[jessemorson]

Hello, I'm a new member to this forum, but i signed up because my dog is having a somewhat serious issue. I have a 9-12 month old Husky mix, and she's been chewing on herself for the last month or so. She's started chewing on her paws as of late until she bleeds, and i have no idea what to do about it, she's had tick and flea meds every month from when i got her, at about 3 months old, she's eating about two cups of food a day, if not a little more. she's not overweight, she's active and the like, and seeing as this is my first dog, i have no idea what's going on with her, but i'm rather worried something serious is happening. I try to dress the wounds, but any neosporin or similar product she just licks off, and when i tried hydrogen peroxide it didn't seem to help.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Foot licking and chewing is usually because of allergies, which could be any number of things. It could be food, or it could be environmental. Things like pollen, dust, weeds, grass etc... your vet could do an allergy test to get a better idea, then start a process of elimination to get down to the root of the problem.

 

[Our Pets Health]

if she's that irritated then you really need to get her checked. If she's just chewing her feet then yes allergies are most likely however they are a little unusual to start in a dog under 12 months (but it does happen). She could also have a yeast infection or mites (not all products will cover every type of mite) or something else.
If she's making them bleed then you're best to get proper help now than let it get even worse

 

[thatmurphydood]

I am just wondering if you ever figured this problem out? I’m having the same problem with my 10 month goldendoodle, however I believe his is anxiety related because he only does it when he’s in the crate

 

[Chihuahua Lola]

You should also get her heart checked. Even though she's quite small, and it's unlikely that she would develop such a condition, if the heart can't pump blood properly, the blood doesn't reach the paws, so the dog chews it's paws because they are numb.
You can also try a recipe to treat your dog's paws if allergies are the cause:
1cup of cooled green tea
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of salt
10 drops of lavender oil
*use this mixture only if there aren't open wounds, if there are, use just the green tea.

 

[Francl27]

Allergies. Go to the vet.

 

[baldjerry]

Paw Licking

This is going to be a long one due to I have been down this road with my Rottweiler who is 5 years old from when she was around say 6 months to a year old chronically licking 3 of her paws/legs. Why she does not touch the other has 4 Vet's stumped.


It all started out in the first fall after I got her and I have done a lot of research and she does not fit the profile for doing this. I am with her all the time being retired and take her everywhere I can with me to get her out. She gets her walks, but the only thing I cannot do is leave her outside in the yard alone due to she will eat anything.



I am thinking back to the first year and she started out on Benadryl per the Vet and I believe antibiotics. With this not working she added in Amitriptlyine and she hit her plateau due to it takes time to work and still doing it. Then Xanax was added in due to she is very bossy and demanding despite being basic and advanced trained. On a leash she is unbelievable and I can do anything with her and she listens perfect. Its the before she will follow me around and whine like she is in charge and telling me what to do wanting a walk or go somewhere. I walk into my kitchen and she is right there thinking she is getting a treat.


This resolved after we got our first deep frost once she was all healed up on all 3 paws/legs and all was good, then fall started to come back year 2 and it all started up again. Still 3 paws/legs and never touched the other. I forget how the change went from Amitriptline from the Vet to Prozac, but was on that for a long time with the Xanax. She was basically in a cycle where it was when fall was coming the licking started and injuries, many trips to the Vet, getting infections which I picked up on quick and never let the injuries she created get severe by bandaging her right up. Problem with that was she would lick through them so had to go with a lot or she would lick above or below.



I took her to a Specialty Vet which is basically like when a person needs a Specialist for a medical condition where they do not do general stuff only serious stuff. Hip surgery, knee surgery, spinal surgery, cancer, etc.


I was told to discontinue the Benadryl due to all those years it was not effective and to discontinue the Prozac due to all those year it was doing nothing. Her insides of her paws back then just like now are not red or irritated and perfectly normal. I have her on a 100% grain free diet. Purified water. Floors are all hardwood and have some small area rugs which for some reason she likes to put her feet under. I forgot they did add in Trazodone, which calmed her down for a couple days and it lost its effect.


