop licking. We could just basically control the licking to the extent that the spot never got really bad. I hope it's nothing that drastic going on with your dog, but I'd just make sure there isn't a separate cause for the licking.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I actually have a bite not collar, and she can get to her paw. My lab used to get lick granulomas and the bite not worked great, but his were always higher up. Hers is right where the paw ends and the leg begins (wrist?)

We haven't xrayed yet. But that is something I can bring up on Monday.
The thing is that she doesn't bother it if it's covered and she doesn't lick anywhere else either. It seems very specific to wanting to lick that spot. But it is worth an xray.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

How do you get a sock to stay on? She's pulled it off twice now in the last hour. I am using vet wrap to secure it at the top


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

My Rowdy had lick granulomas. He had an allergist, a dermatologist and went to specialists up at Tuft's. He had severe allergies (2 shots maxed out each month, benadryl daily, various topicals and sprays, prescription foods yada yada yada. Nothing really helped until I said enough and 

> Insisted on a complete thyroid panel (although hyperactive & skinny he was severely hypothyroid so we started supplementation)
> Moved away from kibble to home cooked, eventually went to raw
> Removed all possible chemicals from his environment

It tool several years for him to become fully healthy but the improvements with the above changes were noticeable within a few weeks. He became a calmer dog and stopped the incessant licking, allowing his skin to heal and his fur to regrow. He filled out and muscled up. I was able to discontinue the shots within a few months. He became a vibrant and healthy dog able to focus, concentrate and enjoy his life.

My advice would be to have allergy panels run, try to look at what may be bothering him environmentally/emotionally, and to try different types of food & treats.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Jennifer1 said:


> How do you get a sock to stay on? She's pulled it off twice now in the last hour. I am using vet wrap to secure it at the top


medical or vet tape on the top (sticks to the fur).. or if you don't have that in the house, electric tape works fine. Just make sure it isn't tight.


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## bonacker (Jun 30, 2009)

Mako has had 3 outbreaks over the past 18 months or so. Vet gave me MalAcetic Ultra spray. The 8 oz bottle was $30 at the vets but I found it on Amazon for $18. It contains boric acid, hydrocortisone and ketoconazole. I'm not sure if it worked or it just ran its course and cleared up on its own. It took about 3 weeks to totally heal.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I also used medical tape to secure the sock to the fur - in a pinch you can even use duck tape, LOL. 
I am glad that the sore is looking better already. x-ray is a good idea also, you never know. I did not put two and two together at the time but my Toby also was diagnosed with ED about half a year before he passed. It is possible that his licking the paw was related to pain in the elbow.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I finally have success with the sock! For me the trick it vet tape to hold the sock to the fur but also some athletic tape on the bottom of the vet wrap because she was pulling the sock out from under the vet wrap.

We go back again tomorrow. Assuming this vet (she did a derm internship) doesn't look at it and give us new insight, I will ask for x-Rays and ask about allergy testing. She is in the lifetime study so she gets bloodwork every year that includes thyroid testing so I don't believe she has thyroid issues.
Anything else I should ask about?


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## wjane (Oct 12, 2013)

My last rescue was a breeder girl and came to me with a lick granuloma on her front ankle area. The vet ruled out allergies and thought it was from boredom or some anxiety (understandably). I had some Variton Spray from eons ago and sprayed it on her spot every day or so. She would not touch that spot with a 10' pole! It cleared up and she never had one again. Not sure if it's available in the US, but you can get it from Canada Medicine Pharmacy.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Back from the vet with Kenzie.
This vet feels it is allergies. The granuloma is healing nicely. We will do another laser treatment and stay on the mupirocin. 
She says Kenzie has moderate allergies. She has the lick granuloma, her ears are a bit red and inflammed (no gunk though) and she has just a little dry crusty patch on the corner of her mouth. None of these are very bad by themselves, in fact she said she doesn't have allergy dog feet!, but the fact that she has 3 separate areas is what bumped her from mild allergies to moderate.

I am going to drop her off tomorrow for xrays. Since they are going to sedate her to check her wrist and elbow (she really is too wiggly to do it awake), I told them to go ahead and do both sides as well as shoulders and hips for my piece of mind. They will also do the laser while she is out since it will be easier. The vet doesn't think it's the wrist or elbow because she gave them a good once over and Kenzie didn't mind at all and she said she had really good range.

She said most allergy dogs are environmental. I am going to increase her fish oil and give her benadryl daily and bathe weekly. If after a month we don't see lots of improvement I'll start her on a limited ingredient diet and see if I can notice a difference with different proteins. 
She currently eats Merrick Fish and Sweet potato, TOTW Southwest Canyon, and Fromm beef fritata. In the past I have sort of noticed a pattern (nothing concrete, just an impression) that her ears are more red when she has chicken so I tried to find foods with no chicken. However lately I've been doing a lot of training with her and stupid me made a giant batch of baked chicken for her, so she has had a lot of chicken in the last few months.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I am glad that you got some answers and that the sore is starting to heal nicely. 
I am keeping my fingers crossed that the x-rays will show no damage to any of the joints.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

I have an allergy dog, and sometimes he gets a spot and starts in. Anyway, one of the things I've started applying was a little bit of paste of water and baking soda. It kills fungus and bacteria and won't hurt the dog if he does lick it off as it also helps gassy tummy's.


