Help! My English Bull Terrier constantly licks his paws. What can I do to stop this behavior?

Question

Aside from the possibility that this is just his obsessive behavior, I've tried to rule out the possibility of allergies. Some vets suggest to give dogs Benadryl and I've given our dog a pill each morning and night for the last week but with no luck so far. His food (Purina Dog Chow) has been the same so I can't see that his licking was related to food allergies.

This behavior has gotten increasingly worse and I'm just about desperate for help. Is there some kind of ointment that I can put on his paws that will work? (and also not stain carpet) I am open to other suggestions as well, like I said, I am just about desperate. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

Answer 1

My Bassett Hound did this a lot as he got older, he was not as fit as he should have been so had little exercise, the vet said it was most likely to be simply from boredom. Next time your dog does it, try taking him out for a run or just playing with him in the back garden, anything to get his attention.

Answer 2

Allergies can come from many sources. Because the food hasn't changed actually keeps it in the realm of possibilities. However some believe that food allergies only account for 5-6% of allergies in dogs. To be certain it isn't the food (if you want to) you need to feed a hypoallergenic diet strictly for 8-10 weeks. The best ones are available only through vets though Science diet Z/D and D/D.(there are others but these are ones we use)

Giving antihistamines can work, however they tend to not be super affective if the animals are very itchy. Benadryl should, as with other antihistamines, be given to animals three times a day. There are others out there and some will work better for certain animals than others will - it's a trial and error thing. We usually send our clients home with 3 different ones to try to see if any of them work.

If you want to put ointment on the feet there are some available. The cheapest thing you could try is a hydrocortisone ointment. If that doesn't help, there are many more that your vet can perscribe that actually work better. Betamethasone creams are what we found to work the best, but that needs to be prescribed for you.

Oral steroids can help also. They do have potential side effects, but if you only need them at certain times of the year, it's not as bad. The other option is allergy testing them and than giving them allergy shots. If you want to look into this option - find a veterinary dermatologist in your area that will do the skin test. The blood test any vet can do, but many people do not see good if any results of giving the shots based on a blood test.

Have you treated as it's a compulsive behavior yet?

Answer 3

I would say it is either stress or allergies. Benadryl usually helps both. Try Tavist D. My friends dog did not respond to Benadryl but the Tavist did work.

Try to think of something in the environment that may be causing stress. Is there something that has changed recently? Did you plant a new garden? Did your work hours change? All kinds of things can stress the dog.

Make a "Safe Place" for your dog. The best is a corner of the house with their favorite pillow or their crate. In this place they have absolute immunity. Never scold you dog there, never use it for punishment, and let the put what ever they want there. This will give him a place where he can go when he is scared or not feeling well. It will help him feel better.

Answer 4

Bull Terriers are susceptible to certain obsessive compulsive behaviours like tail chasing & licking - although they usually lick themselves rather than other people. Don't encourage her to do it, try to divert her attention onto something else (although all my dogs have attempted to help dry me off after a bath or a shower!)

Answer 5

I have a dog who does this as well. Usually more so in the summer. I took him to the Vet and she said he had allergies. She had me give him one half Benadril each day. It worked. Made him a little sleepy, but he quit licking/chewing his paws.

Answer 6

My dog does this at certain times of the year....for him it is allergies, not related to his food.....something that he intracts with when he goes outside. The Vet gives him a Cortisone shot, and some cream.

He would lick his paws until there were sores on the pads.

Answer 7

This is a symptom of vaccinosis (it is the chronic illness resulting from vaccinations). You need to get your dog off of his commercial dog food and put him on raw food (real meat WITH bones -- Yes, you read right - real meat WITH bones) A great book to read on this is Raw Dog Food by Carina MacDonald (i've listed links to really good sites below). Also, you should probably work with a homeopath who will help get the problem under control.

Answer 8

This can be caused by vaccinations and it can be caused by food allergies. Read your dog food label. The first ingredient should be meat. Dogs can become allergic to wheat or corn or any of the grains in their food. Dogs have been tested after vaccinations and found to have high IgE levels. High IgE levels in humans are a sign of allergies.
Read the Wisconsin University web links.
http://svmweb.vetmed.wisc.edu/articles/68/5/39
http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/8413.html

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Both my dogs did that constantly. Took them to a vet and he said it's allergies. We give them Benadryl. You will have to ask a vet the correct dosage but it will stop the licking.