Need help.
I really need some help and advice. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
We have wonderful male English springer spaniel, not pedigree, from a working background, 7 years old. We have one single problem thats slowly driving myself and my wife to distraction. He obsessively licks himself, on a general area, 3 specific spots. All above this hind legs across his back.
We had him to the vets who recommended an animal psychologist who worked with us for weeks, trying everything to no avail.
It comes and goes. He can go 3-4 months without licking, then a cycle starts when we just can’t stop it. We have to make him wear the ‘cone of shame’. When he starts licking, he almost looks to get the cone on in order to stop it. He almost knows he shouldn’t be doing it.
Some back ground. He’s walked each morning through a forest park to a beach, off the lead, free to roam. 5km, 1 hour. He’s played with every night find, fetch & sniff games. He’s on a 80% protein, fish and veg diet, has been since we worked out what he could actually eat. He’s happy, lively, intelligent and vocal. He spends 80% of the time with one of us around.
When I give him attention, which I do all the time, he feels a real urge to start on that area again. Strangely, not when my wife does.
He’s had the cone on for 2 months now…