3154. Vet Case Study. 2018. A Silkie Terrier keeps licking her front paw - lick granuloma surgery

 

 

 

 

If your dog has been licking excessively and has developed a skin lesion on the front or back leg around the wrist or hock region, that is often enough to diagnose a lick granuloma, as the location and appearance of the lesion is the guide to diagnosis.

 

 

A complete physical examination may help your vet determine the underlying cause of the skin lesion. They may also recommend an x-ray of the limb to check for any arthritis or other bone/joint condition that could be causing pain or discomfort.

Skin testing of the lesion itself, such as an acetate test, a skin culture, skin scraping, or a skin biopsy, might be ordered:

• An acetate test is when a clear piece of tape is used to adhere to the lesion, then removed. The tape is placed on a microscope slide and examined for the presence of bacteria or fungus.
• A skin culture is when a swab is used to wipe the surface of the skin lesion. The swab is then used to determine which, if any, antibiotics, or antifungal medications would be best to treat your dog’s lick granuloma.
• Skin scraping is used to diagnose a mite infection. However, in long-term cases of lick granulomas, the affected skin gets so thick that traditional diagnostics are not definitive. If this occurs, a skin biopsy is taken. This is when a piece of the skin is cut away and sent to the lab for analysis.

 

TREATMENT depends on the cause. Possible causes are behavioral due to boredom or stress, allergies, arthritis and infections.

If left untreated, continued licking can also cause serious infection in the skin’s underlying muscles and bones. Dogs with a lick granuloma that get early treatment have a better prognosis for recovery than dogs with a chronic or severe condition.

 

 

 

The lick granuloma had been electro-excised. 

 

 

The pressure bandage is applied to stop bleeding. The rubber band  tourniquet above the surgical site had been cut and disposed. No more complaint of licking after surgery.

Toe and leg lick granulomas are common in dogs. Owners neglect early vet attention. The recommendation of the vet is to cut it off. Veterinary surgery is not always the answer to inflammatory granulomas in the toes.

The first step is to reduce the granuloma size using drugs," I explained to my assistant. "If the granuloma disappears, there is one happy owner. 

If not, the size will be reduced and surgery to cut it off will be easier and the hole will be much smaller."

In most cases, the removal of the lick granuloma resolves the continuous licking problem.