Constant Licking

[icyjay]

I have a 6yr old female that just constantly licks, sometimes licks her feet, most of the time just licks air. This morning she was laying there licking and had a huge puddle of water under her which happens often as well. I drives me crazy listening to that all the time. Any idea why she is doing that all the time? I can't really find anything online that suggest why.

 

[Manydogs]

I,too have lickers! One of them(a rescue) she is always licking her feet-I know she has allergies to grass.(which the people never told me). Another one just licks
the other dogs,and if not alot of times she will just lick the air. The licking does drive me nuts,too. I am always telling her-"stop licking" if she has been licking the others because she gets obsessed. I haven't figured out the air licking. A time or two she had an itch she couldn't reach, but most of the time not. Sometimes I think it may be a form of small seizure. Sometimes I can distract her with a nylabone....sometimes not. Perhaps @oscarmayer can help both of us. [MENTION=13294]icyjay[/MENTION] I haven't found a Vet who can give an answer.

 

[oscarmayer]

Several things can cause air licking...nervousness, stomach issues, i.e. acid reflux, nausea, gut pain. I suppose it's possible that there's a mental misfire going on.

My first experience with it was with Lacey...a breeder bitch that we rescued back in 1999. She would sit on the couch and air lick for hours. She was perfectly healthy with one exception. After she went into tachycardia and was revived at the Vet(basically a heart attack), she was diagnosed with Boxer Cardiomyopathy...and not long afterwards, congestive heart failure. We kept her going for nearly 2 years after that first episode, largely due to the efforts of her cardiologist(who is now teaching at Texas A&M) I cannot recall her name. Anyway, since she did not air lick for a year or more after we got her we attributed the air licking to her heart condition. There was no other obvious cause...and I don't really think that cause was so obvious but it was all we had.

If you figure it out please advise.

 

[Manydogs]

"Several things can cause air licking...nervousness, stomach issues, i.e. acid reflux, nausea, gut pain. I suppose it's possible that there's a mental misfire going on. "

Thank you, Chip. All those possibilities have been checked out-is the reason I was thinking brain! She is the least nervous dog I know!!

 

[FORDE'SMOM]

Hi...Forde has had episodes where he air licks nonstop, after this going on a few times I have finally came to the conclusion that his tummy is bother him......he licks his feet so much I think he gets a hair ball in his tummy and it starts really bothering him but many things could cause the tummy irritation......when this happens I give him a teaspoon of coconut oil on his favorite treat and shortly its over with ...actually as of the last few weeks I give him the coconut oil every day hoping it won't start back up again

 

[Dollys Owner]

My rescue dog has allergies and licks her feet, people, other dogs, dog bed, wall, furniture etc. and shakes her head and scratches her ears. I think it's all pretty much related to being irritated from the allergies.

 

[helsonwheels]

When Nyala's tail is bothering her, she'll sit on her bum and starts to wiggle and once in a while she'll lick the air while doing her bum dance. Even though i clean it every 2 days there will be a day here n there she needs a deeper cleanse. It's the only time she licks the air.

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[Hoosier]

Anyone have a bulldog who goes crazy to lick a person? Sherman loves my 25 year old son and will lick him until my son can’t take it anymore. It’s often a part of play time. He doesn’t do this with anyone else. When he’s finished, he is back to being a sleepy, happy dog. He has chew toys, etc. but my son is his favorite. It’s almost as if my son is a pacifier or something.
Thoughts?

 

[2BullyMama]

Anyone have a bulldog who goes crazy to lick a person? Sherman loves my 25 year old son and will lick him until my son can’t take it anymore. It’s often a part of play time. He doesn’t do this with anyone else. When he’s finished, he is back to being a sleepy, happy dog. He has chew toys, etc. but my son is his favorite. It’s almost as if my son is a pacifier or something.
Thoughts?

YES!! All three of ours over the years were/are obsessed, OBSESSED, with licking Lewis. Banks was the back of his head/neck... Lambeau it is face or legs.


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[Gfitz911]

Ugh, yes! It drives us crazy too. I've attributed it to various problems over the years, with no clear solution.

 

[7oniarc]

I have a 2 year old Female English Bulldog. And for the past couple of days, she will scoot back until she meets a wall, and will air lick wile her head turns side to side. In other words, she looks to the left and licks, looks to the right and licks, that keeps going for 20Secs or so.