Obsessive licking is just about as bad as nails on a chalkboard. It can almost drive you crazy! Some dogs seem to lick and chew their paws almost constantly, only stopping when they are eating or finally fall asleep.
But why?
In order to stop your dog from licking his paws, you have to know why he is doing it, and there could be several reasons for the seemingly OCD behavior.
Allergies
One of the growing reasons pet parents are seeing obsessive paw licking stems from allergies. Just like a human gets hives or becomes itchy and breaks out when we come in contact with an allergen, a dog can have the same reaction.
Common allergies that cause paw licking are environmental allergies, such as grass and food allergies. Food allergies account for about 10% of all allergies seen in dogs, making it the third most common cause. When it comes to causes for itchy and scratching, food allergies account for 20%.
Luckily, this can be fixed easily with an allergy test. Once you know what the allergies are, you can avoid it and the licking should stop. Your vet can prescribe medications to ease your dog’s suffering as well.
Injuries
If your dog suddenly starts licking and chewing, which they haven’t done before, it could be allergies. But it could also be an injury. Dogs lick wounds, this we know, but they will also lick a place that hurts, even if you can’t see the injury.
According to VetStreet.com, common injuries that may cause your dog to lick are:
- Puncture wounds on the toes or pads
- Bone fractures in the toes or claws
- Burns
- Corns
- Foreign bodies lodged in-between toes or in their fur (such as a burr, seed, or tick)
- Cysts
- Tumors
- Cancers
Infections
Your dog may also be licking his paws due to infections such as bacteria or yeast. Or, maybe they had a cut, and now it’s infected.
Go To The Vet
For all of these, you need to go to the vet. The sooner you go, the sooner your dog can get relief, and you won’t have to listen to the licking anymore. They can not only figure out the causes, but can give you things to relieve and even suggest ways to prevent your dog from licking, such as wrapping the paw. However, this is not a good way to treat all injuries, so consult with a vet instead of trying to “self-doctor,” as you may do more harm than good.
Waiting will only exacerbate the problem and could end up costing you more money, so don’t guess about what’s causing it or think it will go away on it’s on. Because it won’t.
Behavioral Problem
For some dogs, the licking can become a behavioral issue. It may have started due to an injured paw or allergic reaction, but then your dog will continue to lick even after the irritant is gone because the behavior has become an obsessive compulsive one. This is not an easy thing to fix – just like OCD is not easily treated in humans.
If you have been to the vet and the problem has been cleared, but your dog continues to lick, you now have a compulsive behavior that needs to be addressed. You will need to work with a positive reinforcement professional dog trainer who is familiar with these types of cases. For example, they may suggest giving your dog something else to lick and chew can help while waiting for the meds to kick in.
A combination of behavior modification and removing any stimuli that may be triggering the behavior is a must in order to be successful at curbing your dog’s desire to lick and chew.
