Not so much of a training question as it is a behavior question.
Nilla has been licking her paws obsessively since about the end of November. We went for a hike to Lighthouse park in North Vancouver and while at the ocean, she must have stepped on a barnacle as she has an open wound (not quite dime-sized; perhaps half a dime) behind her back paw up on her leg a bit (ankle, I guess). I cleaned it, put the antibiotic ointment i have from the vet on (can't recall the name) and wrapped it for a few days (with dressing changes) and it healed up quickly.
Since then, however, she licks that spot continuously and licks the rest of her feet too to the point of rubbing them raw. I can't seem to get her to stop and I've tried everything except putting a cone on her or bandaging all her feet.
She's been to the vet and nothing seems amiss; no infections; no parasites, etc.
The only thing that I can think of that is different is that very soon after that hike and the injury, my life was turned upside down.
I made the decision to quit my job and move 400 km East to live with my parents and go back to school. It's a decision I didn't want to make because I had fought so hard to get down to Vancouver and stay here. But with the job I have, even though it pays decent, I just can't afford to live here.
Within days of making that decision (and stressing about it for over a week), December 1st rolled around and we were alerted by our management (the government, basically) that we are all (131 of us) losing our jobs within the next year. The atmosphere at the office is very tense and stressed; and a lot of girls are unsure what they're going to do. Most are in their 40s or 50s, many are single moms, unable to go back to school. We're getting shafted by the employer and our union is unable to really fight for us (weak union).
I know that my decision was already made, but it seems every day there's a new stressor to worry about in terms of other people and whether I should stick it out until the end (putting my plans on hold) just for the extended severance (which is a pretty big chunk of money).
All this stress has me not sleeping much or eating much, or really able to function much beyond basic survival mode.
That's the only thing that I can think of that would be causing her to lick and chew on her paws.
Is it possible that she's feeling that stress and tension from me and the chewing/licking is her coping mechanism?
If not, what else could it be and how can I go about stopping this behavior before it becomes a serious issue? Right now, it's more annoying than anything because she licks and licks and licks while I'm getting the few hours of sleep I do manage and it has the tendancy to keep me awake. *sigh*
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Nilla has been licking her paws obsessively since about the end of November. We went for a hike to Lighthouse park in North Vancouver and while at the ocean, she must have stepped on a barnacle as she has an open wound (not quite dime-sized; perhaps half a dime) behind her back paw up on her leg a bit (ankle, I guess). I cleaned it, put the antibiotic ointment i have from the vet on (can't recall the name) and wrapped it for a few days (with dressing changes) and it healed up quickly.
Since then, however, she licks that spot continuously and licks the rest of her feet too to the point of rubbing them raw. I can't seem to get her to stop and I've tried everything except putting a cone on her or bandaging all her feet.
She's been to the vet and nothing seems amiss; no infections; no parasites, etc.
The only thing that I can think of that is different is that very soon after that hike and the injury, my life was turned upside down.
I made the decision to quit my job and move 400 km East to live with my parents and go back to school. It's a decision I didn't want to make because I had fought so hard to get down to Vancouver and stay here. But with the job I have, even though it pays decent, I just can't afford to live here.
Within days of making that decision (and stressing about it for over a week), December 1st rolled around and we were alerted by our management (the government, basically) that we are all (131 of us) losing our jobs within the next year. The atmosphere at the office is very tense and stressed; and a lot of girls are unsure what they're going to do. Most are in their 40s or 50s, many are single moms, unable to go back to school. We're getting shafted by the employer and our union is unable to really fight for us (weak union).
I know that my decision was already made, but it seems every day there's a new stressor to worry about in terms of other people and whether I should stick it out until the end (putting my plans on hold) just for the extended severance (which is a pretty big chunk of money).
All this stress has me not sleeping much or eating much, or really able to function much beyond basic survival mode.
That's the only thing that I can think of that would be causing her to lick and chew on her paws.
Is it possible that she's feeling that stress and tension from me and the chewing/licking is her coping mechanism?
If not, what else could it be and how can I go about stopping this behavior before it becomes a serious issue? Right now, it's more annoying than anything because she licks and licks and licks while I'm getting the few hours of sleep I do manage and it has the tendancy to keep me awake. *sigh*
Any help is greatly appreciated.
