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Excessive Licking Of Paws

by Tammy
(Indiana)

Hi. My Australian Shepard constantly licks her paws. Is this a trait common to this breed? I am not sure how to treat this. I tried Dinovite at one point but she hated the taste and it didn't seem to help anyway. Thank you for any tips.

Comments for Excessive Licking Of Paws

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Allergies
by: Pippa

I took my mini Aussie to the vet last week because she was scratching but does not have flees. When I expressed my concern re food allergies she said that if she had a food allergy she would be licking her paws not her rear end. I found this interesting so passing it on.

Licking Paws
by: Nancy

My one Aussie did the same and his paws changed colors from white to brown. The vet said he had an allergy and to give him Benedryl. I didn't have to do that as I found out he was chewing on the hard bones with the marrow in the middle. He licked it after the peanut butter one. So now we don't get him the peanut butter one and no more licking and brown legs. You might want to check with your vet.

licking the paws
by: Tom

Is she licking the tops and sides? It's an itching problem. If she is licking the pads, you need to trim the hair around the pads. Had to do this with my 2, it grows so fast around the pads when they aren't so active at certain times of the year.
Enjoy those wriggle butts.

Possible yeast infection
by: Malovely

I had a lab that would aggressively lick her paws, especially during winter. I took her to the vet, and it turned out to be a yeast infection. That'd be my best guess. Good luck.

Depends...
by: Rob

This is clearly a variable issue. Our older Aussie will lick his paws a lot when it's self grooming time. He is very fastidious about his paws. By all accounts it's not something to be concerned about in his case unless he licks to excess.

There has been times when he has had a grass seed or some other irritant so it pays to pay attention.

I hear that dogs sometimes lick their paws if anxious?? Something to consider.

Possible Solution
by: Anonymous

My mini aussi had this problem when he was really little. I noticed he would lick his paws a lot especially after eating his puppy food. We switched him to gluten free natural balance dog food and he hasn't had a problem ever since except for when someone feeds him something with wheat in it. Doggy treats with wheat make him lick his paws, but he also got into bread one time (no yeast in it) and it made him throw up. Your dog could also have hay fever or be allergic to certain pollen. I'm not sure if this occurs with dogs but there is also a disorder called oral allergy syndrome that can occur for those who have hay fever. It's a disorder where the body mistakes certain pollens in certain fruits & vegetables for the grass, ragweed or birch pollens. This is especially prevalent when eating certain raw vegetables or fruit.

Two year old Aussie licks pads of paws all the time
by: Red Merle Mere

And I really mean ALL THE TImE. The hair has turned red. The skin is extremely inflamed. Every pore in paws can be seen. It almost looks borderline scabby. My gut tells me it’s allergies but the Vet says it’s anxiety. They won’t do allergy testing. He also has diarrhea a LOT. They gave him a med similar to Xanax. It isn’t helping!!!! I guess I change vets? I give him Benadryl a lot. Not sure how much it helps. A little bc he sleeps more.

Hi!
by: Anonymous

Hi! I’m not sure how long ago is the post... but I’m going through something similar with my Mini Aussie. She used to have two issues before: diarrhea and recurring Yeast infection on her paws.

We switched her diet to raw( so grain free) and her stool is totally normal. But she still has recurring Yeast infections.

I don’t like to give my dog medicine until I’m done with all the other possibilities of treatments. So right now her Vet recommended us a dog dermatologist, and she will take an allergy test. I’m hoping it’s not something crazy hard to prevent. But I’d guess it is something environmental... maybe grass. Not sure!

But one thing that helps her a LOT ( specially if her paws are not infected yet, just itchy) is if we soak her paws in Betadine( or Povodine Iodine). Mix with water until it covers the paws and has an iced tea color. Leave it for a minute or two.

Also, I clean her paws after we come back from every walk.

I hope this helps anyone!

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