Champ chews the bottoms of his paws quite regulalry and quite intensely too. I don't think its hurting him, but im concerned that if he carries on too much then it will start hurting him. Does anyone have any ways I can prevent this or know any reasons why he chews so much?
It can often be allergies. I think a few others have had this problem and will reply. they will be able to explain in more detail and i think there Is some stuff on the website too
Pongo has been chewing his paws all summer. Fairly sure it is an allergy or reaction to something on the ground. I'm worried that he'll lick them raw, and then we'll be in trouble. I have started washing them after his walks - thinking that he might be picking up an irritant of some sort - and it seems to help, although not completely. My technique involves a bucket of water and four treats (to keep his nose busy while I pick up one paw at a time and put them into the bucket - he is so keen on the treat he doesn't seem to notice and happily stomps down in the water so I can wash him). Of course he then licks his paws dry, but not so much nibbling and not so obsessive, so I think it is worth the effort!
I too would say allergies and that his feet are uncomfortably itchy. I'd take him to the vet to chat about some medication. If it's an allergy then medications like antihistamines and steroid tablets can bring a lot of relief. Ongoing chewing and licking can lead to sores which are hard to heal up and also thickening of the skin which is permanent.
That sounds like its worth trying! Champ loves getting wet, so it wouldnt be hard to do like Pongo hes only been chewing them since the summer started, hes never done it before, so guessing its something to do with the warmer weather and allergies etc. Will certainly give paw washing a shot though...seems logical really doesn't it
Yeah thats what I was worried about, I don't want him hurting himself the vet will know what to do. Just wanna give huim some relief.
I remember reading somewhere that paw chewing can be an indication of pain elsewhere. Snowie used to chew his paws A LOT and we thought it was allergies. I tried almost everything: soaking his paws in a solution of betadine, in a solution of salt water, in a solution of weak hydrogen peroxide (all solutions found on a vet's website). Also applied apple cider vinegar. I also would rub milking cream (lanolin and chlorohexidine) between the pads -- but he loved the taste and licked it as I was rubbing it in. He usually goes into our pool after walks, so he is most times washing off any potential allergens, and I always rub them as dry as I can with a towel. He chewed parts of his feet very pink and slightly raw. It was very distressing for us, and I am sure it was for him, too -- all that wasted time he'd spend worrying his paws. I realise now that he no longer chews his paws anymore. It could be various reasons. Perhaps he is no longer in pain -- his slipped disc appears to have healed very well cos he is showing no signs of back pain. Or it could be that he is on a very low dose of prednisone for general itchiness (vet suggested it -- we're down to 1.25 gm per day, which we might reduce to every other day if his itching reduces further). I've stopped all the paw soaking and other remedies as he's not chewing his paws, although he does still go into the pool after his walks, so he does wash his feet at least once a day! Best of luck. It is very difficult knowing what to do when our dogs can't speak to us. But we try our best and hope we're not making matters worse (I do worry about the cortisone treatment, but Snowie is SO much happier now that he is no longer itchy). I have read that rubbing in cortisone cream is better than giving the tablets because it is localised treatment, but Snowie would lick it off, too. If you did try cortisone cream, I guess rubbing it on just before a walk reduces the chance of it being licked off.
My boy Brogan did this consistently during late August/early September. The vet said it was grass allergies. It also was accompanied by licking his legs and sometimes hot spots. The only thing that really helped was an allergy shot from the vet and some cortisone creme on the bits that were going towards being hot spots. But the shot(s) always did the trick until the next year and didn't have any side effects that I noticed. He also chewed his nails from time to time throughout the year, but that was nerves. I used to think he'd inherited that bad habit from me as I do the same (how embarrassing!). He never hurt himself doing it, though, it was just kind of irritating to have him slurping on his feet next to me while I worked. I really miss that sound now.
Thank you for your reply, thats very interesting. Paw chewing being an indication of pain elsewhere. Champ does have an ear infection and is clearly bothering him we've got ear drops for him, but we have to go back to the vets next weeks anyway. Hes due injections but im not sure they'll do it if hes got an ear infection I will be able to ask about his paws. Im glad Snowie is much happier now and his back is so much better it certainly is a worry, sometimes I wish he could just talk to me and tell me what was wrong! The cortisone cream sounds like it might be worth a try...but before a walk!
Paw chewing is frequently related to allergies, but that can also be from his diet so it may be worth considering a change of food and main protein source. For example instead of chicken try a food with lamb, fish or duck and the less fillers in the form of rice etc. the better
Following on from what @MaccieD said, we have Snowie on raw food due to allergies -- in case his allergies are diet related. We also cut out chicken for this reason. But he is a scavenger and it's impossible (short of muzzling him or never walking him) to stop him eating chicken bones he finds lying around on our walks (people don't seem to think that tossing chicken bones onto the grass or pavement or into the gutter is littering ). But we have tried the diet route and still he chewed his paws. You do mention an ear infection and that sounds like it might be related to the paws in terms of allergies -- allergic dogs tend to get yeasty ears and yeasty paws. If you smell his ears and his paws, what do they smell like? The yeasty smell is very obvious, although not like bread as our vet suggested... I'd say definitely not as nice as freshly baked bread!
i'm a bit ashamed to say I'm not sure what it was exactly. Put that down to my lack of German the first time they gave him the shot. My understanding was that it was an antibiotic to fight the infection plus anti-itch (which would be cortisone). They would give him the shot then send me home with oral antibiotics for 3-4 days followed by a re-check. Usually the one shot and 5 days of antibiotics did the trick, if not then rinse and repeat. His ears also got wonky from time to time, so I had a antibiotic/cortisone liquid that could be used on his ears or on hot spots (that stuff was really great). I'm not a big fan of antibiotics/cortisone normally, but poor Brogan really would take off large sections of fur on his legs if left unchecked and he was already on a no grains homemade diet, so... medical science to the rescue!
Hi Hannah, My lab has the exact same issues. It's very hard to deal with somedays to see her in, what I think is pain. She is 8 and it has been happening over the last few years more and more but this week has been the worst. To the point of very red and raw inside. Normally it's only one paw but seems to be three sometimes all four. Like mentioned above, the vet says allergies but don't know exactly to what and have never been really willing to figure it out. They prescribed a anti inflammatory spray to try but doesn't work very well. I posted a thread earlier and a few commented to get medication and antihistamine for her. In the meantime, I have been soaking her feet in a baking soda with water soak. I think our best bet is to take the advice from fellow members and get some advice from the vets about meds etc.
Been to the vets with Champ amd his paws are alright for now. I have to keep washing them with salt water every time he goes out and comes in. Hes just had injections so the vet cant do anything with his paws until the vaccine course is over. However if his paws had been really bad, the vet said she would have treated his paws first...then started the course of injections afterwards. She did seem to think that it could be allergies that are causing him to chew. Shes gonna review it in 2 weeks time
Hi Hannah, hope Champ is doing better. I wanted to let you know that my husband took Monah to the vet today for her annual checkup along with her paw chewing etc. and the vet provided is with some paw wipes to try. I would upload a picture but the name of them is Malacetic. They are a natural antibacterial anti fungal wipe. Our friends sister uses them on her dog and they work amazingly well apparently. Monah is doing better since I started with the Epsom salt soak but these seem quick and easy.
