What should I give my dog to stop it from licking itself?

1. 76

   ngurecoposted 11 years ago

   What should I give my dog to stop it from licking itself?
   
   

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2. 83

   BraidedZeroposted 11 years ago

   It matters in what sense you are asking this. A dog is going to lick itself. That's going to happen and you're not going to stop that. But if he is licking an area he isn't suppose to lick the only real way to stop it is to put a cone on him/her.

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3. 98

   DrMark1961posted 11 years ago

   I really do not understand your question. Lick his paws? Lick her vulva? Lick and chew over the tail head? Licking can be a behavioral problem, sort of like OCD, especially if a dog is not exercised enough. Licking can also be due to allergies, and the cause of the allergies needs to be determined.
   There is no magic cure (or magic spray, despite what they will tell you at the pet superstore that sells it--bitter apple is not going to stop your dog if he has pyometra or needs to get out more). You need to figure out why your dog licks.

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4. 61

   Markie Wposted 11 years ago

   If your dog is constantly licking itself then it might have allergies. I would recommend taking it to the vet so that they can diagnose the problem for you. If it is some sort of allergy they'll be able to give you some antihistamine pills to give him/her. I have a dog who has to take them or else he'll scratch up a storm, but more importantly he'll be miserable. I also worked as a vet assistant for two years which is what I am basing my advice off of, but nobody will be able to give you a perfect answer without getting your pet diagnosed. I also wouldn't suggest using sprays or putting a cone on the dog and leaving it at that because although you've stopped them from scratching they'll still be just as miserable if it does happen to be allergies and you haven't actually cured the problem.

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5. 96

   agilitymachposted 11 years ago

   I agree.  There is no way to answer this question without more details.  Some types of licking are normal and even good.  Other types of licking can indicate disease.  More info please.

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   1. 76

      ngurecoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The dog is completely obsessed with licking at anything all the times. She will licks herself, the air, my hands, her face, your mouth, other dogs, your car, and she will lick just about anything she comes into contact with.

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   2. 83

      BraidedZeroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My dogs are the same way. It's just like a baby putting everything in its mouth. The only difference is that a child will learn to grow out of that. A dog might not.

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      Mariahmorganposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I answered the main question b4 reading the sub-comments Has she been to the vet lately? sometimes a dog will rely on one sense more if another sense is diminishing to help with recreational licking give a kong or similar toy with peanutbutter inside

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   4. 98

      DrMark1961posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds psychological, like excessive digging, barking, etc.The best cure for all of these problems is increased exercise-a tired dog will not lick all the time.An alternative would be to sedate the dog all the time, with all of the negative side e

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   5. 96

      agilitymachposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      This could be behavioral or medical. I suggest visiting your vet and then an animal behaviorist - a real one with a Masters degree. There are things that can be done training wise to help such an issue.  Good luck!

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6. 60

   Mariahmorganposted 11 years ago

   more information needs to be given in order to get a more narrow answer as the others have said.  Dogs will lick themselves /usually/ in order to clean themselves, while a dirty dog will seek to be more clean alternately an overly-bathed dog will licks its' self as well.  as silly as it sounds the type of food fed to a dog also can factor into excessive licking/cleaning as some foods may dry a dog's skin out more than others.  One thing that I was taught to do from a young age to organically help a dog's body develop healthier, less itchy skin with good quality fur was to add one to two raw eggs into the dog's dinner, since then I have been told not to but if my "problem" dog looks like his skin and coat are bothering him I will add one or two into his food just to boost.
   Your best bet would be to evaluate your dog's exercise levels, not only will a well exercised dog be less likely to spend bored time noisily licking it's self (usually the worst is the sound of them cleaning their privates) but with proper exercise you can also begin to add a better quality, higher animal-protein, lower grain content food into their diet.  Just like with people a healthy canine diet will create a healthy, happy furbaby that is less likely to disgust visitors

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7. 65

   Lady Guinevereposted 11 years ago

   Fleas, flea eggs and mites and other small things we cannot see will also make a dog lick itself lots.  Start brushing your dog more often.  There could also be other underlying causes.  I did ask my vet about my dog's licking and he did tell me it was fleas and so did they groomer.  I put on the flea meds and he stopped licking.  Oh and the cheaper stuff does not work as well a FrontLine.  I tried them all.

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8. 0

   dashingmeposted 11 years ago

   Our dog licks her paws to the extend that it bleeds so we bring her to the vet they give us a drug prescription called CEPHALIXIN its a tablet we put inside into here mouth making sure she have it sometimes we mixed it to the food. It really helps now she dont lick here paws. I hope it helps.

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