Excess Licking

[minimichelle]

My lab/shorthair mix, Jessy, is almost 5 years old. She has been an outside dog up until this September. She has been acting strange as far as she has been licking excessively, Scratching with her back legs, she has her ears back frequently which is unusual also, along with acting scared, and has been dreaming quite loudly(which may or may not have anything to do with this). She hasn't lost any hair from licking, and doesn't constantly chew.
It has been snowy and icy out for over a month now and the weather has been fairly consistent which would rule out the weather having an effect on her. We don't have any new detergent, we haven't given her a bath in a while (to keep her from drying out in the winter), and I can't seem to figure out why she is doing it. We haven't gotten any new pets recently except for a bunny that we boarded here for a night, and that was already days ago. She seems to have only started this in the last two days as far as we've really noticed.
Are there any similar cases that maybe could relate to this?

[Catlady711]

The itching/licking could still be from dry hair/skin even without the bathing. If she'd been an outside dog until autumn then with the furnace running in the house it can still dry them out.

Have her checked at the vet to rule out any skin infections and see if they can give her anything to calm the itching down so she doesn't cause a skin infection.

In the winter here we recommend our clients start in the autumn using omega 3 fish oil treats (aller-g-3) or putting omega 3's on the food in a liquid form. But those only help if the problem is only dry skin/hair and don't do anything for skin infections.

Keep us posted.

[Hellow]

Yea i agree that it is probably coming from the dryness of winter, once spring comes 'round she will be fine.

[momtomany]

I have a lab and he also licks constantly, especially his front paws. One it is a compulsive habit with him, like a form of OCD but it is also a sign of an ear infection for him. Besides dry skin, you may want to your vet check his ears.