anxiety
I have a ten year old English who tends to lick his paw when anxious. He is such a good guy. Do you have any recommendations as to how I can remedy this. Best. |
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| Have you eliminated allergy problems? Seasonal allergies, food allergies, etc can often lead to paw licking. Also is it a social issue? Problems with other animals/children in the house or neighborhood? Boredom? There are a variety of dog calming products; herbs, spray, etc that might help: Bach's Rescue Remedy, Comfort Zone. If the problem isn't a social problem, afraid of outdoor or people, maybe more exercise, mental stimulation would help. At home a good chew bone, a quiet place just for the dog maybe with Comfort Zone dispenser in the area. If it continues consult a vet, you pup may need medical intervention along with the physical/mental activity. Finally don't discount the obvious, there's something inside the foot.......grass awn or something that hurts. My girl is a paw licker but for her it is arthritis........she's "rubbing" it to ease the pain. |
| Paw licking is one of the allergy symptoms our guy gets the second he eats even the tiniest bit of beef. It can trigger eight to ten weeks of licking. I'd definitely look at allergies first. If you've completely ruled it out, you could talk to your vet about a mild calming medication if it's anxiety based. |
| Hi, One of my previous dogs did this and it turned out it was allergies - and the paws were an easy access for him to lick unlike his back or other body parts. I think you should perhaps get him checked out for allergies and although some will say, "but he/she has never had them before". This doesn't necessarily mean a quarantee they will not develop them later in life as happens with people too. The immune system may be out of whack as one ages and it opens up the doors for allergies. Anyhow, my doctor told me to give my old guy Benadryl and it did wonders (but please check with your vet it's safe to give) Good luck |
| How exactly does one look into allergies with dogs? With people they have those scratch tests. What do they do with dogs? I don't have any such issues with my dogs (knock wood) but I am curious. |
Mady wrote: How exactly does one look into allergies with dogs? With people they have those scratch tests. What do they do with dogs? I don't have any such issues with my dogs (knock wood) but I am curious. You go to a specialist who is an allergy/dermatology vet. They can determine if it is a food allergy, contact allergy or inhalant allergy. The inital cost seems expensive but in the long run it is much cheaper than trying to "hit & miss" to find the culprit. Inhalant allergy tests are generally done by what is called a skin punch test. Food allergies are done by starting from scratch & slowly adding 1 type of food until a reaction is found & then elimating that from the diet. As for not wanting a dog on medication for a long period of time.....I can understand the initial thought. But having had a dog with inhalant allergies in the past, I can honestly say that injections or medications often times help to strengthen the dog's over all health as their system isn't constantly battling the allergen. |
| Ours was a simple exclusion diet. No wheat, chicken, or beef of any kind. Symptoms cleared up over time. I have since discovered (via counter surfing) that wheat and chicken are not the big culprits. He nabbed a marinating strip loin, however, and had a two and a half month flare up. His ears also get hot and itchy during a reaction. We now keep him on turkey and barley food with wheat and beef free treats. It has been great. |
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