Zoe's obsessive licking

[Sari Brafman]

Hi All-

I have a 4 year old F1 Goldendoodle named Zoe. Zoe has had extremely sensitive skin since she was a puppy. She has no allergies, but does best on Blue Buffalo limited ingredient turkey and sweet potato.
For Zoe's entire life she has been prone to hot spots. One little scratch from a brush or a park will cause a massive hot spot within an hour. We have always had luck with Neopredef powder and an E-Collar to keep her away from the area. In the past once the area was healed she left it alone.
About 6 months ago, Zoe developed a hot spot on her back right leg. We followed our usual protocol and it healed. We took the cone off, and she appeared fine UNTIL we left her alone. That is when she started to lick it again.
For the past 6 months Zoe has been in a hard E-Collar (she is able to move the comfy cone around enough to still get to the spot) when we are not home. The area has been completely cleared for a while but each time we left her alone, she was go at it again. Last weekend we tried to leave her for small amounts of time without the collar on and she was fine. On Tuesday I left her alone while I was gone for work (6:30-3:00), and she was fine again! Unfortunately, yesterday she licked her leg and irritated the spot again.
Has anyone had any similar issues with a dog?
She is perfectly fine when we are home. Even when she isn't being entertained she leaves her leg alone. It is only when we aren't home.
My vet recommended putting her on Xanax, but I am leaving that as an absolute last choice since she is only 4. Zoe doesn't have separation anxiety, thunderstorm anxiety or any other issues besides sensitive skin.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I definitely don't want my sweet girl to be in an E-Collar for the rest of her life when we aren't home! Also, has anyone used anything other than the E-Collar and had any luck? We have tried vet wraps, bitter sprays, etc.
Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Have you consulted with a veterinary dermatologist? If you have not, that would be my suggestion. General practice veterinarians, no matter how good they may be, do not have the knowledge, experience or training to properly diagnose or treat many skin conditions.

The only way to know for sure if a dog has allergies is to have skin scratch testing done by a dermatology specialist. But even if she doesn't have allergies, there are other conditions that could be causing this. I agree that it is strange that she only does it when you aren't home, but if she doesn't have separation anxiety, it's also strange that the licking would be strictly psychological. I believe there's a good chance that she does have a dermatological condition, and it would be worth a consultation with a dermatology specialist if only to definitely rule that out. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I second that.

[Sari Brafman]

So, Zoe was seen and evaluated. She has no allergies and the skin does not have any infection. She was prescribed a course of Xanax for 6 weeks and started the medication on Saturday. Luckily it does not sedate her and you can not even see a difference in her personality when she is on it (which we are very happy about!). Good news is that today she was left alone without her cone while I was at work and I came home to a dry, not licked leg! Fingers crossed she will continue to do well and her habit will be broken!

Thanks for all of your advice!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Was she seen by a dermatologist? 

[Sari Brafman]

Yes, she was. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad she doesn't have allergies and is doing well with the medication.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Me too.

[Rod and Byron]

Hi Zoe's mom. We love this site because it let's us find puppy's like Zoe who is having the same issues as our Bentley. Our big boy is now 7 and just this past winter he started getting hot spots. We didn't know if it was from the unseasonably warm weather in Southern California.

We took Bentley to the vet and they gave us Derma-Vet Ointment. But he too would play it coy for a few days and when we were at work, he'd lick on the spot till it was raw, he actually has had two or three hots spots since the first one.

A friend advised us to give him Benadryl and it worked. He still likes to lick himself but he's been really good about his wounds and his hot spots so far have gone away. Hope this helps.

[Sari Brafman]

We tried Benadryl a while ago, but it might be time to try it again!

Zoe is really good about not licking while we are home, but as soon as she is alone she goes to town on her leg. 

Thanks for your help!

[Sari Brafman]

Unfortunately I might have gotten my hopes up too quickly. I came home yesterday and Zoe had licked her leg again. It wasn't terrible, but she still irritated the skin. I put the e-collar on her this morning to let the skin heal and will continue the Xanax. My plan is to try again on Monday after the skin has healed and the medicine has had more of a chance to get into her system.
I did find something online called a K9 Topcoat for her to wear if the medication does not work. It is a very lightweight one-piece that covers her legs. I'm hoping we won't need it, but at least it is something else to try!
I am almost all out of options and would love a solution!

[Marie and Hoka]

One of our previous dogs, Torrey- a chinook-husky mix, did have trouble with hot-spots.  For her it seemed seasonal, so it was likely allergies.  We did use benedryl and a few topical spray from the vet.  They did definitely help, but the problem would reoccur usually in late summers. That said, Torrey was definitely a bit of an anxiety case generally... very vocal and very unhappy when we would leave.

If she truly doesn't bother it at all when you are home, then I would lean toward a behavioral component.  Maybe it is separation, and this is how she shows her anxiety.  The xanax is certainly worth a shot. I know it would be a hassle, but I wonder if trying some other option for a week when you are not home could work, like doggie daycare or staying with a friend during the day.  You could see if she is never alone, if she would not start licking.

We actually got Torrey a little brother, Tinker, at about 4.5 years old to keep her company because she was always lonely when we weren't there. For her, it was wonderful. She was much less nervous and sad with a companion.

[Sari Brafman]

Since I am a teacher and the school year is ending, I will be home much more with Zoe and will start leaving her alone for shorter periods of time. Doggie Daycare never worked that well for us because of Zoe's sensitive skin. One little nip from a dog or scratch would blow up into another hot spot.

I wish we could get another dog to keep her company, but my husband is dead set against it!