I have her in an E-Collar and told the Vet I feel bad she has to wear it with tearing through bandages, getting them off, or licking above it or below it. I was told it is better to have it on her then her harming herself being so aggressive doing it.


I will give her a break and wrap her and keep a close eye on her but I notice she is always staring at me or trying to sneak away without the E-Collar. If I step away for 10 seconds and not in the same room it is instant licking I can hear and with her breed and aggression doing it she creates a small wound.



I will let her out in the morning to go out and if I am not there with her and the E-Collar is off due to she goes out after she eats once out the door if I am not right there she is licking away. Even while I am cleaning up the yard after she goes out she will try to hide on the deck to lick.



I was told it is something environmental here in Chicago and they are loaded with it and to always wash her paws/lower legs with warm water and paper towels whenever she comes in. Not sure if I put I have already tried a different food, different laundry detergent. My furnace is super high efficiency and the blower motor is always running at 20% to move air so their are not hot or cold parts of the home and is filtering all the time. I vacuum a lot and use a Dyson. I brush her to get excess fur out, brush her teeth, check her ears and clean them.



I know this is long, but this has been a long road and this year she did not come out of the licking at all. I know when the wound heals up with her breed it will be a white color at first and then turn dark and I was told that is when the wound is all healed up 100%. Problem is she will go right back to it again. Now I have her going at another paw with Fall approaching and not sure what is going to happen next with this E-Collar off, which they had to special order her a big one.



With this long road I think their were other medications tried, but all failed. The Specialty Vet said I could get the 2k to 3k allergy tests run on her, but advised against it due to they have done this many times in the past and they have come back negative showing no allergies and examining her paws on the top inside all looked clear showing no signs of allergies. That is when she told me that all the medications she is taking discontinue and explained the Prozac wean off due to that cannot be suddenly stopped and a wean down off the Xanax that with all that time she was on them they were ineffective. She did say try Zrtec and not the Zyrtec "D" due to that could harm her and told me the proper dosage for her weight due the internet was all over the place on how many to give. Talk to your Vet about Zrtec and do not trust the internet on this one due to the dosage by weight is all over the place on how many and how often.



This is my story on my dogs paw licking and have tried basically everything the 4 Vet's have come up with and nothing is working. Plus, the weird part that she stares and watches me to walk away so she can lick away or she will try to move out of my view to lick.



Has anyone had any results with anything else that were positive because I have no idea how to get her to stop doing this to herself with her being hyper fixated to do this and no medication has helped. Like I said I am always with her taking her places so it cannot be boredom due to she is never left alone. With her doing this since she was 6 months old/ 1 year old I do not feel it is a health issue with her being 5 and can run and go on long walks. Only time she whines is when she gets demanding to go on a walk so I do not think pain. I do not think OCD due to she was on two anti-depressents that did nothing.



Was it something environmental like they Vet's think it is, but with it going on for 5 years now and her not coming out of the licking after the first deep frost and healing up and being fine until the next fall is she just now this way? Where licking and causing injury to herself is a compulsion she is wired to do? Like it is normal for her to do this?


Like I said if anyone has had any success with something I would love to know due to I do not want her living her life in a E-Collar or to be wrapped up just to tear through them or lick above or below. Plus, with Fall approaching is she going to go at the other 2 paws/legs like she has always done?

 

[[email protected]]

Could be anxiety. Dont use the e.collar. It will cause anxiety. Treat the anxiety without meds. meds arent working & have side effects. Look into calming techniques. Eg meditation, yoga, my dog joins in doing stretches, even the downward facing dog pose! music (My dog loves native american flute music on the youtube.) aromatherapy-lavender almond, ceder oils, there's calming sprays for dogs that spray hormone mimic into the air, massage your dog, go swimming together if poss. Dont use weed killers if you do, check neighbours dont use it as the rain can wash it into yours.. Check for poisonous plants just in case. Try to eradicate any stress triggers. Make sure there's no prickles or shattered glass in your dogs feet or anywhere else. Make sure its not too cold/ icy, ice can burn paws or to hot outside. eg black asphalt is far to hot in mid day summer heat, so is sand. Morning & evening walks when the pavement is cooler. Consider buying dog shoes & socks. Check for dust mites under your mats, clean under them. If you think its grass pollen or grass mites, avoid grass.