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## Tripp43 (Oct 30, 2012)

We've found "Dovidine solution", a surgical topical antiseptic, works excellent on hotspots. You can get it at any drug store. Whenever Tripp has had one we wash the area with a diluted solution of the dovidine and water. It cleans the area and speeds healing. If yeasty feet are an issue causing licking, we dip them in vinegar water...yeast hate vinegar.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Several years of having our Logan boy suffering from environmental allergies, my husband came across an article in the Whole Dog Journal about giving raw honey. He figured we had nothing to lose. We started giving a good tablespoon of honey per day. We did notice the difference and Logan did not suffer as much. Fewer antihistamine pills, etc. Worth a try. We just put it in with his breakfast.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

She is at the vet for the day to get all of her x-rays and the laser done. I am always a bit nervous about this stuff. I'll be happy when she is home again this afternoon.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

She's back home. She has been fed dinner and is now resting on the couch.
All of the x-Rays came back good so it looks like it is most likely allergies. I'll try benadryl and some limited ingredient diets to see if that helps. If not than I'll take her for allergy testing. I think I will use her ears as my guide to if it's working. She's not a super itchy dog, although she does itch more than my lab, but her ears do get a bit red and inflammed on the flaps.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Another thing we found worked nicely for our Logan, was when Claritin became over the counter (generic is Loratadine). As our vet told us, it does not make them drowsy and we only had to give him one in the morning and one in the evening. Opposed to the several we were having to give of chlor-trimeton. We found Benedryl did not work for him. Yes, he had the ear problems, etc due to the allergies. Good luck!


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

My lab gets claratin (loratadine) daily. I decided to start with benadryl on Kenzie just because benadryl seems (for me) to work faster than claratin, allegra, zyrtec, etc. I don't know if it's the same in dogs or not. If it seems to make a difference I will try to put her on loratadine as well. Although with my lab (chronic bronchitis), I'm only giving him 1-10mg/day.

I'm also going to try to 100% cut out chicken and dairy from her diet. I have noticed that when I'm doing a lot of training with her using chicken and cheese is when I tend to notice her ears are a bit red-never gunky, very clean, just red and slightly inflammed. I was originally thinking chicken, but when I thought about it I realized I use mozzarella cheese A LOT when training as well. I guess she'll be seeing more steak in her training future!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Yay, I am glad that all the x-rays showed no sign of joint damage anywhere. 

Good observation with the chicken and cheese - there are several limited ingredient diets out there, good luck.


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## Bosn'sMom (Feb 11, 2013)

Our dog has allergies and the limited ingredient diet has cleared up pretty much everything- including what was a sensitive stomach before as well. 

We have him on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison. I know other goldens on this too- all beautiful coats and healthy pups.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Right now I'm trying her on Merrick Pork and Sweet Potato. No poultry, no dairy, no gluten (mainly for me-celiac). Hopefully I can get everything cleared up soon. I also read about probiotics helping with allergies so I'm going to start her on that as well.

The paw looks almost healed-I guess the laser really does work! I'm going to keep it covered until it is 100% this time.


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## Tripp43 (Oct 30, 2012)

Glad to hear Kenzie is feeling better. Allergies are much better diagnosis than joint damage or worst; at least now you know what's on the go and can manage her allergies. Good luck.


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## jacqpk (Oct 12, 2017)

We are dealing with the exact same thing. It is awful and keeps getting worse. I am going to try apple cider vinegar because we have done three rounds of different antibiotics and steroids and those have not helped.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

*jacqpk*-Are you near a University with a Vet School? If not I would make an appt. with a 
Vet Dermatologist. 

Here's a link to locate one-

https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist


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## vschroeder52 (Mar 2, 2019)

When I saw Lick Granuloma, I knew I had to reply. Hopefully this will help. I had a Golden that was treated for a Lick Granuloma off and on over a 4-year period. I had an appointment for my other Golden one night with a chiropractor (human chiro but worked on police horses and dogs after hours). After she adjusted my other Golden's hips, she asked to see the paw. Then, she walked her fingers up his leg and when she got to his elbow she looked at me and smiled. She said that there was bone out of place. She made the adjustment and then showed me how to do the adjustment again if he went back to licking. She said that with the bone out of adjustment, a tingling sensation was going down his leg and he was trying to treat it himself by licking. Yep! That fixed it! If you can find a chiropractor in your area, I highly suggest an appointment.


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