Why is my dog licking his paws? | Dr. Justine Lee

Posted by justinelee in Blog, Pet Health

Is your dog licking at his or her paws constantly? Notice a red, swollen inflamed appearance to the area between the paws? If this is happening, read on! Not only does excessive licking cause discomfort to your dog, but it is often due to an underlying medical problems. Often times, excessive licking of the paws is due to one of the three underlying causes:

• atopy (the equivalent of hay fever in people)
• food allergy
• flea allergy dermatitis (often abbreviated “FAD”)

Underlying itchiness results in that constant foot licking; as a result the moisture caused by excessive foot licking between the paws, it can cause a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. This can actually worsen the itchiness and clinical signs.

Excessive licking of the paws warrants a trip to your veterinarian, as certain tests need to be performed to rule out skin problems. Diagnosis of an underlying infection requires certain tests at your veterinarian including:

• Tape preparation cytology (analysis using a piece of tape)
• Culture
• Skin biopsy (less common)

Once these tests are done, your veterinarian can determine what is the best course of appropriate treatment. Treatment typically includes the use of anti-fungals (if there is a yeast infection), antibiotics (to treat a bacterial infection), frequent shampooing with a prescription shampoo, topical sprays, or even the use of short-term steroids to decrease the inflammation.

Dog itching. Photo courtesy of Flickr Lee Haywood

But that’s not all!

Again, since there’s typically an underlying cause for the excessive licking at the paws, your dog may need additional testing to rule out atopy, food allergies, or flea allergy dermatitis. This may include:

• A food trial with a novel (e.g., new) protein for at least 6-12 weeks. It is absolutely key that you make sure that no other rawhides, treats, snakes, bones, or other food products (even heartworm medication) are given during this time. Ideally, food trials should be started in the winter (depending on the temperate environment that you live in).

• Year-round flea and tick medication that kills quickly – newer prescription oral products (e.g., Bravecto, Nexguard) can kill these pesky insects within 12 hours, minimizing the risk of infestation.

• Skin testing or blood testing to see what specific airborne allergies may be causing atopy

If treatment by your veterinarian doesn’t completely resolve the signs, referral to a veterinary dermatologist may be necessary for advanced testing.

When in doubt, talk to your veterinarian about how to best treat this condition. Remember, occasional licking is ok, but if it’s constant and causing secondary redness, swelling, or itchiness, get to a veterinarian for treatment.

As previously published on www.PetHealthNetwork.com.

Photo by Lee Haywood // cc