Help - much itching in paw

[FidoTheYorkie]

Fido itches constantly , I dont know why !
He's always licking his paw, non stop!
I had to put a cone on him cause he JUST wanted to lick his paw, nothing else, I looked all over the paw and I didnt see nothing.
I was bathing him cause I thought there maybe were some sand stuck in his paw, I used very mild shampoo, few minutes ago i saw that he was red between two ''fingers'' then I saw that it was little bit wet on it (I just blowdried his paw very well, and all the body ofcaurse, so it wasnt wet from the bath), Its like a small red pimple or something, could this be some fungal or what?

[babbsiam44]

Are the feet red, swollen, or crusty/flaky?
This could be indicative of a local irritant (such as deicer) or inflammation/infection from bacterial, fungal and/or parasitic sources. Even if the inciting cause is no longer present, constant licking and chewing can become a self-propagating cycle of continued trauma to the skin and continued inflammation.
Is licking present in the absence of any noticeable pathology of the feet or toes?
This could be from inhalant allergies causing general itchiness, arthritis or other painful "interior" conditions causing pain in the area without visible infection, etc. on the foot.
Are there any irregular lumps or bumps deep between the toes or foot pads?
Cysts or other growths or small abscesses can occur, causing discomfort and licking.
My dog is just licking without any visible signs of something wrong on the foot!
Foot licking can be simply a habit behavior as well; seen when the dog is relaxing, stressed, or bored. Some dogs even chew at their nails with this type of behavior.
Depending on what your veterinarian finds on examination, treatment to stop this behavior will be aimed at the underlying cause. For cases of allergy or infection, there are medications and/or dietary changes that can be made to assist with the problem. In situations where pain is the underlying cause, that should be dealt with directly to alleviate the licking. Growths or abscesses are usually treated surgically. Pet owners should always be vigilant about environmental hazards to feet; such as deicing compounds in the winter and very hot pavement tar in the summer.
Behavioral modification to stop paw licking and chewing, like any behavioral modification, takes time, patience and consistency. There are several topical products that can be used to discourage this behavior (bitter, hot taste, etc.). Physical restraint, such as an e-collar is often used for medical conditions to allow the foot or paw to heal and thus take away the inciting cause to lick. Distraction is also a good technique: playing games, offering other toys and incentives to keep your dog occupied coupled with positive reinforcement will help break the cycle. If additional behavior help is needed, consider working with a specialist in veterinary behavior

[babbsiam44]

By the way, I lived in Keflavik many moons ago!! I was a Navy brat.

[FidoTheYorkie]

Thanks for the answer !!
He's not red, just between ''two paws'' , i think the itch comes from there.
Im gonna let the vet check this out tomorrow if the itch doesnt stop tonight !
He's lying next to me right now, and not licking , I took his E-collar of cause he looked at me like I was some crazy person making him wear that stupid E-collar :P !

Should I put vaselin or something on his foot? I also have a creme called A+D , should I put that on it or just let it be like it is?

[babbsiam44]

A&D ointment for Diaper Rash contains Zinc as most DiaperRash ointments do. Zinc is toxic to dogs. You do not want to use A&D ointment on a dog. Neosporin is fine to use and Non Toxic. Good luck.

[babbsiam44]

I failed to ask if Fido has always done this or is it recent?

[princessizzy]

Couls it be his food? Sometimes dogs can become allergic to the protien in their food or the grain if they are on the same food for a long period of time... Just a thought

[alaskayorkie]

I agree. Sounds like it's worth a trip to the vet.

But as long as we're brainstorming ... is there salt on your roads or driveways that could be irritating his paws outside? I use wet naps to wipe off their paws when they come in from a walk because even a little salt irritates their paws.

Also, are you making sure you rinse well after shampooing? I had that problem with Eddie a while back. He was licking his paws after a bath. When I thought about it, I realized I was rinsing his body well while he was standing in partially soapy water. I now rinse the tub out throughly before the final rinse on his paws.

[Lisa and Pic]

This topic came up one time on YorkieTalk and someone shared this site.

Dog Paw Licking and what you can do about it

I had no idea there were so many reasons for pawlicking. But, it does sound like allergies are the most common.

For my Piccolo, she licked her paws for 2 months and I could not get her to stop. I took her to the vet many times. What I did not know until later was that this was a symptom of cutaneous vasculitis. I did want to add that this is not a common reason , but just another example of one of many reasons why our pets might do this.

Hope you get things figured out quickly.

[FidoTheYorkie]

Originally Posted by babbsiam44

A&D ointment for Diaper Rash contains Zinc as most DiaperRash ointments do. Zinc is toxic to dogs. You do not want to use A&D ointment on a dog. Neosporin is fine to use and Non Toxic. Good luck.

Oh thank you for the warning! is it only dangerous if they lick it ? I put a little bit on the paw ( I washed it of about 10-15 minutes later).
Is Vaselin OK ? its just fat I think.
I don't have Neosporin (or isit the same as vaselin?).

Hey did you live in Keflavík ? thats so cool, my best friend lives there, she has a Basset Fauve and an Shih tzu.

He has always licked is paws sometimes when he's chilling, but never so much, just a little at a time, he also sometimes gnaws his ''elbows'', I think its just like some dogs gnaw theyr nails, he does it with the elnbow/paws.

PrincessIzzy, no propably not from the food, he's starting new food, but I put a little amount of the new food with the old food the first week, I just started doing that yesterday and he got just few bits of the new food, he wouldnt be so quick having allergy reactions I think.
He has never had any allergy,He has been on 9 kinds of food and handled all very well (almost always Royal canin, different types of Royal Canin),Im moving him from Royal Canin Obesity to Royal Canin Mini Light right now.

Im going with him to the vet tomorrow, i'll see what this is then

Alaskayorkie, There has only been snow here 3 times this winter, and it always went the day after, so its no salt on the streets.
I can't bathe Fido in the bathtub so i bathe him in the sink, I have to fill the sink to almost the top then I have a glass who I use to pour water over him.
There could be soap left on the paws, I'm going to wash the paws next time when Im done with letting the water run out , thanks for the idea, didnt think of that.
Fido has never had any itch because of that though, but im gonna do that next time his next bath is in a week though, maybe I bathe him in few days again and wash him extra well.