She never stops licking her feet!

[TaylorWoods]

My little girl has developed the most irritating habit of licking her front paws. At her last vet's visit she was checked over and is 100% healthy.

This morning I thought she had wee'd on my bed because there was a huge wet spot on the sheet where she was lying but it was from her never-ending licking! then i noticed 3 more where she had moved around and lay and licked them!

It's almost like she has an obsession with it. I can say for sure that chasing her tail, catching it and then sucking it to death is a definite habit and now this paw licking thing has become the same. Her feet and tip of her tail are always sticky.

I know dogs lick their feet, but is it normal to be doing it every spare second she has? There is no sign of redness between her toes or any fungal infection, it's just purely a habit. Even the vet checked it out and said nothing's irritating her skin.

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by TaylorWoods

My little girl has developed the most irritating habit of licking her front paws. At her last vet's visit she was checked over and is 100% healthy.

This morning I thought she had wee'd on my bed because there was a huge wet spot on the sheet where she was lying but it was from her never-ending licking! then i noticed 3 more where she had moved around and lay and licked them!

It's almost like she has an obsession with it. I can say for sure that chasing her tail, catching it and then sucking it to death is a definite habit and now this paw licking thing has become the same. Her feet and tip of her tail are always sticky.

I know dogs lick their feet, but is it normal to be doing it every spare second she has? There is no sign of redness between her toes or any fungal infection, it's just purely a habit. Even the vet checked it out and said nothing's irritating her skin.

I think it is usually due to an allergy either to food or something she is in contact with like things outside in the grass, etc. My Tiki does it when she picks up some fleas (I can't used flea meds on her due to her liver condition MVD).

[bj1]

My boy done this alot and it was due to allergies. Now he takes an allergy shot and he rarely does it now.

[TaylorWoods]

I never considered the food or grass idea. But i know for sure she has NO fleas. she did as a baby and i got it under control and I regularly dip her and put frontline on her just in case even when i know she has no fleas. Prevention is better than cure

To me it's just a habit she has picked up - but thanks, I will do some research on the other possible causes and see what i can find out

[TaylorWoods]

Originally Posted by bj1

My boy done this alot and it was due to allergies. Now he takes an allergy shot and he rarely does it now.

What allergies did he suffer from exactly?

[bj1]

Originally Posted by TaylorWoods

What allergies did he suffer from exactly?

Vet says it is seasonal allergies and plus it seems when he is outside his allergies really starts up and when we come back inside that is when he would just lick and chew his paw something awful plus scratching everywhere. But the shot has really helped him alot!! I was amazed by how he has literally stoped with it all but he still does it at times but not as bad as before he started the shot. Hope this helps

[TaylorWoods]

I found a site call www.pawlicking.com that is very informative. It seems like it could be allergies, stress, anxiety or even a psychological tendency. The important thing is to determine what causes an individual dog to lick its paws. It's a matter of elimination to find the problem.

I definitely think she has a problem - sometimes she almost bites them as well. Perhaps on her next vet visit he must look at it more carefully. She makes them red from her licking eventually. I dont like to be hard on her so sometimes I just cover her feet with my hand and she just carries on licking my hand. They say the licking leads to other skin problems too if not corrected.

[lillymae]

Hmmm. I have a silly little guy who is a rescue that went through allot of stress before I got him mostly emotional stress. He used to suck his back foot at bedtime just like a baby sucking it's thumb. Something I noticed is that he gets the Mad Dogs at bedtime as soon as I put him on the bed. I used to make him settle down and he did but then would start sucking his foot. So I put a toy and nylabone on the bed and let him play for a bit till he gets out all his energy then when he lays down and goes for his foot I put my hand over his foot and give him the nylabone. Now he falls asleep with the nylabone instead of with his foot in his mouth. Oh, and his name is Taylor So I'm thinking it's from boredom or stress.

[capt_noonie]

Could very well be food allergies. What food are you feeding and does it have corn in it? Many people say dogs are allergic to corn, but it may well be the way the corn is processed and put into the food that is what they are allergic too.

From Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings
more specifically from the review of Beneful (what my foster was on before I got her) Beneful Dog Food (Dry) Rating and Review
"Corn (as it’s used in most pet foods) is rarely of human-grade quality. Although there’s no way to know for sure, it’s reasonably fair to assume the corn used here is probably the same kind used to make feed for livestock. Second-rate grains like these are almost always contaminated with insects, their droppings, their expired carcasses, and grain mites along with their ever-present toxic molds."
Many associate corn with chronic canine allergies. But the truth is, those allergies are probably more the result of reactions to what’s “in” the corn… rather than the corn itself.
Corn is definitely not a quality ingredient."


Some "higher" quality foods still have corn in it, such as Royal Canin.

[TaylorWoods]

I feed her Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier puppy food and it has the following ingreidents in it:

Chicken meal, rice, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, rice flour, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, brown rice, wheat gluten meal, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), sodium silico aluminate, dried brewers yeast, potassium chloride, fructo-oligosaccharides, soya oil, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, dried brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), salt, dried egg product, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], DL-methionine, choline chloride, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

My vet recommends it though - although I will admit I have heard other people claim it is not the best. Im always skeptical of changing food because of her fussy appetite. These pellets are so nice and small too which she loves. I fed her a Hills intestinal food once when her tummy was upset and she refused to eat it mainly due to the size of the kibble.

I would think most foods have corn etc in them?

