Charlotte Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 You name it and i've tried it - bevhaviourist, obedience training, DAP diffuser and Clomicalm but nothing seems to help with my Pug's anxiety. She obsessively licks her paws and I can't seem to break this behaviour. Is Clomicalm the only drug of it's kind on the market? What are my other options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Perhaps you need a combination Charlotte? The Clomicalm (or similar product - see your vet about this), bahviour managment ( with the advice from the behaviourist) and a product on her legs that is distasteful. I was advised of 'bitter apple', the stuff you put on your nails to stop you from biting them and also a wound spray that you buy from the vet that has a bitter taste to it to deter wound licking when I had a rescue Pug in that licked her paws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samie loves TT's Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 I'm sure you have tried it but at the risk of sounding silly. Bach flower rescue remedy. Just up the dose a little. I have used it on the greyhound. When I started taking him for walks he was petrified, after a couple of days on rescue remedy he was a little better. I took him to the Fernvale markets one Sunday and couldn't get him in the gate, he was so incrediably scared, but the next week I dosed him before we left home and dosed him again when we got there (25mins) and although it was still hard we got him in and around the markets. Albeit on 2 legs like a human. I still use it when we go out but have to use less of it. Good luck, it must be so hard on you and on her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I'm with TTlover - Rescue remedy is great but I've also discovered another product which seems to work as well if not better. It's from the "Australian Bush Flower Essences" range and it's called "Confid". I use that for my girl as she's very nervy about strangers and strange places. It's been working wonders for my dog and also now a few other dog owners I've recommended it to. There are a few different ones in the range and I'm pretty sure there was an anxiety one as well. Sounds like youve been through a lot but I guess if permanent medication is the only answer, you might be willing to try an alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 I've been using Clomicalm and behaviour management together but it's not working, she is still on the Clomicalm. I purchased a DAP diffuser a couple of weeks ago but this seems to be having no effect etiher. I'll try the rescue remedy, do you give it to them direct or in their water? It has been very stressful, i can feel myself getting anxious around her when she is doing it which i'm sure isn't helping the situation. Maybe i'll take some of the Clomicalm myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Have you tried putting a bitter tasting product on her legs as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Administer Rescue Remedy directly. It's a glass dropper though, so I'd suggest buying a plastic children's dropper from the chemist. As suggested, double the dosage - it doesn't taste great but the doggies can't help but lick their chops. The beauty of the Rescue Remedy or the Bush Flower essences, is that you CAN dose yourself Give it a week with the drops, twice or 3 times a day until you decide whether or not it's effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 Have you tried putting a bitter tasting product on her legs as well? Sorry, i meant to address that in my previous post! The vet advised has advised against it, he said it could potentially add to her anxiety as she finds licking them soothing. As she is starting to lick them more and more they are becoming infected between her toes so i think i might try the wound guard as it has anticeptic in it. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I definitely think you should go for the wound antiseptic as well If the anxious licking has made his/her pads bad enough to the point of infection, then something certainly needs to treated there. The anxiety may have started with the licking of paws, might have only been temporary but now it has turned into something else which causes her to lick her feet. May not be anxiety any more. I take back my suggestion and now think you should treat the feet first. It won't hurt to try the Rescue Remedy as well but then you'll never know if the anxiety was temporary. Keep us up to date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 (edited) I think try the wound guard. Missy, my little rescue, licked her legs and had appeared to have done this for some time as she had several lick granulomas on both legs. We used several methods, behaviour modifying with diversion as well and the wound guard. The wound guard was not as effective as the nail stuff. The nail stuff is not a varnish but instead it washes off with water. Depending on the brand - some are more bitter than others and some last longer than others. We eventually got hers under control. Missy's licking was also anxiety related and you could imagine how stressed she would have been in a pound and then coming to my home (a stranger) and then being re-homed permanantly must have been for her but it turned out that it was probably about 80% habit and once we broke her of the habit and she settled in with us (and then her forever home) she was fine! Edited April 24, 2006 by Puggles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJack Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I had a tiny little recue mini foxie who was only 2kg after I fattened her up. She was terrified of just about everything and she used to obsessively lick her paws. Observing her, it seemed that she did it as a comfort and because it was one aspect of her life she could control. She had been fending for herself for a while before going to CCR where I got her from. She never knew where her next meal or shelter was coming from. She had been kicked too and lost an eye in the process so she didn't trust people and just hid in her bed and licked and licked and licked. It took a few months but she stopped doing it constantly once she worked out that she was safe and there was reliable food and a warm bed and no one attacking her. I didn't try to prevent her from doing it as this stressed her more and she would hide under a blanket somewhere and start over. Soon enough she worked out she was safe and she would come and sit next to me or on my lap and she would lick each paw for a minute or so and then she would lick me instead. She would lick a small patch of skin on my elbow or my leg etc and it was as if she was doing something comforting for me. It was her routine and she needed to do it before she would settle down and just sit on your lap or sleep at night. Lick feet, lick mum, turn around a few times and settle in for a nap. It went from licking all day to just a few sessions of a couple of minutes a day. I found that if I tried to stop her it got worse so I would just sit there and be relaxed. I purposely yawned alot when she did it so she picked up on how safe and non threatening the situation was. It took 2 or 3 months to stop doing it constantly and she never stopped it completely but she wasn't damaging the skin anymore. It ended up being like her little nervous habit (like people who chew a nail) and as long as she got to do the token paw wash, and then also lick me, then she didn't need to do it all day. Good luck Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 Great advice, thanks everyone. I'll start on the wound guard, see how she reacts, and take it from there. I have had her from 8 weeks old and she has never been mistreated, but that is exactly how she behaves, like an abused dog. She wont let you hold her or pick her up, if you do she immediately goes for her paw as it is obviously comforting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Acupuncture can be useful for behaviour problems( anxiety, agression, depression, grief, etc) TTouch may also help Camomile is very calming, Oats for nervousness. . Maybe a consult with a good holistic vet may give you more options.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 A herbal product called SedaCalm is also brilliant - good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 You can get Rescue Remedy in a spray and that is so much easier to use - before I found that I used to put a few drops in Perry's drinking water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O-Ren Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 o`ren licks her lower belly as a comfort thing when she gets anxious, atm im just trying to keep her as happy as possible, but i worry about when i go back to work- cos i know she stresses when i leave- becuase she is dripping with saliva and bald! ive used RR, but il try some of these suggested probucts too, thanks good luck with ur Pug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Chick Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 If using rescue remedy with the dropped, put the drops directly onto the tongue, Natrapath says it helps it go into the system faster. For relaxation, I've also used Valerian, in the liquid form for Summer. She gets anxious in the show ring. Again, just apply to the tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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