[Dailydrool] Licking - itch? anxiety?

[Rebecca Louisa Stanton via Dailydrool]

Hello droolers
Unfortunately I don't seem to post as much as I used to in the DD, but I am
still here, lurking and reading.  Morse is now 12 and is my lovely old man
who still enjoys rolling in turds and going flat at the most inappropriate
places.   Recently - well, over the last few months - he has started
continuous licking.  He mainly licks his front legs and just licks and
licks, occasionally nibbling in-between furiously as well.  He is making
his fur very discoloured and it can get sore too.  He has suffered with
allergies in the past.  We are guessing it is itch, but also that it could
just be a bit of anxiety (due to age?) and also habit as well?   He then
does a lot of coughing and retching to get rid of the hair!  The vet doesnt
feel he really suffers too badly from arthritis, and so he has a Rimadyl if
and when he looks like he might be a bit stiff.  He has had Apoquel for
itch and this does help, but it also seems to knock him out.  He has
Malaseb shampoo, alternating with oatmeal shampoo, bu to be honest I don't
really find these really make any difference.  He is on a very good top
quality biscuit made with nothing added and no cereals, just meat, fruit
and vegetables, and he has cooked chicken etc with his biscuit.    Are
there any suggestions at all about stopping the licking?  It seems to be
almost taking over his life, and we are not sure why.  It starts the minute
he wakes up.  Bless his heart.  I am with him practically 24/7 as I work
from home now, but he is definitely getting more anxious.  I go out one day
a week and leave him with hubby, as I visit my parents and they have a
neurotic cat that hates dogs.  So he loves hubby of course, but sulks
because I am not home and generally sits in the garden undergrowth (and
probably licks and licks).  His hearing is not great anymore but I believe
his sight is still good, as a few weeks ago he was with a friend of mine on
the beach while I went to get some drinks, and he definitely saw me
approaching from quite a distance away.  He is a happy lad generally, but
we would just like to be able to get a grip on the licking, which we are
guessing could be itch, but maybe due to anxiety too.
thankyou
Becky, Morse and Pumbaa ATB
pummorse at gmail.com
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