Why is my dog obsessively licking the floor and corners after eating?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There can be medical reasons that would explain this behavior or boredom, stress or curiosity. I would recommend having Snow's feces tested for parasites to ensure this is not the problem, as specific treatment is needed to treat different intestinal parasites. A blood panel may be suggested by the veterinarian as well. However, with Snow's age this is likely a behavioral problem. Floor locking is a common self calming behavior. I would consider dog day care once or twice per week or hire a dog walker if you do not have time. If Snow is alone at home, you can relieve the stress or boredom by using safe dog chews or interactive dog toys such as the Kong toys. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

Some dogs will do this when they are nauseous so I would monitor Willie closely for any vomiting, drooling or decrease in appetite. I've also seen dogs that tend to lick objects when they have oral pain, so if you think he could be painful you may want to have your vet examine his mouth. It's also possible that this is simply an unusual behavior he has developed and if he otherwise seems perfectly normal I think it's probably also okay to ignore it.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a real disease in dogs. It is hard to say whether or not this is the actual case since it only started with any regularity with the switching to a new diet. I would encourage you to try switching back to the original diet (or to something else entirely) before jumping to a diagnosis of OCD. If the symptoms resolve or dramatically decrease with the change, I would hesitate to start treating for this condition. If OCD starts to look like the likely diagnosis, I would encourage you to try and use behavioral modification and more natural remedies before use of pharmcologic intervention. The use of training exercises that divert or distract Duke would be useful if the undesired behavior is witnessed. Any positive response should be rewarded immediately. If you end up needing to use medication, the most likely one to be utilized is fluoxetine (Prozac). It takes weeks to begin taking effect and at least a month to know if it is having a positive effect. It requires semi annual blood work to make sure it is not having adverse side effects on any of the body's organ systems. Hope this helps.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Lucky. Licking objects can be a sign of nausea in dogs, and it may be he isn't feeling well leading to the licking. I'm sure it's pretty annoying for you to hear this licking over and over, and if he's not showing any other signs, I'd put him in a crate or keep him out of your room for the night so you can get some sleep. In the morning, if he's still doing this behavior, then I would take him into the vet to get checked out. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Hi there. Excessive licking of surfaces, such as the floor or wall, is often a sign of nausea or GI discomfort in dogs. So it's possible that he's not feeling well at night for some reason. I would suggest talking to your regular veterinarian about this issue. He/she may recommend some testing for possible GI issues, and/or a trial course of an antacid or anti-nausea medication to see if this makes a difference.

Hi there. Excessive licking, especially of surfaces like the floor or walls, is often associated with nausea or other GI discomfort in dogs. I would recommend taking Simba to the vet for an exam to try and determine if he may be sick or not feeling well.

It's hard to explain why your dog would be doing this, it is likely a compulsive behavior and is not harmful to her. I would recommend watching her closely to ensure she doesn't accidentally ingest anything dangerous when she is doing this behavior. Otherwise I wouldn't be too concerned.