how do i stop my dog from chewing/licking her paws?

Question

she has lost a large portion of hair on her paws. i have taken her to the vet and they gave me some medications to give her. she is finished with the meds. but her paws dont seem to be improving. what else can i do?

Answer 1

Did they say it was an allergy, lick granuloma, what meds did she have?

Since you were already at the vet that knows what is going on I would suggest a quick phone call for another presciption and more advice.

Answer 2

One of my French Bulldogs suffers from a similar problem. The medication your vet gave you are probably antihistamines to stop the itching. These will help and make your dog more comfortable and less itchy, thus reducing the amount that she licks and chews at her feet. They are also available over the counter, so call your vet and ask what non-prescription brand would work best.

Depending on the type of infection (for our dog it was yeast), most will benefit from a Nizoral foot bath. Nizoral is a human dandruff shampoo that will also help to stop itchiness by getting rid of the fungus and bacteria in between her toes. It's available at almost any drugstore (around $10 for a little bottle...it's pricey, but you don't use very much at a time). What you first want to do is fill a bathtup with about an inch of water and let your dog walk around in it just to get their feet wet. Now drain the tup and massage half of a teaspoon (just eyeball the amount) into all four feet. Leave this for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse and dry. This may need to be repeated around a week later depending on its effectiveness the first time. Otherwise, wait about a month and then do it again.

If she still tries to chew on he non-itchy paws just out of boredom, purchase an Elizabethan Collar (the 'lampshade' collar, 'cone', etc...) and when she is not sleeping or with you, have her wear it. After about a week of wearing this and not chewing, she will hopefully forget about chewing.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

Answer 3

A lot of times when dogs lick thier feet it's an allergy to something. If your vet just gave you antibiotics and a steroid then he's just fixing the immediate problem, not the long term condition. Find a vet that specializes in skin problems, it will be worth the money if he can find out what the real issue is. Lots of times dogs will develop a food allergy that can be cleared up with a special diet. If you're unable to get a vet's recommendation right away, try a new food (change over foods slowly to prevent stomach upset) like a lamb and rice formulation (maybe it's chicken or beef she's allergic to).

Answer 4

It is generally an allergy (most likely to grass or food). The problem is dog licks... feels good... keeps licking...becomes habit... habit becomes a secondary bacterial infection called Acral Lick Granuloma and can become VERY serious.

Fist, have him vet checked to make an expert opinion. Second, and I know this sounds weird. Get some Listerine. Yes Listerine!!!! The regular brown kind. Put on foot that the dog is licking. It will clear up MILD bacterial infection (SURFACE) and the dog will hate the taste - and hence break the cycle.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

my silky terrier had the same thing. she used to literally chew her paws off. as she has been caged up since she was a puppy for 2 years before i got her and as she is an active breed she was simply so bored. to keep herself occupied she would chew on her paws. the doctor did a check on her to see if she had a real medical issue but the meds never worked so we knew it was an obsessive behavior. what he recommended was to spray her with water, clap your hands or shake a bottle with pebbles to snap her out of it and say no. slowly she would learn that it's a bad behavior. maybe then try to distract her when she looks up at you. get her to focus on something else.
i hope this helps

Answer 7

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Answer 8

well my dog had the same problem. go to your vet again and tell them it is not getting better. my dog had a cone so that he was not able to lick his feet. Keep the cone on for a week, and still use medications. If after a week, his paws are still bad, go to the vet again.

good luck

Answer 9

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Answer 10

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