[LoriRN2B]

We have a beagle/bluetick mix. She has a place on her paw that she has licked until it is raw. Hubby has been putting neosporin on it and bandaging it, but you guessed it, she chews the bandage off.

Sooooo, off to PetSmart I went today, bought one of those "lampshade" collars for her. Boy, is she ever MAD!!!! She is standing behind me as I am on the computer just staring at me. Not to mention, she flipped out when I put it on her!

Got me thinking, have you ever had to put one of these on your dog? Do they actually work? (I mean, besides just getting your dog mad at you)

[traumaRUs]

Never used one but I would think they would work. Good luck.

[CHATSDALE]

dd had one on her boxer when her ears were clipped...she was a hodinni and would get it off quick...
try some benedryl on this i bet she is licking it because it itches and it won't heal keep the lampshade on until it looks pretty good and in a few days take it off and watch her to see if she loses interest in paw

[ktwlpn]

Those "Elizabethen" collars work great to protect a wound but you could be looking at an OCD thing.Check out the Dog Whisperer-Most of the time if there is no obvious injury or underlying condition (rule these out with your vet first) the dog may just be bored...Like Cesar Milan says-excercise,discipline and then affection are what your dog needs to become "balanced" Look at the breed first-you have a "working dog" -a scent hound -and it needs something to do to keep busy..You have to make time to walk her at least 45 mins a day-and that means a brisk walk-not meandering in the hood sniffing and peeing on every tree....She has to be trotting along beside you.Use a choke collar up high behind her ears and keep her moving.She can only pee or sniff when YOU say so.....After excercise you can set up some treats in the house-hide some goodies under cans and such for her to find.Also-Bitter apple will help break a chewing/licking habit but you have to put something in that habit's place.Keep a basket of different toys for her and rotate them so she does not get bored-also get one of those toys that you can stuff with treats.My dogs love that-they also like plain peanut butter stuffed inside of a long bone......Check out Cesar's web site-you'll find lots of good info there...

[cardiacRN2006]

Honest to God, my dog woud lick/chew into her hip until it was open, raw and bleeding. It was awful! The wound was the size of basketball. It was an ongoing problem for more than a year, with my vet being no help. I joke that I got my best dressing changing skills with that dog. The 'hood' as I call it went on and stayed on for a very long time. I would take it off, and immediately she would bite at her hip. She was more depressed than mad. It was like I broke her spirit... To boot, she ended up getting a vaginal infection because she couldn't clean her area!

I ended up putting her on Prednisone for about a week. It worked wonders. She could finally get her hood off! It's been a few years since she has the hood off, and anytime she relapses, I just give her another round (with a very slow wean). It's been the ONLY thing that has worked for her.

[LoriRN2B]

Great advice guys! She has settled down, but still not happy.

As far as the paw goes, there is nothing wrong there, she just started licking, so I do think there may be an OCD thing. She used to chew her toenails incessantly. She was a rescue dog, has been abused and thrown away twice very submissive when hubby got her. She lives the high life now, has for over 8 years, but as she ages some quirks come out. We think she is about 10-12 years old, that's the vets best estimate.

[BSNtobe2009]

I would probably get the dog to a vet (and you can probably do this yourself) to make sure there isn't anything stuck in her foot that is causing discomfort...it could be a deeply imbedded splinter, a piece of glass, a thorn, a piece of plastic...it can be anything.

There is a product called "Bitter Apple" that is safe to actually spray on the dog itself as well as furniture, etc. It just has a really bad bitter taste, and will break the habit, if it's a habit.

[Marie_LPN]

The paw-licking thing could be the sign of allergies, too. I've seen cats and dogs that just start licking spots raw, but stopped when they got a cortisone shot, or started on prednisone pills.

As for the E collar, my dog had to have one of those to keep from chewing her bandaged foot, but she spent a couple of hours spinning backwards in a circle.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I would take the dog to the vet; could be hot spots. Unfortunately there is no permanent cure, just treatment. My dog does this, too. Has for 7 years ----drives me nuts!

[SmilingBluEyes]

PS dont' be surprised if the Victorian collar freaks the dog out. Could never get one on mine, without her completely LOSING it.