Question: What is your recommended treatment for canine Lick Granuloma? I have been told that they do not heal up and my dog has had a small one for about two months now with no significant improvement. It originated from either a bite or scrap because she does not habitually lick her legs or feet out of boredom. It has not gotten any larger but just not gotten cleared up. She has taken antibiotics and I just started applying a topical cream.

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Lick Granulomas can be very difficult to treat—they often have a medical and a behavioral component to them. Often the granuloma is caused by an injury and then the dog continues to lick it (due to pain, irritation, etc) and they get a “high” so to speak from the licking process. So even if the underlying problem is gone, they continue to lick—essentially because it feels good. The most important thing is to make sure there is not a deep infection or an underlying problem causing the lick granuloma—a deep culture and even xrays are sometimes necessary to assess for draining tracts and bony changes. Most dogs require 4 to 6 weeks of oral antibiotics, the diligent use of an Elizabethan collar (head cone!) and possibly even topical creams. Even if your dog appears to not be licking the area—they must wear a cone—most dogs secretly lick the area (at night, when you aren’t home, etc).

Often there is no medical problem causing a lick granuloma—it can be just a behavior issue. Many of these dogs are very anxious and often there are environmental triggers that can be identified—such as separation anxiety, new children or people in the home, social conflicts with other animals in the home, lack of appropriate outlets for normal “doggy” stuff. It helps to identify and address any possible stressors. A gentle leader head-collar with a drag line should also be used to allow you to redirect your dog when he licks without punishing him and then rewarding him for the right behavior.

Hope these things help…keep us posted.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: I just bought Halo after doing online research of dog foods. I chose Halo for my 2.5 year old Beagle who will eat anything I put in front of him and my 1.5 year old basenji who is a picky eater. She won’t touch the dried peas, carrots, and cranberries so she only eats the kibble.

How much nutrition is she lacking from the food if she won’t eat the veggies? Are there other dogs like her in which ways have been found for the dogs to eat everything? Luckily, they both enjoy frozen pea pods and carrots so I use those for snacks instead. But still…any helpful information is appreciated! BTW, it is the wild salmon dry dog food I feed them.

Answer: Hopefully this will set your mind at ease…the kibble (without the additional dried veggies) meets—and in fact, far exceeds—the nutritional requirements of your dogs every day! It is great that they enjoy frozen pea pods and carrots and these make excellent non-fattening snacks. So, no worries!

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: We have been feeding him the chicken flavor, but they store was out of it! So we had to buy the Salmon flavor. My dog has been getting sick every day since. Could it be because of the flavor switch? Thanks for your help!

Answer: Some dogs are very sensitive to changes even amongst flavors as there are different primary protein sources and digestive upset can result.

Although this can happen with either dry or canned formulations it is particularly true when switching between the canned formuations as the salmon has quite a bit more fat and protein than the canned chicken formula.

I would obviously recommend getting him back on the chicken and call your store ahead of time to make sure they keep the chicken stocked for you.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: Hello, not sure if anyone reads these, but I thought I would give it a try. My 16 year old cat, Max, is developing early kidney disease. I was wondering if you could tell me what would be your most appropriate formula of canned food for his condition. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: Thanks for writing in. I want to be clear that Halo does not make medical or prescription diets and you should ask your veterinarian about our diets as every cat with kidney disease is slightly different in their dietary requirements or restrictions. Cats with kidney disease often benefit from additional water for hydration and lower protein levels to decrease the work-load of the kidneys.

Our canned formulations are very high in moisture and can be quite good at maintaining adequate hydration. Our lowest protein cat foods are the canned lamb formula followed by the canned turkey formula and can be used successfully in some cats with kidney problems.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: What do you recommend if our cat does not want to eat his own food? I tried to change his flavor (using the blue bag now) but he still seems to like the dogs food better?

Answer: Although your cat getting a nibble of Halo dog food from time to time isn’t bad (our dog foods are supplemented with taurine), I definitely don’t recommend routinely feeding them food formulated for dogs.

Cats (as strict carnivores) require higher levels of protein and fat than dogs and Halo foods are designed accordingly. Halo dog food just doesn’t have the right balance for cats to reach their optimal health level.

You can try adding our fatty acid supplement (Dream Coat) or some of the Halo Dinner Party protein sprinkle on top of his food to spark his interest. Also adding a small amount of warmed canned food on top of the dry can entice even the pickiest eater.

Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.