Dogs’ Skin Lesions Often Tied to Boredom or Stress

Q. Our 7-year-old Labrador has recently developed two small but very persistent sores on his left front leg. He likes to chew at them. I put a bandage on these sores but he licks them off. He doesn’t have many fleas and doesn’t seem to chew as much on other areas of his body as he does on his leg. Can you suggest anything that we might use to get him to stop? What do you think caused them to start in the first place? Will he develop more of these?

H. Rosenberg, Orange

A. Because older dogs are more prone to a variety of skin problems and tumors of various types, it would be difficult to give you an accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, it does seem that your dog may have developed acral lick granulomas due to his constant licking and chewing. The cause for these type of skin lesions or tumors is often undetermined but most commonly occurs with boredom or stress from changes in your dog’s environment. In some cases there may have been an initial wound or injury that the dog has now made worse with his persistent licking.

In any case, it would be wise to have these lesions checked out by your veterinarian since they could be other types of skin tumors that may be more serious. In some cases, surgical removal and biopsy are indicated, especially if these masses are suspicious for possible cancer tumors. Other treatments may involve corticosteriod injections, antibiotics if infections are present, bandaging, topical medication and restraint collars to break the licking habit. You shouldn’t delay too long as these types of skin problems can get worse rapidly and become more difficult to treat.

Q. I am planning on having my cat declawed in the next few weeks, since I am getting some new furniture and have been unable to keep her from scratching on my old chairs. I have heard that some cats will regrow their nails within years after being declawed. Does this mean that I have to get her surgery repeated?

Mrs. T. Hasking, Irvine

A. If a declaw surgery is done correctly and all the germinal tissue is removed with the nail, the claws will not regrow. You should ask your veterinarian how the procedure is done and what to expect for after care.

In the meantime, keep her nails trimmed short and try to encourage her to use a post or fabric toy to scratch. Use a small squirt bottle filled with water to squirt her every time you catch her using her claws on the furniture.