Im going to look into the grass allergy idea because she is outside a lot. and also the anxiety issue because latly she has become very clingy and upset when I go out. Even if i walk outside she has to come with. when i shower she sits outside the door and won't move. She loves my boyfriend too but if she has a choice it's me she wants to be with. I'm concerned it might also have something to do with separation anxiety.

[stingraylady]

My cat has an obsessive cleaning problem, to the point where she licked her belly clean of fur and causes open sores, then moves on to her leg, tail, etc. We have had so much testing, changing food and through process of elimination, have attributed it to environmental allergies. She has been on prednisone for a couple years now and has actually grown some fur on her belly. Unfortunately, prednisone can cause diabetes in older animals, but i couldn't let her mutilate herself. Keep an eye on it.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by bj1

Vet says it is seasonal allergies and plus it seems when he is outside his allergies really starts up and when we come back inside that is when he would just lick and chew his paw something awful plus scratching everywhere. But the shot has really helped him alot!! I was amazed by how he has literally stoped with it all but he still does it at times but not as bad as before he started the shot. Hope this helps

Are you doing hyposensitization shots or steroid shots?

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by TaylorWoods

I found a site call www.pawlicking.com that is very informative. It seems like it could be allergies, stress, anxiety or even a psychological tendency. The important thing is to determine what causes an individual dog to lick its paws. It's a matter of elimination to find the problem.

I definitely think she has a problem - sometimes she almost bites them as well. Perhaps on her next vet visit he must look at it more carefully. She makes them red from her licking eventually. I dont like to be hard on her so sometimes I just cover her feet with my hand and she just carries on licking my hand. They say the licking leads to other skin problems too if not corrected.

correct they will get bacteria infections

is your dog chasing at the tail as well? sounds like food allergy if that is the case

the paw pads absorb the dust, pollens and grasses and then the paws get itchy then they clean them by licking and absorb the allergents and get itchy all over so does yours itch all over?

If you think it is a habit get socks or shoes and cover the paws to stop the behavior. I do this with dd i put socks on her feet when she starts going crazy as if it is allergy related then you need to calm them down to get it to stop like when you itch a mosquito bite if you keep itching it then it gets worse as histamines are released making it worse so if you stop itching it then it gets better and your system calms down - same with an allergy dog

when i put the socks on she stops licking and if you want to try it get the baby mittens for preemie or babies and put a scrunchy around the leg to keep it on but do supervised so she does not eat the scrunchy and swallow it if she gets it off

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by TaylorWoods

I feed her Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier puppy food and it has the following ingreidents in it:

Chicken meal, rice, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, rice flour, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, brown rice, wheat gluten meal, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), sodium silico aluminate, dried brewers yeast, potassium chloride, fructo-oligosaccharides, soya oil, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, dried brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), salt, dried egg product, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], DL-methionine, choline chloride, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

My vet recommends it though - although I will admit I have heard other people claim it is not the best. Im always skeptical of changing food because of her fussy appetite. These pellets are so nice and small too which she loves. I fed her a Hills intestinal food once when her tummy was upset and she refused to eat it mainly due to the size of the kibble.

I would think most foods have corn etc in them?

Im going to look into the grass allergy idea because she is outside a lot. and also the anxiety issue because latly she has become very clingy and upset when I go out. Even if i walk outside she has to come with. when i shower she sits outside the door and won't move. She loves my boyfriend too but if she has a choice it's me she wants to be with. I'm concerned it might also have something to do with separation anxiety.

could be the food if no digestive issues natural balance duck and potato has small bites and that is an allergy formula for dogs - you could try it for 12 weeks with nothing else no treats etc and see if this cures it - if you have not ever fed duck before then this would be a good one and obviously if no other health issues. This way you could rule out food allergy and know it is not that at least as allergies which i think this could be is a process of elimination and you already ruled out flea allergy so now you need to rule out food and then environmental is the end result

when she comes in from out side wash her paws off either with hypoallergenic baby wipes or just water rinse them - you can get a flat tub and just dip all 4 paws in that and towel dry them when she comes inside

also when she starts licking alot we do this to dd we take and wash all her paws and dry with towel and it helps

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by TaylorWoods

I feed her Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier puppy food and it has the following ingreidents in it:

Chicken meal, rice, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, rice flour, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, brown rice, wheat gluten meal, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), sodium silico aluminate, dried brewers yeast, potassium chloride, fructo-oligosaccharides, soya oil, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, dried brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), salt, dried egg product, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], DL-methionine, choline chloride, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

My vet recommends it though - although I will admit I have heard other people claim it is not the best. Im always skeptical of changing food because of her fussy appetite. These pellets are so nice and small too which she loves. I fed her a Hills intestinal food once when her tummy was upset and she refused to eat it mainly due to the size of the kibble.

I would think most foods have corn etc in them?

Im going to look into the grass allergy idea because she is outside a lot. and also the anxiety issue because latly she has become very clingy and upset when I go out. Even if i walk outside she has to come with. when i shower she sits outside the door and won't move. She loves my boyfriend too but if she has a choice it's me she wants to be with. I'm concerned it might also have something to do with separation anxiety.

I just realized you are in south africa, so I guess all the other varieties of food would be harder for you to get? There are many foods that do not have corn in them. Did you take a look at the website I linked? Check to see if you can get any of these foods in your area, most of these don't have corn: Five Star Dog Foods