Compulsive Licking and Biting

[Eider]

Hello,
It's been a while since i haven't post in here. I've got a problem, well, my younger dog has it, but again, it's my problem too. In four months he'll be 2 years old, it's a boxer (could be mixed breed). He's stressed and we're working on the reduction of it (we've done a great progress, but we still have a lot to do, but working on it). he is reactive to other dogs, but all his behavioural problems are coz of his high stress level (this said by a professional, a good positive trainer, we went to a seminar and he saw the dog there, the bad part is that he lives pretty far from here so we can't use his services).
anyways, i guess that his compulsive licking and biting is because the stress, he has done it before and he keeps doing it, though sometimes it really scares me coz it looks like he can't really stop and he does mainly on his legs, paws and inner back thights. he also does some rolling on his back, but the way he does it reminds me to some anxiety behaviour, or that he's suffering from something, i mean, i can see that it's not confortable for him being in that situation, even though he can't help it.
he has some bruises because of the licking.

the thing is that i found out today that our golden has inside parasites (do you say like that? hope you understand what i mean). so i'm asuming the boxer has them too. this could cause this compulsive behaviour?

also the professionals recomend to do a compete vet check so we're sure that his problem it's not cause by physical problems, but what kind of cheking does he needs? i'll explain, my boyfriend works in a veterinary (he's not vet), but they're always so busy, and sometimes it seems that i'm bothering them, and other times, i've been waiting for hours in the vet, just because i'm "family". My bf doesn't think it's necessary to do him more checking, but i think it won't hurt him, and i wat to know if he's sick in any way, coz i'm worried, i don't want to see him suffering like that when he keeps on lickin, you can see how he gets exhausted but he can't stop.

hope i explained myself correctly, and thank you for your help. If you need to know any other details just ask. i had a post though in training advice, and i really had a lot of help, and it's working but i want to be sure that he's not sick in anyway.

[bendog]

Take him to get checked at the vet if you can.
It might be stress or boredom, like a compulsive behaviour or habit he can't stop. (Kind of like people biting their nails)

But equally (or maybe more likely) it could be an allergy to something which is making him itchy which is why he bites.
We have a dog who is allergic to grass and carpets and she bites her paws until they bleed.

[Eider]

he does have some kind of skin allergies, mainly in summer, and we've noticed that grass could make him, but the allergies shows up on his belly and all that area, not paws or legs. when he's red (coz he has red spots all over his down part, we bath him with especial shampoo and instantly is gone, but the lickin and biting keeps going, so i guess it's not the allergy.
i forgot that sometimes he doesn't just lick himself but also the surface he's lying on or our hand, arms... so at times he just needs to lick and lick (at leats that's the behaviour i've seen on him), and he can't stop it, you can see in his face how he can't help it but do it.

i've read about boredom, and the anxiety part also worries me, coz as i said sometimes it seems that he has anxiety behaviour, like the rolling and the sound. plus sometiems when he's sleeping his legs and body start shacking, he wakes up and looks at himself like "what's going on?", and legs (back legs and that part of the body), keeps shaking. i feel useless in those situations coz i don't know what to do, and he really can't stop it. this has happend like 3 or 4 times, but i even though he had epilepsy, though this isn't likely the case coz he hasn't got any real symptons.

i'll ask my bf if we can make him any tests, but he thinks it's just coz his excitement levels, that he can't focus and do compulsive behaviours, but i'm worried, coz he's calmer but keeps having this compulsive behaviour.

i've noticed lately that he has some spots, dunno how to discribe them, there aren't injuries coz in know when he has just bruises of playing and all that, but are like small spots, and i've noticed them on his neck and back. now for example i examined him and didn't found them, but don't think they're normal, it could be the allergy we were talking about.

the food he eats doesn't give him allergies, we've proved that, so that's fine. plus we're including home made food, to balance his diet, so his brain can have more serotonine.

i guess it's a compulsive behaviour, but anyways i'm worried, i don't want him to suffer.
thanx a lot!

[bendog]

I still think you should take him to the vet as well. Just to do a full check over, especially as he has allergies already.

I'm not sure what the experts would say to this, but do you give him Kong toys, or any other food dispensing toy. If not, perhaps you could give him one of those with some peanut butter or cheese smeared inside for him to lick, instead of him licking everything else.

[Eider]

youp, i definitely would take your advice of vet check. and the toys, i do give him kong, bones (the ones prepared for dogs, not raw bones), chewing toys (like the ones that have knots), even old tshirt with food and wraped up. he doesn't destroy them, he gets to open it and take the food, which is great coz i can use the same tshirt over and over, hehehe. but anyways, sometimes stops chewing the toy and chews his own leg.

do you know what the full vet check includes? he had done some blood tests and they were normal (checking for hyperactivity problems and stuff)

thanx a lot!!!!!!