dog licking compulsively; advice?

[Ginevive]

I feel so bad for my mom. Her dog (8 y/o Golden Retriever) has this thing: he licks the fur on his back until it results in bare patches. Right now he has a few 1x2-inch spots there with no hair.
She puts an Elizabethan collar on him when she's not home. But is there any other solution or advice to this? She tried Bitter Apple and it did nothing.
Her vet prescribed Pramoxin (sp?) shampoo and spray along with Animax ointment. She is running out on these and wonders if she should go back to the vet and basically not get anywhere, or just refill the prescriptions and treat it as a chronic thing? I do not know what to tell her but thought that some of our resident vet-people or dog owners could help.

[python.princess]

i'd talk to the vet and let them know it's not really working and ask if there are other options

[frankykeno]

Jen, I know allergic dermatitis is a common problem with that breed. I remember my brother's Golden was always licking at itself but I'm sorry I don't remember what they did to treat it. I think it was basically an allergy type treatment of some sort. She also had epilepsy which is another problem with this breed. You might also ask if your mom's vet has checked her dog's thyroid function. That was something they always monitored in my brother's dog as it had something to do with both the coat issues and the seizures.

[dsirkle]

I had an Irish Setter that used to lick and scratch that same spot many years ago. I spent lots of money at the vet to no avail.One day an old lady asked me why I didnt do something for the dogs' problem.I told her that I had been to the vet several times and had spent lots of money. She said "Heck, dont those vets no nuthin'?All you have to do is rub Bag Balm on it." Well I didn't know what bag balm was and she explained that it was an ointment to put on milking cows teats to keep them from getting raw.I tried it and it worked right away.The dog would occasionly start bothering that area for the rest of his life and I would rub bag balm on it and he would leave it alone immediately.They usually sell it at Rite Aide and CVS.And of course at feed stores.One can for about $8 should last the rest of the dogs life.

[Ginevive]

Hm.. I will ask her about the thyroid thing. The BB sounds like a plan; they sell it at a few local stores that I know of. My friend's pitbull also does this; he compulsively licks his front paws I guess. It was weird because out of nowhere today, she started telling me about this..

[catawhat75]

If it is NOT an allergy, it could be a compulsive issue. Working breeds are the ones I have seen with this issue more than others. Make sure the dog is getting plenty of exercise, not just physical but mental. Try using a dog backpack on during a walk, get kongs or find some sort of "job" for him to do.

[JASBALLS]

I feel so bad for my mom. Her dog (8 y/o Golden Retriever) has this thing: he licks the fur on his back until it results in bare patches. Right now he has a few 1x2-inch spots there with no hair.
She puts an Elizabethan collar on him when she's not home. But is there any other solution or advice to this? She tried Bitter Apple and it did nothing.
Her vet prescribed Pramoxin (sp?) shampoo and spray along with Animax ointment. She is running out on these and wonders if she should go back to the vet and basically not get anywhere, or just refill the prescriptions and treat it as a chronic thing? I do not know what to tell her but thought that some of our resident vet-people or dog owners could help.

Just Shoot him! LOL... Just kidding or not...

[Ginevive]

No.. he is an awesome dog. I hope you were kidding..
He is just a canine victim of OCD I guess. There is no reason for it.. I guess that all she can do is prevent infection with the cream and keep his collar on when she is not home.

[SatanicIntention]

What kind of food is he on? Corn and corn-by products are a very predominant allergen, as is wheat.

Oh, and K9 Advantix, the fleas still have to bite the dog to die. He may have a flea bite allergy. Frontline kills fleas and larvae on contact and works wonders with dogs with flea allergies.

I would not let him keep licking himself. It can cause a nasty bacterial and fungal infection that will be difficult to treat. Try to get some Tresaderm from the vet as that helps alot. May also want to put him on a 3-day dose of steroids to make the itching go away.

[Ginevive]

Thanks. I will ask her about the flea thing. There are some pretty smarmy people living behind her and their dogs are in that yard; I would actually be surprised if they did Not have fleas over there. So yeah, I guess hypothetically when they go out they could pick up a flea or two that would have to bte them to die..
She is def. keeping the Elizabethan collar on him when she is either not home or cannot watch him like a hawk. He cannot reach it when the collar is on.. and it is not like the collar is painful or anything for him, so I am going to reiterate to her not to let him get at the spot. I will tell her about asking about Tresaderm too because she is going to end up taking him back in; she is set on that.