Compulsive Licking

Has anyone had to deal with a compulsive licking? That's when a cat or a dog overgrooms itself, licking a certain spot so long and so hard that the fur comes off, and sometimes the spot becomes raw. Sometimes it is caused by skin irritation, sometimes by stress or boredom. There can be different reasons, and the cycle is hard to stop.

We had a cat at the rescue I use to volunteer at that was put on Prednisone for this type of condition. Every now and again she would just go on a licking frenzy and would end up with nasty wounds. On the medication though she seems to be doing a whole lot better.

Poor kitty, I can't help wondering what exactly makes her decide to suddenly lick herself so hard... Did she have to be on that medication permanently? How often did she have to take it?

Haha Reading the thread title I was thinking dogs who loves to lick your face, hands or what. Compulsive licking.

Fortunately for us this problem never came up and we've had lots of cats and dogs.

LOL, I suppose that can be described as compulsive licking as well Froix! And some dogs sure do that. I suspect that some dog owners like it, too.

Yep that would be my chow. She will lick your arm,leg,hand, anywhere as long as you let her. I guess she likes the salt in our skin, I don`t know. It can drive you nuts too. lol

I think with dogs, it's how they show love and affection. Cats rarely lick people, they prefer to purr, cuddle, and rub against you. Sometimes they also give "love bites."

It sounds like there may be a skin condition leading to the licking. Unfortunately, it my be impossible to find out exactly what it is, and then find the appropriate treatment.

If the licking is disturbing, a vet may suggest Prednisone but they might also suggest some sort of mild tranquilizer to interrupt the compulsive behavior.

First, they need to rule out fleas, skin irritation, allergy, and internal problems that might cause pain and make the animal try to like the spot. This may require a lot of tests.

The dog that I had growing up use to do this in the winter months. I think it was from skin irritation. She would have a bare bottom! We took her to the vet and he gave us something to use. I really can't remember what, but it helped.