We had dinner with our friends MJ and Sebastian last night. Their dog Fritz had dinner with us and Fritz has a frustrating problem.

He's developed something called a Lick Granuloma on his right front leg. It's been going on for about six weeks now and MJ seems as frustrated with the problem as Fritz.

It all started when MJ and Seba moved into their new apartment and MJ started Law School. That's when she first noticed the licking.

Lick Granulomas are raised ulcerated skin lesions that are caused by constant licking. These lesions often become secondarily infected and they are ugly and very uncomfortable for the dog and the owner.

The first question to answer in managing this condition is what is causing the licking in the first place. In Fritz's case his Vet thinks it's related to the stress and anxiety of the changes that are going on in Fritz's life.

The move and MJ's new schedule may be what initiated the compulsive licking that caused Fritz's skin condition.

In other dogs fleas or other skin parasites might be the initial problem. Skin infections, either bacterial of fungal may be the root cause in some dogs. Allergies and endocrine (hormonal) disorders can sometimes get a dog started on the itch, lick cycle that leads to a granuloma. Even an old injury or a painful joint can get the process started.

In any case the lower limbs, both fore and hind are the usual locations for lick granuloma.

The treatment involves identifying and treating the inciting cause and then dealing with the wound. You have to attack on both fronts to achieve satisfactory results.

The wound treament is pretty straight forward. Corticosteroids are used to stop the irritation and in most cases bandaging or the use of an elizabethan collar, or both, are needed to prevent the licking and self trauma that keeps the process going.

Identifying and treating the inciting cause is a bit more diificult and requires some diagnostic detective work. Pet insurance can be very helpful on both fronts.

In Fritz's case anti anxiety medication coupled with environmental enrichment is the course of action recommended by the Veterinarian. I was really glad to hear that environmental enrichment was part of Fritz's therapy.

We've written extensively about this in cats, but it's a valuable process for anxious dogs too. For more on the value of environmental enrichment read this section on the Indoor Pet Initiative web site.

Fritz is already showing signs of improvement and he's getting a lot more attention from MJ and Seba. His wound is almost healed and most importanly he's stopped his licking.