Why is Your Dog Licking His Paws and How to Solve it
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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Dogs are known to lick themselves, every little bit, even the most unhygienic parts.
More specifically, they will lick or chew their paws for a number of reasons, some of which are completely healthy and safe.
But there can also be a number of reasons that require immediate action and attention. And, occasionally, even veterinarian treatment.
Why Does Your Dog Lick And Chew On His Paws?
There are several reasons why a dog will lick or chew on his paws.
Whenever you walk your dog, he’ll probably want to lick or chew on his paws when he gets home, even if you clean his paws properly.
He may be making sure they’re properly clean or he may have a little something stuck on his paws.
Also, sometimes dogs use their paws to clean their faces, so they might lick them for that.
When Should You Worry About It?
When it becomes too much. Or when it’s beginning to hurt him.
When your dog is constantly licking or chewing on his paws, you need to take it seriously.
Also, bear in mind he may do it while you’re not looking, so you may want to watch out for signs, like swollen paws, red or hot skin, smelly paws, opens wounds or patches of missing fur.
When your dog licks or chews his paws for longer periods of time, he may have an allergy. Most allergies on dogs are caused by the food he eats, by ticks or fleas or by contact dermatitis.
As far as paws go, most allergies occur when he steps on something that causes it, like plants or chemicals.
Sometimes, dogs lick or chew their paws when they’re bored or anxious. This is tricky, because they’re more likely to do it when they’re home alone, hence the need to watch out for other symptoms.
Much like human obsessive compulsive disorder, dogs will develop certain repetitive behaviors that are ver
Another factor is dry skin. Like for humans, lack of hydration causes dry skin which causes itchiness and skin flaking.
Hormones may also play a part. An imbalance on his thyroid hormone for example, can lead to infection on his paws.
One of the most common causes for dogs licking and chewing on their paws is pain.
He may have a wound or a foreign object stuck in there, like a grass seed or a thorn. It may also cause him to limp, making it easier to identify.
A broken nail is also known to cause the dog a lot of pain and make him chew at his paw incessantly.
What To Do When Your Dog Licks And Chews One His Paws?
The first thing you need to do is to check the paws. Look for the symptoms we’ve discussed, wounds, redness, swollen pads, anything unusual.
You can also press on them lightly to see if your dog expresses any pain when you do it.
Just remember, try making a game out of it or during play or cuddle time because you want this to be as stress-free as possible for your dog.
If you’ve found nothing out of the ordinary and your dog is still licking or chewing his paws incessantly, he may be experiencing some sort of allergy, but hasn’t quite been at it long enough to cause symptoms you can detect.
When your dog is licking his paws out of boredom, anxiety or some sort of OCD behavior, it can be hard to find the best way to end it.
The premise is simple, you need to find new ways to calm him or do distract him. If he does it while he’s home alone, try to leave him extra toys and maybe even puzzles to solve.
For our dogs, nothing keeps them as occupied as a treat filled Kong. We’ll alternate between peanut butter or frozen fruit and it actually takes them a while to cleanout.
If you find some sort of wound or abrasion, you’ll want to take care of it properly, by disinfecting it and using a bit of balm to hydrate his paws.
It’s also great for dermatitis and dry skin.
In fact, paw hydration is always a good idea, because it will keep your dog’s paws healthy, just make sure not to overdo it and make the skin too tender.
We use this oatmeal paw butter for our dogs and are very pleased with the results.
So, let’s say you’ve found a wound, took care of it, but your dog still won’t stop trying to lick or chew his paws, what do you do?
You need to protect his paws, both from him and from the dirt he’ll step on during the day until the paw skin is fully restored.
For that, we got our dogs these very cute dog shoes.
Actually, we use them on multiple occasions: muddy days, days where the ground is too hot or too cold, whenever you want to keep your dog’s paws protected, this is what you use.
The dogs find it weird the first time they use it, but these shoes are very light and comfortable and they adjust to it quickly.
See also: 5 Tips to Care For Your Dog’s Paws All Year Around
When Should You Take Him To The Vet?
Scheduling a vet visit is a good idea when you’ve tried pretty much everything and your dog is still licking and chewing his paws too often.
Also, if you notice some sort of infection, you’ll want to get it checked out by a professional, particularly if there’s a wound.
A vet can, not only give you great advice to deal with this issue, but can also scrap the area for culture exams and add specific medication, if needed.
Conclusion
Chewing and licking paws is a normal part of dog behavior so it can be hard to determine when we should worry about it.
As with any part of your dog’s body, it’s always a good idea to keep a watchful eye over this issue and make sure nothing out of the ordinary is going on.
The important thing is, once you’ve detected something is the matter, act quickly.
Make sure you identify the issue and do something about it before it turns into a more serious problem that will be harder to solve.
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