Tender Red Area on Flank - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

alan93 · 12-30-2012, 08:42 AM

meaning the stomach area between hind leg and rib cage.

She seems to lick a lot. Took her to the vet a while back for this and he prescribed antibiotics and prednizone or something.
It went a way but now its back.

Alergy? He said it could be flank bite, a Doberman thing?
Anybody seen this or dealt with it?

I can post a pic if that would help.

VZ-Doberman · 12-30-2012, 09:23 AM

A pic would be great. Some dobes will be what is called "hip suckers".

DogsR4Life · 12-30-2012, 11:37 AM

Has he been running around like a maniac outside? When hiking, chase will sometimes scrape up his flank on a branch and it will be red for a few days.

**melbrod** · 12-30-2012, 12:50 PM

I've seen redness and rashiness in the groin area in my one dog who has allergies. The skin will redden, become almost raw as he licks at it, and the red areas tend to have some darkened skin around the edges.
I believe you do sometimes see this in dogs with allergies--the skin there may be itchy or irritated, and the dog constantly licks the area which sometimes causes a bit of an infection that makes the whole situation worse.
Antibiotics and steroids helped to keep the inflammation down, but the redness continued to come and go. I saw the most improvement when we treated the dog's allergies with antihistamines and allergy shots. That, however, was expensive and a bit of a bother in itself--we have never found an easy answer for that skin irritation.

Hooligan · 12-30-2012, 12:50 PM

This may be what is often called "flank sucking," which is a form of OCD. Apparently quite common among Dobermans. A while ago, someone posted this excellent article from the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/sc...dogs.html?_r=0

You can also Google "flank sucking."

Our previous guy, a rescue, started this behaviour when he was around five. Fortunately, it happened only occasionally, and we were able to distract him with a chew toy or a brief play session, so he never suffered any real damage. In his case, it definitely was sucking -- very strong, very noisy sucking -- and not licking.

The behaviour continued for a few years, but as he got older, it started to fade away until it disappeared completely.

alan93 · 12-30-2012, 02:01 PM

Here it is:

http://home.fuse.net/alan93/WP_000442.jpg

She is 5.
Cures?

**EmilyB** · 12-30-2012, 02:08 PM

The flank areas were the worst when Stormy was having allergy problems, it was however a much larger area than that. I wonder also, is she licking or sucking?

alan93 · 12-30-2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmilyB

The flank areas were the worst when Stormy was having allergy problems, it was however a much larger area than that. I wonder also, is she licking or sucking?

I have no idea, she licks a lot but it always seems to be her feet or back.
Sometime she licks when tucked up in a ball sleeping but don't know what she is licking because I can't see her nose.

**EmilyB** · 12-30-2012, 02:52 PM

If she's licking her feet too, sounds like allergies. You could try a different food, what are you feeding?

LindaH · 12-30-2012, 02:54 PM

Poor girl. This sure sounds like allergies with all the licking. what all are you feeding

alan93 · 12-31-2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmilyB

If she's licking her feet too, sounds like allergies. You could try a different food, what are you feeding?

What??
Your dog never licks its feet? She has done this all her life.
This is how they clean themselves.

alan93 · 12-31-2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindaH

Poor girl. This sure sounds like allergies with all the licking. what all are you feeding

Same thing I have been feeding her all her life.

I guess this is a unique problem.

dobebug · 12-31-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan93

What??
Your dog never licks its feet? She has done this all her life.
This is how they clean themselves.

Actually Alan, a lot of dogs never lick their feet and in fact it's one of the first symptoms of both contact and inhalent allergies as well as food based allergies.

And there is foot licking and foot licking. Some dogs lick parts of themselves to such an extent that they create skin problems.

And food allergies usually develope over time--it takes a while for sensitivities to develope and many dogs who are allergic or sensitive to nothing when young DO, in time, develop sensitivities to dietary componants.

The problem doesn't sound at all unique and the various suggestion from flank sucking to food based allergies are all possibilities. And all fairly common.

One of the easiest things you can do is untuck her nose and feel to see if the area where it's been is wet. That sort of thing will certainly cause skin reddening and irritation and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.
Dogs with OCD behaviors often tend to pay more attention to the object of their obsession (flank, belly, feet) than ignore it. Some dogs do respond to medication. You might want to get the issue evaluated by vet dermatologist/allergist or at least discuss some of these possible issues that have been suggested by members of DT.

Good luck.

avianantics · 12-31-2012, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan93

What??
Your dog never licks its feet? She has done this all her life.
This is how they clean themselves.

The only time my dogs lick their feet is after I do nails, or if they have an injury. She may have had allergies all of her life. Also, just because you have fed her the same thing all of her life without issue, does not mean she has not developed an allergy to something in the food. I ate Strawberries all of my life without issue and at age 50 developed an allergy to Strawberries. ??? It happens, more often than you might think. In addition, dog food companies sometimes change their formulas, replace an ingredient or use a different source for a specific ingredient.

I agree that it sounds like allergies. I would try changing foods to a premium grain free food.

Good Luck.

LindaH · 12-31-2012, 12:04 PM

My boy has had food allergies most of his life. Foot licking was his first sign and today remains the first symptom his allergies are flaring up. The most common food allergens are corn, wheat, soy, chicken and beef, thou most anything can be the culprit.

If you look between her toes you mlght see signs of a yeast infection.

Again, what are you feeding her?

sandy2233 · 12-31-2012, 01:21 PM

This is exactly what Em's flanks look like and she does suck her flank area. I try to keep clothes on her and that seems to help. I went paranoid and had vet check her out thinking it had something to do with the CAH, but he didn't seem to think so. I try to watch her and discourage her but she still does it when I'm not paying as close attention.

Adara · 12-31-2012, 01:33 PM

I'd agree with others about a possible allergy. Flirt flank sucks. I stop her, but the worst that happens is she gets her sides disgustingly sticky gooey and stinky from spit. None of my dogs lick their feet. It is a big sign of an allergy.

LindaH · 12-31-2012, 03:46 PM

Dogs don't clean themselves by licking, that's cats. Parker could care less if his feet are wet or covered in mud or clean...it's all the same to him. I am the one it bothers!