• Anybody experience this? In the last few weeks Buddy has been obsessively licking his stomach and it's irritated and red. My last blk/wht did that but she was very old with a low thyroid. He makes a snorting sound from his nose as he's licking because he's so intense. I'm trying to isolate if it's something in the diet or a new blanket I got him that I think is polyester or maybe something going on emotionally or behaviorally. I try to clean it with pet wipes called Itch Wipes by Petkin. He'll wake up at like 3:30am and start licking. He'll stop after a while and go back to sleep.


  • Digital has started licking his inner thigh areas. And then it becomes red and flaky. I put neosporin on it, it goes away, then it comes back, i put neo on it again, it goes away, then it comes back . . . When he was at the vet, she suggest a steroid shot, we tried that, but still had the same cycle. When it started I had not changed diet, detergent, etc. Maybe I should try some salmon oil. I don't know. Jet the try-ing has been itchy. We had a really wet spring/summer and all sorts of stuff grew, so lots of people had itchy dogs. But I'd think we should be past that now.


  • Every year at this time Rio bites at her hind quarters. Her thyroid tests have been normal and she always stops doing it by February. I have found I can keep her from doing it if I apply coat moisturizing lotion during this time. She doesn't like the coconut smell so I think it is more that stopping her than it doing much. This behavior does seem to correspond to when the air is driest. I also notice they all drink more during this time and that my own skin dries out and can be a bit itchy because of the dryness.

    I realize this isn't very helpful for getting rid of it but thought I would share.


  • We have been seeing Chance biting and licking his left thigh. He puts the whole thigh in his mouth, bites it gently and then licks it for a while. It almost seems like he is doing it to get it wet so he can clean it.

    He has been doing it for about a year and he has no problems walking and there is nothing on that thigh in terms of redness or irritation. This is the thigh where he has his AKC tattoo, so maybe he is still trying to lick it off.


  • @Alex:

    We have been seeing Chance biting and licking his left thigh. He puts the whole thigh in his mouth, bites it gently and then licks it for a while. It almost seems like he is doing it to get it wet so he can clean it.

    He has been doing it for about a year and he has no problems walking and there is nothing on that thigh in terms of redness or irritation. This is the thigh where he has his AKC tattoo, so maybe he is still trying to lick it off.

    My B does this sometimes as well. I wonder if it's just a Basenji being a Basenji. :o


  • I have noticed AJ drinking more water in the past few weeks. It started about the same time my hair started floating away with static electricity. He hasn't been peeing any more than usual or asking to go out, so I haven't been too worried. I was going to give it a little more time and then take him to the vet if it didn't stop. It's nice to know mine isn't the only one drinking more water.


  • I squeeze 4 caps per day of Salmon oil on his food per day and he does have a nice thick soft coat. It's a battle of trying to keep it clean because of the bacteria create by the saliva too. You can hear that snorting and I try to pull his head back and hold it and calm him down by just petting him for a minute but he'll just start right in when I release. Buddy is a licker anyway. When I sit on the couch he'll like to climb up behind me a lick my ears and head thoroughly. I'm going to put some COD liver oil as well in his food tonight to see if that helps.


  • Buddy drinks hardly any water. I do put a little water in his food to warm it up as it's cold from the frig. I put a small bowl of clean water everyday outside and at the end of the day it's still full.


  • jonny has a spot on his chest that he licks a ways below his collar/tags. it is not rubbing from his tags, he just has a habit. i just cover it with my hand or tell him to stop and he does.
    he does not drink much water….his foster family said he did not there either.
    hansel does not lick like that. they both CLEAN lick every evening, but jonny just does it out of nerves it seems. he is a much more nervous dog.
    hansel drinks a lot more. he is a bulkier dog than jonny. they weigh about the same but hansel is much more stout/thicker build. it does seem like a B thing... maybe a rescue B thing?


  • Is tea tree oil too strong to put on a dog? The flavor might discourage his licking and it is an excellent astringent.


  • so what happened to nobarkus stomach licking problem? my mango seems to have similar stomach licking issues


  • mango (3 yr old r&w) plays with his german short haired pups 7&9 month females. they beat his ass but he loves the visit. only concern id his redness in his stomach and genital areas. he does snort when he sleeps but thats not new…he snores....always has as far as i know. i am concerned about the extent of the red and rawness of mango's belly. he's been red before but not like this. he seems a little fat too...all of a sudden...but maybe i dont remember last year. his stats are in the calendar now. calling his doctor tomorrow.


  • Thursday Plantation makes a tea tree ointment with vitamin E. It has worked well for me to help heal wounds that I would normally use neosporin on and keep the dogs from licking the area. They do not like the smell of it so stay away.

    I have also had good luck dabbing my finger with tea tree oil and then mixing it with neosporin and using that to keep the dogs from licking it off.


  • @nobarkus:

    Anybody experience this? In the last few weeks Buddy has been obsessively licking his stomach and it's irritated and red. My last blk/wht did that but she was very old with a low thyroid. He makes a snorting sound from his nose as he's licking because he's so intense. I'm trying to isolate if it's something in the diet or a new blanket I got him that I think is polyester or maybe something going on emotionally or behaviorally. I try to clean it with pet wipes called Itch Wipes by Petkin. He'll wake up at like 3:30am and start licking. He'll stop after a while and go back to sleep.

    I have had experience with this and usually found that it turns out to be a yeast infection…. Vets recommend different treatments... but I have never found one that works without fail. I like lvoss suggestion of the tea tree oil with Vit E at least to try.


  • Ive used tea tree on my pups, but have heard it is toxic to cats. don't have cats, but i did have cats before i started using tea tree either, so i don't really know. just a heads up


  • @tanza:

    I have had experience with this and usually found that it turns out to be a yeast infection…. Vets recommend different treatments... but I have never found one that works without fail. I like lvoss suggestion of the tea tree oil with Vit E at least to try.

    Thanks Pat, I wouldn't have thought of a yeast infection. I'll have to bump up the acidophilus. I give him 1 cap so I'll throw 2-3 in there.


  • Oh boy, poor guy he was up in the middle of the night licking and chewing. It's a rash at this point.


  • I would still consider yeast infection and most likely a trip to the Vet is in order


  • @tanza:

    I would still consider yeast infection and most likely a trip to the Vet is in order

    OK, I made an appointment today at 5pm.


  • @nobarkus:

    OK, I made an appointment today at 5pm.

    Hope all goes well and you can get something to help with the licking…...

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