I have a chihuahua mix- He has the same lick fit issue that can last 8-10 hours. I wish the problem were stomach because there are solutions for that- and the vet & I have tried them all. At this point I don’t believe my dog’s issue stems from the belly.
A unique characteristic is that the problem recurs every July. He has up to 6 episodes within about 6 weeks, and then nothing the rest of the year.
We consider that maybe it’s an allergy to something that blooms mid-summer. Maybe- but this is southern AZ- in July, everything is either dying or in survival mode.
Distracting him definitely works best- it takes me a 1/2 hour to an hour for him to calm down. But if I’m not there to do so, he’ll do that lick fit thing, and as he gulps down whatever he can find, that’s when the stomach issues start. Who knows what this poor little guy ingests. One time he regurgitated a foot of foam.
If I’m there to prevent the problem from initiating, that part doesn’t happen. (But what if I’m not there?)
One trick I use is to put the Cone of Shame on him. This limits the range of licking he can do if the problem has initiated before I can catch it. But he doesn’t mind the cone so much – other dogs would probably hate that.
Thanks everyone for posting experiences and ideas into this forum – removes that helpless feeling a little.
