[ThisAdamGuy]

I've had Mitzi for just over two months now, and I love my little shih tzu! I've noticed two things, though. One is that she's constantly licking her front legs, just above her paws. I haven't paid enough attention to know whether she focuses on one or the other, but she's doing it all the time. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have fleas, since I took her to get a bath and trip a couple weeks ago and they inspected her and said she was pest free. Any idea what might cause this, and do I need to take her to the vet for it?

Second thing just started a few days ago. She's getting this weird mucus stuff on and around her eyes. It literally looks like somebody picked their nose and then wiped it on her eyes- sorry, but that's the best I can describe it. She acts like she can't even feel it, but then squirms when I try to wipe it off. I wonder if it isn't because, since she has such a flat face, she presses her nose straight into the ground when she sniffs stuff, and she might be wiping mucus from her nose further up her face? I dunno. Anybody have any ideas, and do you think I should take her to the vet for that either?

 

[Sabina88]

She might have an allergy (food or environmental) or just having a reaction to something she touched. I would maybe take her to the vet since this just started and she's having discharge/eye googies. Your vet will be able to tell you if its some kind of allergies, reaction, something irritating her eyes or something else completely different.
Was she just recently groomed (shaved included)?
Is this the first time this has ever happened with her?

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

This was the first time *I've* ever gotten her groomed. Yes, she got a haircut. They didn't completely shave her, if that's what you mean, but yes she got a lot of it cut off. I suppose it might be whatever kind of shampoo they used on her, but I doubt it. She was licking her paw before I took her there, and the gunk started appearing in her eyes long enough afterwards that I don't think they're related. I don't know if it's the first time it's happened to her, since I only got her a couple months ago. I guess I could reach out to her old owners and see if they know anything. I hope the licking isn't an allergic reaction, because she's been doing that almost the whole time since I brought her home, which means whatever's causing it is probably in my apartment.

Here's a pic I took of her before and after her haircut.

 

[Sabina88]

I was thinking she could have gotten a little irritated from shaving but since it started before hand it seems less likely. It could be something in your apartment, it could be something in the air/outside or it could be her diet (if it is in fact a allergy). Since it seems like it is discharge I would take her to the vets. It would be good to make sure theres nothing in the eyes causing it or if its something else. The licking and eye discharge could be linked or they could be two separate symptoms of two different things.

 

[Laco]

Some dogs just lick. Samantha will go through phases where she will lick her paws, or legs. She will stop on command, but probably when I'm not looking she will do it again. Then it passes, won't happen for months, then another month or so of licking. No pests, no bites, no obvious skin issues, doesn't seem to hurt anything.

 

[busannie]

One of the more common reasons for dogs to lick their legs/feet is allergies, but some will do it as a displacement behavior when they are stressed or bored. You could maybe try wiping her feet/legs off when you bring her in and see if that helps any.

The eye boogers probably warrant a visit to the vet sooner rather than later. It's possible that they may just be irritated from something (maybe the same thing that's causing her to chew her legs?), but there could also be more serious causes, and eye problems/injuries can escalate quickly if not treated or treated incorrectly. Shih Tzus are one of several breeds that are prone to getting dry eyes (technical term is Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca), and though it seems strange, eyes not producing enough tears will actually produce more "eye boogers" than healthy eyes. It could be a thousand other things too, but that's just something that comes to mind first due to having washed lots of Shih Tzus with gross crusty (uncomfortable looking!) eyes due to untreated KCS. Regardless of the cause, the vet should be able to figure it out and either treat it or provide reassurance if it's normal

 

[Candace]

I've had Mitzi for just over two months now, and I love my little shih tzu! I've noticed two things, though. One is that she's constantly licking her front legs, just above her paws. I haven't paid enough attention to know whether she focuses on one or the other, but she's doing it all the time. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have fleas, since I took her to get a bath and trip a couple weeks ago and they inspected her and said she was pest free. Any idea what might cause this, and do I need to take her to the vet for it?

Second thing just started a few days ago. She's getting this weird mucus stuff on and around her eyes. It literally looks like somebody picked their nose and then wiped it on her eyes- sorry, but that's the best I can describe it. She acts like she can't even feel it, but then squirms when I try to wipe it off. I wonder if it isn't because, since she has such a flat face, she presses her nose straight into the ground when she sniffs stuff, and she might be wiping mucus from her nose further up her face? I dunno. Anybody have any ideas, and do you think I should take her to the vet for that either?

The same thing is happening to our Milo. It is an allergic reaction to his food. I just tried a new dog food mostly made of chicken and he is allergic. I am now going to do some investigating on how I can relieve his symptoms other than the obvious of discontinuing the food.