Licking Paw

[FGM]

My dog Josie has just started licking her left front paw.I can't see anything wrong there but don't want her to turn into one of these dogs that constantly licks their paws.Is there anything I can put on it to stop her and break the habit before it turns into one?Any suggestions?

[~Anne~]

I currently am dealing with a rescue who is a licker.... some of the recent suggestions made to me have been;

Vaporub

Eucalyptus

Commerical bitterant spray (such as Woundguard - available from Vet)

Citronella

........and if all else fails something hot such as a touch of curry powder or tobasco sauce.

It is aslo a good idea to use a diversion as well if you can. Diversions such as a kong, toy or something else for them to chew and or lick.

[blacklabrador]

You need to investigate fully to make sure there isnt a reason. Check between her toes (you will have to clip the fur if it's long. Look at the skin for redness - they can get fungal or bacterial infections of the skin. Check for bindis and anything else she might have stuck between her toes. Investigation of the foot by a vet and possible an X ray to check for broken bones would need to be done before you could really diagnose compulsive licking.

I had a rescue with lick granuloma. Nothing worked for her. Aloe vera gel from the plant is very bitter and non irritating to healing skin.

[karly101]

We had a dog with this problem quite a few years ago... we tried all those deterrants and none worked (he'd just lick them off), he also developed skin infections from the constant licking (so I'd definitely get the vet to have a look at the skin). We changed his diet (due to old one being unavailable) and funny enough it solved the problem! I'm not sure what ingrediant was causing him trouble but it may be something you want to look into if nothing else works.

[MalteseLuna]

My little Maltese licks her paw fairly regularly (esp her front 2 paws) ... The fur around a few of her nails is slightly pinky... but vet said she couldn't see any irritation and to just keep an eye on it

She first started licking her feet at about 11-12 weeks of age (a week or 2 after we picked her up) and I started doing alot of reading on the subject. Apparently it's quite common for Maltese (or Maltese crosses) to have allergies (particularly food allergies) and a symptom of this is foot licking/chewing. Have you changed her food recently (i.e. on same time line with licking). My vet said that allergies often present themselves after the 1-2 year stage (i.e. not generally during puppy hood). It could also be related to nails being too long. Personally I wouldn't want to put anything like Tabasco sauce or curry powder on Luna's feet as I wouldn't be able to make sure she didn't get it in her eyes or onto her skin I am thinking that Tabasco on irritated skin (skin that is being licked alot) wouldn't be very nice. I try to divert her attention to something else i.e. playing a game or practicing tricks (this is what the vet advised me to do) - but I would certainly go see a vet to check that there isn't an underlying reason for the licking.

From my own experience I saw a reduction in the amount of licking when I changed food brands from Eukanuba to Advance and then to Nutrience (she is on the holistic one atm and she is licking alot less than she used to)... however we also think that she just 'likes' to lick her feet... she is a very 'licky' dog We haven't done any allergy testing as yet because the vet seems to think allergies don't present till they are older (Luna is about 10 months)... plus we have been dealing with a liver shunt scare recently (she doesn't seem to have one... but ALT levels are elevated).. but that might be something to look into

[wagsalot]

Riley licks his paws. Normally he gets a bit of a allergy on his foot which makes it itchy so he starts licking it, then it turns into a anxiety thing.

I found anything I put on his feet that was supposed to turn him off, made him lick it more.

The vet gave me some cream though, so as soon as i see him licking I put the cream on and bandage the foot up for the night. The cream does its job and stops the itch and riley can't lick the cream off.

I find I have to get the cream on it early before he licks it too much (and develops a habit)

Luckily Riley is pretty good with the bandage though. He'll leave it on and won't try and remove it.

[FGM]

Thanks guys for all the advice and suggestions.I got my boss to have a lok at her foot for me while I held her under some lighting and we found that she has a small flaky section between her toes.Have got some cram to put on it but I am going to wait until tonight when I give her something to chew to keep her mind off it.I could only see the skin problem when it was dry though so I'm glad I looked again.

I also use distractions but hoping that it will clear up quickly.Josie recently had some tummy problems so maybe it has to do with that as that was a sort of allergy reaction.Thanks again everyone!!

[Guest The Warden]

Is licking paws bad?

Gizmo licks his heaps, every time they get dirty he licks them clean?

[Asalei]

Sally licks her paws every night before she goes to sleep, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, it was just something she did before she settled into bed for the night?

I thought it might relax her, or she doesn't like getting into bed with dirty paws. She was licking one paw a lot when she hurt her claw, but that healed up and she's just back to doing her nightly clean before bed.

[rudie]

Sally licks her paws every night before she goes to sleep, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, it was just something she did before she settled into bed for the night?

I thought it might relax her, or she doesn't like getting into bed with dirty paws. She was licking one paw a lot when she hurt her claw, but that healed up and she's just back to doing her nightly clean before bed.

must be a Beagle thing!! (Diva at bed time)