Lick Lick Lick Lick....

[Sugar's Mom]

My 15-month old has always been a licker. She loves to give lots of kisses and frequently comes up to my husband or me and licks whatever skin is showing... or even our clothes! But lately she has begun to lick, lick, lick her paws a lot. I can't see anything wrong, but I am worried about this new behavior. Is she anxious about something because she licks so much? We have had a lot of tension in the house lately.

 

[FarleyBoxer]

Look at the underside of her paws, b/t the pads, and see if the skin is red or inflamed looking. That is usually a sign of allergies and is the way I know that Farley's are acting up. Sometimes if they chew/lick on them enough, they can start a secondary infection that makes the skin take on a whitish, slimy look, like an infected scrape on a person's skin.

 

[basak]

I agree with FarleyBoxer. Look between the pads and between the toes (?). If they are reddish, it is allergies. Krose has allergies, mostly food related. That's how I understand he ate something (probably one of the grandma's gave to him :rolleyes: ) he shouldn't have

basak

 

[Sugar's Mom]

Thanks so much! This board and you guys are great! Her flesh under the white fur is a bit pinkish.... Could this be a food allergy or would it be a grass or other "contact" thing? She has been on a Waltham diet for the past three weeks due to an upset tummy.... caused from eating too much grass!

 

[Tiggerolgy]

The fur is pinkish because it is saliva stained. Sometimes dogs start licking because of an irriation and it turns into a habit. If it doesn't resolve some time soon I would advise seeking veterinary attention so that your girl doens't create a skin infection. It might also be worth it to try and figure out why she eats so much grass. Dogs typically don't eat grass to make their stomach is upset, they eat it because their stomach is already upset. It could be that whatever is upsetting her stomach could be acting as a skin irritant also.

 

[DigiandDozer]

It could be anxiety

I have a friend whose pug licks his paws constantly. I read up on it to try to help her out and what I found was that it was a common sign of boredom and anxiety. She took him to the vet recently and they said the same thing. Whenever I am around him and he is licking I just put a rawhide in his mouth and it seems to work.

 

[amy519]

I've got the same problem

I have a female boxer who constantly licks her paws also. It seems to happen a lot during allergy season. I take her to the vet twice a year for allery shots. Any in the meantime give her regular benadryl ( as prescribed by my vet ). I give her two in the morning, and it really helps with her itching. It also keeps me sane, the constant licking sometimes drives me crazy. It also makes me feel helpless, I hate not being able to immediately fix the problem.
Her paws are also stained from the saliva. Once Winter comes it usually subsides and the color returns to normal. Hope this helps.

 

[moira]

My white boxer girl licks her paws a lot. They are now brown paws!!! It does drive me insane listening to the constant licking. I was interested to hear that you use Benadryl. What doseage should I try with Holly.

 

[amy519]

I give Peyton, who's 50 lbs, two in the morning. I'm not sure how you give your dogs pills, but she loves peanut butter. I just stick them in a scoop and she never notices. I started out giving her one a day, wanting to make sure it didn't make her drowsy or anything. Once that dose seemed ok I started giving her two. It's worked out fine for her. Hope this helps.

 

[Sugar's Mom]

I took Sugar to the vet, who agreed it was allergies and gave her very expensive pills for 3 weeks. She stopped the licking and chewing after just two doses! But now that several folks have mentioned Benadryl, I think I might try that if/when the problem resurfaces. Thanks!