Acral Lick Granuloma and Tail Chasing
BEHAVIOUR
Diagnosis and Assessment Compulsive behaviour is a diagnosis by exclusion . Attention seeking behaviours as well as neurological and medical disorders can produce similar signs and these must be excluded . Seizure foci differ from compulsive disorders in that seizures arise independent of any specific stimuli or events , do not occur with any degree of regularity or predictability , cannot be interrupted , may have a recognizable pre-and / or postictal phase and often improve with anticonvulsant therapy 3 .
The dog usually shows a normal level of awareness throughout the behaviour ( vs epilepsy , cognitive impairment ) 3 . It may be difficult to interrupt the behaviour and the dog may become aggressive if it is manually restrained . The dog shows normal behaviour inbetween bouts . There is a sudden and abrupt transition to compulsive disorder , without indicator signs .
The severity of behaviour is defined by several criteria . These include :
• Ease of interrupting the behaviour
• The number of different contexts in which the behaviour occurs
• Different or more than one event / stimuli which trigger behaviour
• The amount of time spent in compulsive behaviour , and the degree that it substitutes for normal behaviour
• Progression of the behaviour
Dogs that show compulsive behaviours in multiple contexts , with the behaviour substituting for a number of normal behaviours and being difficult to interrupt , are seriously affected .
Acral Lick Granuloma and Tail Chasing
Acral lick granuloma ( ALG ) is a distinct clinical entity in which dogs lick one or more of their limbs , causing significant damage . There are raised , ulcerative , firm plaques usually located on the limbs , most often the carpus and metacarpus 2 ( Fig 1 ). Large breed dogs are most commonly affected . Lack of stimulation is frequently cited as the cause , but the licking may also be a displacement behaviour arising out of situations of conflict , frustration or anxiety . The behaviour occurs both when the owner is present and may occur at an even higher rate when the owner is absent . Underlying anatomical abnormalities ( arthritis , fracture , neural entrapment ) or infectious or inflammatory causes may contribute this behaviour 3 .
Figure 1A & B : Metatarsus of a Great Dane with a chronic ALG The severe inflammatory response has caused a periosteal reaction on the underlying bone ( Photo courtesy L vd Merwe OVAH )
Tail chasing or spinning describes the behaviour where an animal spins in tight circles apparently trying to catch its tail . Some animals make contact with their tail and injure it , while others just go through the chase sequence . The tail chasing may occur in times of stress , frustration and conflict 2 .
Treatment Since compulsive disorders are both debilitating and progressive , it must be treated aggressively from the start . A multi-modal approach should be used . Medical treatment must be provided for self-inflicted trauma ( ALG and tail chasing ). Early social experience prevents all kinds of anxiety disorders . Puppies that are used to living in sociable and complex domestic environments are attracted to novelty and they are used to periods of solitude . This reduces the risk of behavioural problems . The dog has learnt to cope with a normal range of stimulation , arousal , frustration and behavioural conflicts .
Management For ALG management would include the prevention of licking to allow for healing ( Elizabethan collar , bandage , or even limb amputation ), but this is not a long-term solution as it does not address the underlying behavioural pathology . Many dogs will start licking another limb if the effected limb is bandaged . For the same reason , there is no place for tail amputation in tail chasing , unless it is to address secondary infection and trauma . Tail amputation does not treat the underlying motivation and the dog will still spin even if the tail is amputated .
Issue 05 | OCTOBER 2017 | 19