Sudden paw licking…..
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Topper started licking the middle 2 toes on his rear foot several days ago, by the second day they were swollen and red and no hair, getting pretty raw. Like you, I couldn't find anything visible to my eye, anyway. We tried to distract, I used tea tree oil near the open areas because he hates that smell, and alternated using an antibiotic ointment, a benadryl ointment, and an anti-fungal drop on the red areas. After 3 days, they are much better and he is less interested, I think a combination of all of the above, especially preventing the licking. The worst night I gave a benadryl pill, too. I thought it might be an insect sting, but they can develop "lick sores" pretty fast! Good luck, I hope your boy's foot clears up soon!
Anne
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Yep 2 out of my 3 will start to do it when their glands need emptied and I know of quite a few other dogs that do the same.
Hope you get to the bottom of the problem.
Interesting. I hadn't heard of paw licking being a symptom of anal gland issues. Good to know. Thanks.
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Topper started licking the middle 2 toes on his rear foot several days ago, by the second day they were swollen and red and no hair, getting pretty raw. Like you, I couldn't find anything visible to my eye, anyway. We tried to distract, I used tea tree oil near the open areas because he hates that smell, and alternated using an antibiotic ointment, a benadryl ointment, and an anti-fungal drop on the red areas. After 3 days, they are much better and he is less interested, I think a combination of all of the above, especially preventing the licking. The worst night I gave a benadryl pill, too. I thought it might be an insect sting, but they can develop "lick sores" pretty fast! Good luck, I hope your boy's foot clears up soon!
Anne
Sounds interesting, I will try that…....it's not getting any worse, but it's not getting any better either so I will try ANYTHING. I may also have his glands checked out...
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EL D had a tiny rose thorn imbedded in his paw once and did a lot of paw licking and biting. Eventually I found the little pin hole and managed to draw out the prickle. It could still be something in his paw.
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EL D had a tiny rose thorn imbedded in his paw once and did a lot of paw licking and biting. Eventually I found the little pin hole and managed to draw out the prickle. It could still be something in his paw.
That's a good point, thank you. I DO have rose bushes in the yard….
As for the 'anal glands' does anyone know of any other symptoms that would tell me they need to be checked? -
Scooting.
It's easy enough to clear the glands, so I'd just get that done (or you can do it) and go through the rest of your list of things to check.
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Scooting.
It's easy enough to clear the glands, so I'd just get that done (or you can do it) and go through the rest of your list of things to check.
Hmmm, he never scoots. At least not that I've noticed…
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Mine had the same paw issue a month ago. We took him to the vet and they sad it was probably some type of allergy (enviromental most likely, but maybe food). they put him on temaril-p (sp?) which helped. His nose also got swollen. Then a couple days ago his eye swelled. We took him back and they still think its allergies. When he wasnt on Temaril I had him on 1mg of Benedryl per pound of weight, 2-3 times a day. That really helps and its safe to give. I also cleaned his feet when he came inside with a strong black tea (use double the tea if you were making it for yourself), this really helped to stop the itching, and therefore the licking. I have also read that apple cider vinegar and water mixed 2:1 will help. Good Luck!
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Have you tried changing food? Ours made a miraculous recovery once we got her off of food with corn/corn products.
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Have you tried changing food? Ours made a miraculous recovery once we got her off of food with corn/corn products.
He's on Merrick's Wilderness Blend and has been for about 5 months so I don't think it's that. I'm thinking it's the anal glands, I'm gonna have him checked out. What I noticed over the weekend was that he's actually licking ALL of his paws…..not CONSTANTLY but enough to notice.....
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Foot chewing is often linked to food allergies. They can occur even if the dog has been eating that food or treat for awhile, actually it usually takes a litte bit of time before you see a reaction. Besides his food, does he get any treats? What about chewies?
Even though Merrick's is a good quality food, the Wilderness Blend still has grains which can be an allergen. You may want to try one of their Before Grain foods and see if there is an improvement.
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He's on Merrick's Wilderness Blend and has been for about 5 months so I don't think it's that. I'm thinking it's the anal glands, I'm gonna have him checked out. What I noticed over the weekend was that he's actually licking ALL of his paws…..not CONSTANTLY but enough to notice.....
Foot licking is certainly an alert to allergies, food or otherwise… and honestly, I have never heard that food licking = anal glands... I am sure that the it can happen, but not the norm..... again, not in my experience
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Yup, we switched our girl to Merricks BG and she's fine now. The licking all paws is a common early food allergy sign. It got worse from there. I'd really give a non-grain food a try if I were you.
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Yup, we switched our girl to Merricks BG and she's fine now. The licking all paws is a common early food allergy sign. It got worse from there. I'd really give a non-grain food a try if I were you.
Well, that's easy enough to do so I'll go with that first…...thanks to all!!!!
BTW, can anyone advise which dry BG is better for B's?? -
Our pups eat the dry Merricks BG Buffalo. They like it and are healthy - I've noticed their coats are a little dry (maybe because buffalo is lean?) so I just started adding a little fish oil.
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Just thought I'd give you guys an update to Ali's paw licking. Took him to the vet and he feels it's an allergy (like a lot of you guys suggested) but he thinks it may be seasonal or environmental, not food. He gave him a shot and some topical ointment for his paw….told me to monitor the situation and see if it goes away in a week or two....
Oh, and he also drained his anal glands too!!! -
My boy does this with outside allergens 2 times a year.
I give him benydril and it works wonders for him.
BUT he also has grain issues, so he eats grain free food.
Good luck and keep us posted. -
My boy does this with outside allergens 2 times a year.
I give him benydril and it works wonders for him.
BUT he also has grain issues, so he eats grain free food.
Good luck and keep us posted.Yeah, I think I'm gonna go with the grain free food anyway…......Merrick's BG, I guess. He's on Wilderness Blend now (which he loves)...unless someone has some other grain free suggestions?
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Ours have been on Merrick's BG for a while, but we just started switching over to Wellness Core (Chicken) and they seem to love it - they'll pick those bits out first. Maybe they just like a change sometimes. If you go that way, be sure to get the Core - other Wellness varieties are not grain free.
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Ours have been on Merrick's BG for a while, but we just started switching over to Wellness Core (Chicken) and they seem to love it - they'll pick those bits out first. Maybe they just like a change sometimes. If you go that way, be sure to get the Core - other Wellness varieties are not grain free.
I am familiar with Wellness Core but didn't know it was grain free….thanks!!!
