Does your dog chew his feet?
My dog started chewing his feet about a week ago. He just started licking and licking until his paws are red and swollen and always damp. What should I do and why is he doing it?
Stephanie in Santa Barbara
Is he constantly licking or biting his paws? Are the pads of his feet red and raw from constant licking and chewing?
FOREIGN OBJECTS
If you have checked for foreign objects such as burrs, wood, glass or anything that could get under the paws and have not found anything it could be few other things.
Find a room with a bright light and put a towel down for your dog to lay on. Use a blunt nosed scissors and trim the hair between the pads. This will help you look for any foreign object and help clean the foot. Be really careful when cutting because a dogs foot is very sensitive and if you mess up he will never let you look at his feet again. Look for any splinters or stickers in between the feet.
If you can find something you can remove, do so with care. Your dog might start to stress out. You can tell if your dog is in pain or in stress if he starts to pant or tremble. If it's too deep to take out yourself take him to the vet. Then it's not you he's afraid of. Who wants our dogs to be afraid of us? Not me!
If you are able to remove the object wash the paws with a very mild soap like baby shampoo and apply a soothing ointment. Oatmeal is very soothing as is Aloe Vera. Find a product with either of these ingredients. Aloe Vera is very powerful in treating cuts and infections. You can find some soothing salves at the pet store.
FLEAS
A very common reason for biting the feet are fleas. Is your dog biting other parts of his body? Look carefully at your dogs belly. Do you see any tiny black specks? If you do, these are flea feces. Give him a good flea bath and treat his feet carefully. Wash his bedding and anything else he sleeps in or plays with.
If it's not fleas, read on.
ALLERGIES
If all four feet are red then I would suspect an allergy or a fungus. Fungus and yeast infections can be cured with medications.
Allergies can also cause red paws and red skin. Outbreaks of little bumps all over the dogs body can be hives.
Your dog could be allergic to food, which is very common these days because of substandard dog food ingredients.
You can test this by making your dog food and see if it clears up or by trying a really expensive dog food recommended by your vet which will make you go broke! But I digress.
STRESS
Dogs like routine, just like men. They get upset if things change too much. Has something changed at home? Is there a new addition to the family or are you away a lot? Do you have guests over or parties? Anything new going on in your home?
During the war in Bosnia there was a lion at the Zoo. The bombings stressed him out so much he practically chewed his feet off. They were bloody stubs. It was awful. I think eventually, because of the war, the lions and other animals at the zoo died from starvation. The people didn't have any food, let alone enough for a big cat. A very sad story but it does illustrate the stress and what an animal will do if he gets too much and can't deal with it.
So that's where you come in. You're smarter than your dog so you have to think this through and figure it out and with the help of a vet, if it comes to that, cure your dog from chewing on his feet.
More detail on why a dog chews his feet
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