Acral lick granuloma (also called acral lick dermatitis) is a firm, raised, hairless plaque on the lower limb that a patient keeps licking. It is mainly described in dogs. Cats can lick a limb into a similar lesion, but it is uncommon, and the good news for exam purposes is that the logic for cats is simple: find the itch, the pain or the stress behind the licking before calling it behavioural.
Key facts
Acral lick granuloma at a glance- Species and system: mainly dogs; uncommon in cats. Integumentary system.
- What it is: a self-inflicted lesion from repeated licking of a focal area, usually on a distal limb.
- Cause: never assume one. Pruritus (flea, food or environmental allergy), pain (joint, nerve, old injury), infection, tumour, or an abnormal repetitive (compulsive) behaviour.
- Feline numbers: there are no reliable feline prevalence or culture figures to quote; do not transfer canine numbers to cats.
- Key rule: a behavioural or compulsive diagnosis is a diagnosis of exclusion (MSD).
- Zoonotic: only if the cause is dermatophytosis (ringworm).
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 self-test questions and 5 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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