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As with other dog behaviors, there can be several reasons that lead dogs to lick or chew their paws. These include injuries; skin problems; environmental, parasite, or food allergies; and boredom or anxiety.
Occasional paw licking is normal for dogs as a part of their self-grooming process, especially when they come inside after walking on dirty or sandy ground. But if your dog frequently and intensely licks his paws, you can assume that something is wrong.
The first step to take, especially if the licking begins very suddenly and is focused on one paw, is to examine the paws to make certain there is not an injury such as a cut, torn nail, growth, or perhaps a stone, thorn, or ice ball stuck between the pads. Look closely at the nails, between the toes and pads, and at the tops of the feet.
Your dog may have irritated his paw by stepping on something sharp, walking on salted or hot sidewalks, being stung by a bee, or getting a blister. Some of these problems can be relieved by a simple first aid treatment, while others might require treatment by a veterinarian.
If the paw pads and feet appear normal, the licking could be due to a skin condition (dermatitis), which often is the result of bacterial problems, allergies, or food sensitivities. Your dog could develop dermatitis by being allergic to chemicals used in your yard, deicing products, or certain types of grass or weeds. Keeping a bowl of water and a towel near the door to gently clean off the paws when you come inside could help.
Parasite infections such as fleas or mange can cause the paws to be very itchy. Your veterinarian can recommend treatments to eliminate the parasites, which should relieve the itching.
Food allergies are known to cause itchy paws, and these types of allergies are difficult to pinpoint. Your vet may suggest a special diet or elimination of certain ingredients in your dog’s food to try to alleviate the problem.
Finally, a dog that is experiencing pain due to arthritis or other foot or leg conditions may lick his paws. Even if the pain is somewhere else in their body, some dogs will try to deal with it by licking a front paw continuously. This requires diagnosis and treatment by a veterinarian.
If you and your veterinarian have ruled out all of the above problems, than your dog may be suffering from boredom or a behavioral problem such as anxiety. Again, this is difficult to diagnose, but there are some steps you can take to help. Some dogs develop compulsive behaviors, which include paw licking.
To alleviate boredom, try taking your dog for more walks, runs, or playtime with you and with other dogs to use up more mental and physical energy. Give him puzzle toys or safe chew toys to take his focus away from his paws.
If you think anxiety, such as fear of noises or separation anxiety, may be causing him to lick his paws, there are a number of ways you can attempt to relieve the anxiety, including calming treats. A good animal behaviorist can suggest a variety of options to try.
It’s important to recognize that licking behavior can be indicative of a health problem or may become harmful to the dog. You should work with your veterinarian to determine the cause and find an appropriate solution. Don’t wait too long to do this, because the moisture of constant foot licking can cause a secondary bacterial or yeast infection – causing even more itching, redness, swelling, and licking.
Meanwhile, depending on the underlying cause of the problem, the veterinarian may relieve your dog’s itching by prescribing topical anti-itch sprays, steroids to reduce inflammation, antibiotics for a bacterial infection, or antifungals for yeast infections. The sooner you can address the problem and illuminate the cause, the better.
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Why Do Dogs Lick Their Paws and Legs?
A dog constantly licking its front legs can be a frustrating ordeal to handle. It can be hard to miss, especially if your dog makes loud licking sounds, and you are trying to finally get some sleep after a long day at work.
Perhaps you might think that a dog licking his front legs is a normal occurrence, but unlike their feline counterparts, they may not be licking to get clean. Sure, dogs do like to engage in self-grooming at times, but if your dog is constantly licking his front legs, something may be amiss.
Before just ignoring the behavior or thinking it isn’t something to be concerned about because “all dogs do it,” let’s consider a few possible reasons behind the licking.
Like humans, dogs are susceptible to allergies, too. They might occasionally sneeze (hey, their sniffer is much more attuned than ours), but more than likely, if something has irritated their system, they’re not going to be reaching for the Kleenex or rubbing at itchy eyes. They’re instead going to be licking those paws and front legs.
In dogs, excessive front leg licking can arise as a result of atopy (intolerance to environmental allergens such as pollens, molds, dust, and dust mites).
Think about if you went walking around barefoot everywhere, you’d pick up some weird things on your feet and the lower parts of the legs, too (especially if you walk in tall grass). That’s essentially what dogs do every time they leave the house. They get great smells and sights, but they also bring home whatever they’ve walked through on the day’s jaunt.
On top of being allergic to things in their environment, many dogs who are constantly licking their front legs may also be allergic to ingredients in their foods.
Solution: A trip to your vet for evaluation can give your dog some much-needed relief and a rest from having to hear your dog going at his front legs and paws non-stop.
It might be that a pill or an injection is needed to relieve the irritation on their legs and in the grand scheme of things, that’s a minor price to pay to ensure your fur baby is happy and healthy.
You don’t want to let it go on too long though because their saliva isn’t the best thing to be constantly rubbing on those legs. Especially in lighter-colored breeds, this excessive licking can lead to unsightly rusty stains on their legs.
In the worst-case scenario, some dogs may develop whats known as an “acral lick granuloma” which is quite frustrating to get under control.
If you’ve ruled out allergies, there may be a more painful reason your pup can’t quit licking those paws. Try to take a peek at those legs and see if you can find what might be bothering them. It could be a simple fix like a broken nail, or they picked up something that got stuck in their skin on their latest walk. Check for swellings, bug bites, lumps and bumps, or foreign objects embedded.
