Hm, none of his food has corn in it. I did get stainless steel bowls a few weeks ago. I got a pair for home AND work, so I'd be bummed if that was the cause!
I am pretty sure he only licks his paws like that after he's been running around in the grass. Since he's outside a lot, he's got a lot of cleaning to do.
A few days ago, I saw little balls at the base of Thor's penis. I flipped out because he is supposed to be neutered. I thought he had some horrible condition where they'd been in his abdomen and suddenly migrated downwards. Turns out they were just an extra set of male dog glands I wasn't familiar with.