chicodeberkeley

My male doberman has had a wound on his paw for a year now. It would get better then he would lick it again and then it would start again. I have attached a photo of what it looks at present. Our holistic vet recommended trying bentonite clay on it and we have seen some improvement...just not at the speed we would like. Do you have tips/suggestions?

Besides bentonite clay, we have used epsom salt baths, benadine disinfection. We have wrapped it up to keep him away from licking it. Today we are getting a large enough ecollar.

Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping my dear dog recover.

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greenkouki

Getting rid of a lick granuloma is no easy task. A lot of times dogs will do this when they are bored or stressed and it's kind of like an obsessive soothing behavior similar to flank sucking or a person sucking one's thumb. Are you doing much to keep him entertained so he won't bother it so much? Treat puzzles, exercise, etc. are things that can help.

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Jonesy'sMom

My old girl had some pretty bad lick granulomas...

I used some Anti-Lick strips to help curb the behavior... It worked for her
Nurtured Pets Anti-Lick Strip Prevent at PETCO

Basically it has an ingredient (smells like some kind of pepper) and the dog is deterred by licking it

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Jynx

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Darkevs

he only started licking a year or so ago?

did something in his life or routine change around that time?

have you had his thyroid levels checked?

Hugz to your boy.

............ google and research........... Acral lick dermatitis (neurodermatitis) ...... maybe you will run across something that will help your boy deal with this issue.

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GingerGunlock

Just a week or so ago, Dogster.com had an article about therepeutic leggings to use in lieu of a Cone of Shame. Lick Granuloma is what immediately came to my mind when I saw them.

Goodbye Cone of Shame

And, what greenkouki said: if he's kept entertained and exercised, he'll have less time and energy to lick himself. I've heard that the constant licking behavior can be genetic, but i don't remember where I read that. Perhaps a Nicholas Dodman book?

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RedFawnRising

We have a pretty big discussion about this, here:

Need some help/resources for lick sores

And, not to trivialize the suggestions about exercise and mental stimulation--those things are for sure important, whether your dog has a lick granuloma or not--but in most cases it is such an obsessive behavior, they will just do it anyway, after coming back from their three hour walk/run

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chicodeberkeley

Thank you for your responses so far. To respond, yes we do all that we can to keep him entertained and engaged in various activity. The licking itself at this point is a trivial issue. We can control it quite effectively. The most pressing concern is the wound itself and how we ought to get it treated. Any help with that will be appreciated. Has anyone used honey on wounds or anything else that may help? Thank you!

RedFawnRising

Obviously, discuss it with your vet first, but yes, I am a firm believer in using raw organic honey to pack wounds like this. Of course, you have to apply a bandage to keep the honey in place and in contact with the raw flesh, but it has worked for me when nothing else did--not Animax, not Quadritops, not Collasate, not specifically formulated products for acral lick sores, nothing.

Make sure you get really good quality honey, all that processed crap isn't ideal--get Manuka honey or equivalent, or else order MediHoney.

My vet is a firm believer, as well, and I hope your vet is on board with it, also. Make sure if you're not already familiar, that the techs teach you how to wrap that paw without cutting off circulation!

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Patches Mom

My old mutt dusty had one years,& years ago I made a cardboard collar for him I made him wear it all summer 3 months healed up he never bothered it again. Long term E Collar Good Luck.

chicodeberkeley

Thank you! I am checking with my vet about this! Did you also do epsom salt and some kind of additional disinfectant along with honey? How long did you have the honey on? And how often did you change the bandage?