An acral lick granuloma is a lesion, usually located on the distal part of one of the limbs of dogs, which is caused or worsened by the animal's obsessive licking of it. Damaged cells are believed to release pain-relieving endorphins that addict the dog to the licking and mutilation of the lesion.
The possible causes of the itching and licking behavior include:
Cushing's disease results from excessive production of cortisol, a hormone normally produced by the adrenal glands. This excessive cortisol production can result from abnormalities in the pituitary gland that cause excessive hormone secretion by the adrenal glands, by tumors within the adrenal glands themselves, or by a combination of these factors.
DLE include loss of pigmentation where the brown/black color of the nose changes to a slate blue or pink color, redness, and scaling of the nose. The disease can ultimately progress to significant destruction of the tissue, resulting in ulceration and crusting of the nose.
Panniculitis often appears as deep nodules that can occur singly or affect multiple areas of the body. The nodules can be firm or soft and mobile. The lesions can eventually become cystic and ulcerate, often draining an oily, yellowish-brown to bloody discharge.
Difficult and painful defecation, perianal licking and chewing, foul smelling perianal discharge, low tail carriage, weight loss and lethargy.
Usually an acute onset of nail loss. Initially, one or two claws are lost, but over a course of a few weeks to several months, all claws slough.