If after examination your pup is still not giving up on licking and chewing those front legs, they may have a more severe condition.
In dogs, pain in other parts of the body can manifest in the feet or legs, causing the dog to try and lick the nerve endings that are sparking to try and ease the pain. If this is the case, making a trip to your vet is a wise move.
Solution: Carefully examine your dogs front legs for signs of scrapes, bug bites or thorns. If you find nothing, your veterinarian should be able to evaluate more thoroughly and figure out if pain or discomfort is localized to the legs or somewhere else in the body such as the spine or even in the dogs mouth.
Sometimes, dogs that engage in excessive licking may be suffering from nausea, especially if such dogs are smacking their lips and drooling.
Licking may involve floors, carpets, furniture, and of course, even the dogs front legs may be involved, especially considering that they come in handy when the dog is lying down with his legs readily in front of him.
“This licking may occur often, but because it seems harmless and may only be somewhat annoying, many owners accept this unusual behavior or simply ignore it. However, some owners will inquire about it during a routine checkup and ask for advice,” says board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Valerie Tynes in an article for DVM360.
Solution: Have your dog see your vet to rule out nausea or other underlying problems such as allergies. Be ready to answer questions about your dogs diet and any other treats or medications your dog takes.
Boredom or obsessive behaviour can be the cause of the licking.
Dogs, like humans, are capable of developing compulsive behaviors and leg licking can, unfortunately, turn into one such behavior.
If they’ve been licking because of a painful bug bite or because of untreated allergies, even after those conditions have been remedied, they may have conditioned themselves to keep licking and licking and licking. Seeing a behavior specialist might be a good move if you notice your pup’s continued behavior.
You want to make sure your fur baby isn’t bored. Dogs do all kinds of things to relieve boredom from jumping on furniture and scratching where they shouldn’t to, yes, licking those front legs repeatedly.
Dogs need daily exercise, play, mental stimulation, and training. If your dog is closed all day in the yard or in a room with nothing better to do, he may find his own forms of entertainment and this may involve licking their front legs excessively.
Solution: Ensure your pup has adequate exercise and engagement throughout the day. Boredom fosters undesirable behaviors and those bad actions can snowball into even bigger problems if left unaddressed.
Anxiety and stress may play a role too. Exposure to frightening interactions with people or other animals may lead to excessive front-leg licking as a way for the dog to self-soothe himself.
Many things in our daily lives can cause anxiety and stress in dogs. From noises to changes in their environment (a baby, new pet, guests, people working in the apartment), they sure can play a number in their lives.
Solution: Make sure that your dog feels safe so provide him with an environment that is as stress-free as possible. There are a variety of calming aids for dogs that can be found over the counter. Severe cases may require prescription medications from your vet.
Frustration can cause licking too and licking those front legs may be a way the dog copes with it. The last dog I had over for boarding and training was licking her front legs over and over. The owner thought it was normal, just a little odd quirk.
A closer evaluation revealed that she often did this when a toy she was playing with on the couch fell to the ground. She also did it when she wanted something and couldnt have it, such as treats being in my treat bag or a toy being placed on a shelf. Specialized training helped this dog out and the leg licking dramatically decreased.
Solution: Implement impulse control dog training and teach your dog to better cope with frustration.
Some dogs take licking their legs to a higher level. In these dogs, the licking may have started from an itchy condition or stress and it put roots to the point of becoming very ingrained.
Solution: Seek out a behavioral specialist if after trying everything else, your pup just won’t quit licking. They may have developed a compulsion around the behavior that needs to be corrected with behavior modification.
Sometimes, dogs who love to receive attention may perform behaviors that they feel garner attention. So for instance, if your dog wants attention from you when you come home from work and you ignore him, but then when he licks his front paws, you look at him and tell him to stop, your dog may find this behavior reinforcing, so hell continue to perform it.
Solution: Ignore the leg licking behavior and work on reinforcing other more desirable behaviors.
Skin Infection
Bacterial infections and fungal infections can affect your dogs feet and cause skin problems and irritation, driving Fido to lick. Your dog might come across fungal spores or bacteria in his environment and pick them up on the paws. Sometimes, however, these infections occur for unknown reasons.
Bacterial and fungal infections can occur because of allergies as well. This kind of secondary infection is one of the leading causes of problematic paw-licking behavior in dogs. Because your dogs paws stay damp when hes licking them constantly, it creates an ideal environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive. Yeast infections in the paws are particularly common for this reason.
Excessive Paw Licking? Why it happens and What you can do.
Dogs arent the careful self-groomers our feline friends are, but they do lick themselves occasionally. Its perfectly normal for your dog to lick his paws (or her paws) occasionally, especially if theyve just been outside and got moisture or dirt on their paws.
However, excessive licking, nibbling, and chewing at their paws or paw pads isnt normal. If youve noticed your dog licking their paws frequently, or if you cant get them to stop, something is probably wrong.
Frequent licking and biting at an area can lead to one or more hot spots. These are red, wet areas of inflamed skin underneath the fur, and they can become infected if you don’t deal with them. Hot spots are just one of several complications that can come from repeated licking and chewing at the paws.
There are many reasons for excessive licking at the paws. If youve found yourself asking, “Why does my dog lick his paws?”, one of the causes below may be to blame. Lets take a look at some common causes so that you can learn what to watch for and how to respond.