Cocker spaniel repeatedly licking the air in the evenings

[Nousernameideaaga]

My 6 year old cocker spaniel has recently started licking the air for about ten minutes every evening. She only does it in the evening and only when lying on the sofa.

She stops when she is distracted by something else and is well in herself otherwise.

still eating and drinking plenty and nothing that we can see in her mouth.

what could this be please?

I’m annoyed we haven’t been told this before. She has seen the same vet for years and he has always been aware of her diet

Our dog recently started licking his lips repeatedly. The vet said it was likely reflux (caused by an anti-inflammatory he was on for something else) and prescribed two weeks of omeprazole and it hasn't happened since.

Thankyou - I’m hoping the vet will be helpful in the morning as I don’t want to suddenly introduce a load of new foods to her at once.

I honestly thought we were providing her with the best diet , two home cooked fresh meals a day 😢

I would honestly be looking to change vets - the diet you describe is in no way sufficient and is lacking in all sorts of nutrients and vitamins.

The vast majority of vets are not dietary experts. I’m not either I hasten to add. I’m a trainer and just as a guide vets get one perhaps two weeks of lectures about my specialist subject (dog behaviour) as I understand it. Your vet is a great starting point but like a GP for us, they are not specialists. I’d definitely get some blood tests done personally for peace of mind. There are many raw feeding groups online where you can get expert help going forwards. Or the good dog food companies have nutritionists to assist if you decide to go the commercial route
it may not be your issue at all so I’m not trying to alarm you - just think it’s worth you checking

Thankyou , I will definitely ask for blood tests to be done.
Can’t help but feel alarmed though , especially when I thought we were doing the absolute best thing for her.

Try not to beat yourself up about it - we only realised because the groomer pointed out that the pink fur that we had thought was quite cute and equally pink paws (ie wherever he is naturally white) indicated an allergy and that we should consider removing chicken. We did this thinking it could do no harm to substitute for a week. The pink went away immediately. Both my spaniels seem better on no chicken - poops are solid, easy to clean up so our lawn is not decimated by diarrhoea smears, breath is fresher, and there is no paw licking (both had periods where they used to lick them until they bled/became infected and had to have isaderm cream and paw socks/collars until they healed). One is dark brown, so inflammation is not so immediately visible. They are like different dogs without it. No idea why chicken is such an issue for spaniels in particular, given they’re gun dogs, or why it seems to be more of an issue for the springer than the sprocker.

Tbh, neither seemed in the least bit bothered, as they are such happy and easy going animals, but the change since removing it has been very noticeable.

I home cook for my dog who has had chronic pancreatitis since she was 3 years old. She is 12 years now. She has a low fat diet.

The diet you are feeding is not balanced. You need to add a calcium supplement, a variety of meat, suitable vegetables and 5-10% organ meat. You should not be feeding a lot of carrot. Carrots should be fed in small amounts as a treat.

Cheese is very high in fat and should also only be given as an occasional treat in very small amounts.

Chicken and rice are only recommended by vets for a short period, i.e a few days, usually when a dog is recovering from a gastric episode.

Vetsl often have very little knowledge on nutrition. Surprisingly, vetinary schools only spend a few hours discussing it!

I’m surprised she’s got to 6 without previous issues on such a restrictive and unbalanced diet. I hope all goes well at the vets. I’d be inclined to get an echocardiogram as well as x-rays in addition to the blood tests.

As others have said, that’s such a poor diet for a dog.

The air licking could also be a neurological issue, so it’s goid to get her checked out.

Just to add that my WCS (we sadly lost her 3 months ago 🐾🐾💔💔) developed a poultry intolerance at around 3. We had to be really careful looking at the ingredients of dog food, because so many contain some traces of chicken in some form. She also was never consistent about what food suited her and even in the last year we had to change brands due to tummy issues. It might be what suited as a pup is no longer right for yours.

I agree with pp that chicken and rice is only suitable for a short time after illness (we used eggs in the end as protein) and cucumber as crunchy treats rather than cheese. There are so many complete dog foods around now that come frozen, it’s worth exploring them once you get some answers from the vets. Good luck. It’s heartbreaking when your furry one isn’t right and they can’t tell you how they feel.

My ddog does a lip licky thing when he gets acid reflux, he’s also allergic to chicken.

Eating small but regular meals helps.

I make his food now as gave up trying to find chicken free dog food.