I'm hoping the wonderful ladies here can help me!
Our oldest dog (9.5 yo - lab/husky/chow cross) has a lick granuloma. He's had it for over a year now and I believe the trigger event was when we were preparing to move houses last year. The licking definitely started at the time we were packing the house up. At our previous vet in another city, he had daily laser therapy sessions on the granuloma, and that helped, but we moved before it had cleared up. Laser therapy is not offered in our new town, I would have to travel a fair bit to access it and unfortunately I don't have the time.
Since then, nothing we have done seems to have helped (disclaimer: I am in Canada so what is available here may not be available in the UK, and vice versa). I have tried a 'hot spot' spray, an anti-itch spray and a liquid bandage spray, he just licks them off. We tried a steroid lotion that was meant to reduce inflammation and therefore reduce the itch, if anything that made him lick more. It has been bandaged in the past, not convinced that that helped and definitely upped the yuck factor. When he was a puppy we used bitter apple spray to stop him chewing chair legs, but it makes me cringe to think of how much that would hurt if it got sprayed on this raw looking sore (would it hurt? I just assume it would).
When he was 5 he tore both cruciate ligaments and had them replaced, he now has arthritis. We treat the arthritis with daily metacam and he is on glucosamine also. He is also hypothyroid. The vet suggested he might be stressed by the arthritis so we also supplement his drinking water with Rescue Remedy. No difference.
He spends the majority of his time outside (his choice) so it's not as easy as telling him to stop licking when he starts (although if you catch him licking and tell him to stop he gives a great big sigh because he's soooooo hard done to, but he does stop). There are 4 small children in the house and I think it would add stress to him if he was forced to stay inside.
He does seem to have some kind of allergy that affects his paws, usually sometime around this time of year he starts licking his paws incessantly and they get very raw looking, but that passes in a couple of weeks. I assume he must be allergic to some kind of grass that is growing at this time of year.
He is taken to the dog park daily, which he enjoys. Personality-wise, he is very laid back. He is not high energy at all, and generally just wants to be outside seeing what is going on.
The latest suggestion from the vet is a dog pheromone collar - supposed to calm him. Not sure what to think of that.
Sorry for the novel! I would greatly appreciate it if anyone has a recommendation.