First Lick Fit

[moondog]

Oh no! Im with you on this, I hate licky fits!!!! There is a pressure point on the hind leg almost right at the bend. There is a little pocket there that you can massage when a dog is bloating and it is suposed to relieve gas. Ive never tried it for a LF but I will if Baron has another one. Im going to see if I can find the diagrahm so you can look at it. I hope you find the link to what is causing them.

well crap, I can't find that link. It's an article about bloat and the lady has a Irish wolfhound and it has a pic of her touching the pressure point I'll see if I still have it at home.

[Swissy Mom]

Oh, and I don't think you've been raw long enough for this to count...it will take several months for the benefits of raw to really kick in, IMO.

I know, but I really want a quick simple fix!! Don't we all?

[Swissy Mom]

We didn't have storms, but at the time of his fit the temp was 91 with heat index of 106 and there were storms just to the north of us. I haven't tried benedryl yet, but if these things keep up I will.

I was thinking that maybe on days like this I might try giving him a pepcid proactively.

[mezmerelda]

I think it's supposed to be the Pepcid AC, not complete.

[Swissy Mom]

I think you're right, but I'll double check before I buy.

[Yeti_Girl]

You just want the Pepcid AC pills, not the Pepcid Complete that looks like tums. Really, you want: Famotidine so the generic store brand would work just fine too. The "complete" version has a bunch of other junk in it. We always got the costco brand famotidine and it worked like a champ.

[Swissy Mom]

Thanks Amy! I'm going to pick some up when I'm out tomorrow.

[Cole's Mom]

Hope Cash is feeling better.

[Swissy Mom]

Okay, I know you guys have given me all your advice, but I just need to vent. We're on Licky fit #3 in 6 days, 4 in the last 21 days. UGH!!

[mezmerelda]

Is he having any other issues? Is he itchy anywhere like his muzzle or paws? I'm just wondering if he has a reaction to the chicken that could be causing it? Have you tried the daily pepcid?

[Swissy Mom]

We are starting daily pepcid. He is a totally normal, happy puppy outside of the licky fits...no itching, no chewing, nothing. No signs of anything at all. I am noticing a weather trend in my log, but that's the only thing I can connect so far.

[Yeti_Girl]

and didn't you say you think he grew 2 inches over night? i still think that could be part of it, or part of why he's having so many. if you have costco, get the generic there, it's like $9.99 for a million pills.

(hugs) lick fits are stressful.

[Swissy Mom]

I'll be going to Costco tomorrow. Thanks for the tip! Obviously, 2 inches is an exaggeration, but he does seem much taller this week to me. I wonder if that does play a role.

[Swissy Mom]

Oh, and walking him does seem to help, but Ram has more success at it than I do. Tonight Ram walked him and he stopped, then started up again about 10 minutes later. Last time, Ram walked him and managed to get him through it in a very short time. When I try to walk him he pulls horribly trying to lick everything.

[Yeti_Girl]

They really are the weirdest thing ever. We had them on a full belly, empty belly, stressful conditions, totally relaxed conditions, etc etc. I hope the pepcid helps.

[Swissy Mom]

He had another one in the middle of the night (3 am.) It lasted about 20 minutes and wasn't as bad as the others.

[mezmerelda]

Sorry, Jen. I haven't had a ton of experience with lick fits, so most of my info is second hand. My breeder (the really smart one that probably should have been a vet) has mentioned the use of benadryl to help with these before, but I can't for the life of me find the info. I will ask her for it and send it over to you. I'm guessing you've already spoken with Janelle about this?

[Swissy Mom]

Yes, Janelle give me all her tips and tricks. She is always my "go to" girl. Really, at this point I think we have some things to try (pepcid, benedryl, walking, etc...) I'm not expecting a quick fix (though any and all ideas are welcome!) I just need to vent occasionally because it is frustrating. Janelle feels like they are more frequent in puppies which would go along with the rapid growth cause that Amy mentioned. Hopefully, he will outgrow them. Maybe when the weather is less wacky they will at least be less frequent. In the mean time, we'll just do the best we can and I'll keep logging every detail in hopes of finding a trend.

[mezmerelda]

Yay for a good breeder who keeps in contact w/her puppy people. That doesn't always happen...n

Feel free to vent. But I always feel the need to help find an answer.

[Swissy Mom]

I am so thankful for my relationship with Janelle! Truly! We have talked for hours over the last year. I have called/texted her at 11:00 on Sunday night, 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, 5:00pm when she was in downtown Chicago traffic...and she has never once been annoyed or put out to chat with me or acted like I was crazy for calling/texting her. In fact, I know that she is sad that she doesn't hear a lot from some of her puppy families. That is part of why I was drawn to her.