 

[baldjerry]

Thank you for all you typed out and I cannot see it being anxiety due to it is not just my dog doing it. My neighbor’s dogs are doing it, I have a family member dog that is doing it and so are the neighbor’s dogs that live by them.



They even had that commercial on TV about stainless steel dog bowls and paw licking, which I cannot see it and heard of some product being advertised some company is claiming that this stops it. Do I believe that stuff I am seeing on TV, no I do not, but do feel that it something going on with them advertising this that it is all over or why are they putting commercials about it. That is why I cannot see it being anxiety with all these dogs doing the same thing. I have the biggest problem with her breed and being so aggressive when she does this doing it so fast where she pretty much creates a wound very fast. I have tried socks with wrapping them on with Coban, but she gets those right off. The next best thing is wrapping her with Coban and padding it like the Vet showed me. Big problem is if she gets it off and I am not with her like she did one night and what she did to herself.


Believe me I hate that E-Collar and a lot of the things you typed out I have tried and do not use weed killer and on walks I do not allow her to walk on other people’s grass because I have no clue what they could have put on it. That is why I always keep her on the sidewalk on walks. Whenever she comes in from outside I did what the Vet said is wipe her paws down with a wet paper towel and clean them off every time.



At her last appointment she had with the Vet I did bring up the E-Coller with what else can be done and was told that is the best alternative that I cannot let her basically mutilate her paws with her being able to create a wound as fast as she does when am not sitting with her watching her. I just want her to be like every dog I have ever had, but as you can see something is going on with all these dogs from the surrounding area all doing this and no one knows why.
Before I got her and she first started to do this I think the neighbors and all the dogs that are doing this they said were starting to do this about a year or two before. The Vet when I took her even said she was loaded with dogs coming in with it and had a couple theories. We had that problem with the West Nile Virus and they were spraying for it and a thought was them spraying it airborne was coming down being the cause. That them being exposed to this when this was being done do something to them causing this? Another thought was some spore in the Fall due to the dew on the grass not evaporating like it would during the summer months creating one. Then it seemed once that deep frost came everyone’s dog was fine and had some healing up to do.



She is medication free since last year and the Specialty Vet even said her rule of thumb is you try something briefly and if no results discontinue. That is when she went on a 7 days Xanax trial and no positive results and stopped. Then she tried Trazodone for 7 days and no results with that either and stopped. She even said with the anti-depressant from the regular Vet she was on them way to long with no results and told me how to wean her off of them slowly and safely. So she has been medication free except they wanted me to put her on Zyrtec once spring came and now having thoughts that is doing nothing. So something to discuss with the Vet when I take her in with her saying Benadryl was doing nothing giving it to her for so long that with her still doing this the Zyrtec is probably doing nothing too.


I even took her to another Vet we use to use that is a little ways away and she told me the same thing she is seeing a lot of this and thinks environmental, but has no answers.



I keep hearing from people and from what the Specialty Vet told me last year and the other Vet too that it is environmental here and they have no clue what it is, so it is like all the Vets are saying this, but none of them have answers. I also keep hearing things from people with their dogs doing this all the different things they are trying are not working. So basically none of us have a clue what is going on with why all these dogs are doing this. They are all doing so many different things the Vets are trying and nothing seems to be curbing this.
I am sure some dogs it is allergy related, but here I have no clue what is going on and wish I had a sooner appointment and can get some answers.

 

[Chas]

If it's environmental why not put her in boots whenever she goes out?

 

[[email protected]]

I think I would move house to another area where the dogs are fine then.