Obsessive Paw Licking
Owen has started a new habit in the last few months and I wasn't really worried about it until today. He will obsessively lick his paws. Now Owen is strange sometimes so I try not to get too worked up about his random behavior quirks. If he is on a blanket he will lick his paws so much that there is a pool of saliva around it. Kind of disgusting.
I thought it had leveled off... but I noticed today that he is missing hair between his pad and thumb (?) to the point that most of it is gone! Any ideas? Allergies? Irritation from something outside? I would say grass but this started before our pollen season ignited. Should I take him to the vet?
I thought it had leveled off... but I noticed today that he is missing hair between his pad and thumb (?) to the point that most of it is gone! Any ideas? Allergies? Irritation from something outside? I would say grass but this started before our pollen season ignited. Should I take him to the vet?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Carmen on
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Usually obsessive paw licking is from allergies. True for both of my lickers, Trunks and Courtney. Check his paws to make sure it isn't infected or raw. It may just be a seasonal thing. I would take him to the vet.
Unfortunately, vets don't always have the answers for this. The vet we had when Trunks first developed raw patches gave him pills and some ointment. He said that Trunks would have to take the pills for the rest of his life. I didn't want to deal with that (not that I wouldn't to keep him healthy) and I believed we could find away around the pills. Instead, We changed Trunks's food. He seemed to be allergic to wheat, so we feed no wheat food. That helped a lot. He still licks, but not like he had. No more raw toes! Courtney had to have steriod shots for many years, until we figured out that keeping her shaved helped. She was a fluffy though.
Unfortunately, Owen will probably keep licking his paws and it may be annoying and a little disgusting, but it just becomes part of the routine. The goal is just to lesson the problem. I wish you luck. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Yes, according to previous discussions, allergies could be the answer.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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Our corgi Wren, also licked her paws, we took her to the Vet, and he told us, that just like humans she gets allergies, he gave us some spary, and it has worked wonders she stops licking right away (I am sorry but the name is covered) but ask your Vet I am sure he can help you, it sure helped Wren and just in time because licking can also cause infection, hope this helps you.
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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My Mini Aussie does this also. Always has. The research I've done suggests it is a sign of allergies. I talked to a vet tech one time too who seemed to think it was probably a food allergy or a reaction to something in the environment. You can have them allergy tested at the vet, but this is usually several hundred dollars so I have not done it. The other solution is to give them benadryl or clariton (or some kind of allergy medicine) and see if this helps with the symptoms. The only down side to that is that meds only fix the symptom not the underlying problem. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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My corgi, Sparty, graduated from paw licking to scratching himself until he bled. Allergies were diagnosed by our vet and we took him to Michigan State University and had him tested. Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to just about everything. We give him an allergy shot once a month and twice a year he is on predisone. This seems to control it pretty well but he still tends to lick his paws more than normal. At least he isn't raw anymore. He is ten and has been on this pattern for at least 7 years.
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Permalink Reply by Colleen on
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I actually heard yesterday over Easter dinner that this could be a sign of boredom or frustration...due to bad weather my grandma said that she couldnt let her dog out in the yard for her normal hour of running around. She noticed that anytime she didnt get to go out that the dog would obsessively lick and bite and her own paws
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