What Does It Mean When A Dog Licks Its Paws

Not only does excessive licking cause discomfort for your dog but it is often due to an underlying medical problem.

What does it mean when a dog licks its paws. Once the health issue has been resolved you should notice the paw licking disappears too. Anxiety hormones dermatitis etc it is essential to seek advice from your veterinarian. Cheri wulff lucas a dog behavior specialist and rescuer suggests that the most common reason for dogs to lick their paws is because something is on or in them. Bulldogs including french american and english bulldogs seem to suffer from this problem more than any other breed.

Clean your dog s feet with a wet wipe after going for a walk to prevent further irritation. Finally a dog that is experiencing pain due to arthritis or other foot or leg conditions may lick his paws. Paw licking is a common behavior for dogs. Notice a red swollen inflamed appearance to the area between the paws.

Why do dogs lick their paws. Do you see any glass or debris. Dogs with separation anxiety may lick themselves because the behavior releases soothing endorphins that help the dog feel calm. Even if the pain is somewhere else in their body some dogs will try to deal with.

Is a burr stuck between its toes. If your dog is a fastidious groomer you may notice him licking his paws after meals while settling down for a nap or after coming in from outdoors after meals. Finding the real cause of the itchiness can be a very frustrating ordeal. Maybe it s just water they re licking off or i live in california so my dogs sometimes get foxtail stuck in their paws says lucas.

It is important to first establish the reason why your dog is licking their paws before trying to modify this behavior. It doesn t help that all that constant foot licking can. Frequent licking can lead to skin irritation and the action could mean your pet is already uncomfortable. Some dogs lick their paws because they don t have anything better to do.

Paw licking is a common behavior in dogs but a healthy dog should not excessively paw lick and a history of excessive licking could be a red flag for a more serious problem. If the paw pad is cracked or inflamed it s likely your pup is suffering from either dry skin allergies or a flea bite. The first thing you should do is to inspect your dog s paws. In many instances it is harmless but when the licking becomes excessive a solution is needed.

If it is relating to a health issue e g. Dogs typically lick their paws as a part of self grooming. For example if your dog is licking their paws after walking then the itching is likely caused by pesticides found in the grass or by the grass and weeds themselves. Is your dog licking at his paws constantly.

If the paw pad is cut or bleeding then your dog is probably licking to clean the wound. If this is happening read on. While it s true they might simply be grooming themselves paw chewing could indicate something more going on if they are doing it all the time.