I have an 8 year old Chocolate lab that chews and licks her paws, to the point they are raw and red inside. This has been going on for years, and all the vets say is it's "allergies". We have changed her food many times and nothing seems to help. Trying to avoid the vet bill by reading up online of what can be done. Does anyone have this same issue? Any feedback would be appreciated!
Hi Janna and welcome to the forum Your dog sounds very uncomfortable. No wonder you are worried about it. Has your vet ever prescribed medication for this? Often, chewing the feet etc can be a reaction to allergy-causing things in the air, not in food. These things can include pollen or mould spores. In humans these often cause respiratory symptoms, but in dogs they cause itchiness instead, making the dog lick and chew itself, often to the point of injury (as with your dog). Steroid tablets and/or antihistamines (or a combination of the two) can be very effective at treating the itch. My dog has allergic reactions in spring, summer and autumn and needs steroid tablets at times and antihistamines daily. It's been a godsend as he'd be miserable without them. I'd suggest talking with your vet about this kind of thing or, even better, getting a referral to a veterinary dermatologist.
Hi, just stopping by to welcome you to the forum. I don't have this issue myself so can't be any help, but I know for sure that this has been discussed pretty recently, so there are definitely members with the same problems. What is your girl's name?
Good to know I am not alone. It's been really hard lately to watch her be in so much pain. I have been starting todo a foot soak the last few nights with baking soda. I think the vet visit is in order tho. Thank you ☺️
I think that baking soda may aggravate this as it is quite alkaline. I would not put anything at all on her feet, even water. Just try to keep them dry. Good to hear that you are going to go to the vet
See, that's why I signed up for this forum! To get advice from all people with labs! Reading all these google searches is not the best. Just want relief for my furr baby. Thank you! The vet is in order soon!
Do you walk Mona Moose every day at the same place? Where I live there is a beautiful walking place (Woods and meadows, even places where dogs can swim). But it is poisonous. The grounds came from poisoned harbor ground. No houses may be build there. But "good enough" for animals.... A lot of dogs have the same issues with their paws!
Hello and welcome! My boy Pongo has the same problem, but thankfully not a bad as poor Monah (great name!). I'm sure it is seasonal allergies, possibly to something on the ground round here.... he doesn't seem so bad on the days we walk him in different places. We are surrounded by farmland so there is lots of pollen and possibly also sprays and soil improvers. I try to rinse his feet after walks and that helps a little, but it doesn't clear it up. So I'm afraid I can't offer any really helpful advice, but I can offer sympathy and I'll be watching this thread too for ideas! I think itchiness is a real puzzle because it could be so many different things, but all we can do is keep trying to find out what works best for our own pups. Good luck with yours! Rosie and big Pongo in south Wales
Hello, Normally she is walked in the same area. But this happens in the winter time also, so I'm beginning to think it could be something inside the house. So hard to know!
Thanks, we love the name too! Moose is her nickname- comes to both! Thanks for the info! She is around a lot of different things as we are outdoorsy people!
Im having the same problem with champ at the minute have a vets appt on Monday though. How Monah doing? Hope shes ok!
Ive just commented on my post in labrador behaviour, but if im allowed i will repost it here too "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"
It's so frustrating to see them chew because they are obviously in pain. Monah is doing better over the last few days. I have been washing them and trying to keep them dry as much as possible. She is due for a vet visit for shots in the month so I will also mention this to them once again. Over and over we get it's "allergies", but hard to determine exactly to what they tell us. Hers are year round which is odd, so it has to be something inside I think. Summer it does seem more and winter I think because of the ice melt etc and just the cold here in general. I hope Champ is doing okay! ☺️ (Ps- love the name!)
Yes, it can be very difficult to work out exactly what causes the allergy. With my dog we don't know know what it is, but we do know that it's something in the air and we know that antihistamines and steroids work. So, since we've found a treatment that works it doesn't really matter that we don't know exactly which thing is causing it. Have actually just started him on antihistamines this morning (it's Spring in Australia) and we'll give him a steroid tablet tonight as he's just started chewing his legs and feet last night. Allergy season!
Aw it really is frustrating isn't it? Hate to see them obviously in pain. Washing Champs paws with salt water seem to be helping though, his paws arent so bad that the vet needed to postpone his vaccinations to treat them. Yeah if its allergies affecting Monah and shes chewing all year around, it would suggest that theres something indoors rather than outdoors thats irritating her paws bless her I hope shes better soon and she doesn't hurt her paws badly. Champs doing fine thank you, he was just completely oblivious that he had injections yesterday lol. Hehe thanks Ad wanted to call him Heisenberg (from Breaking Bad) so glad we ended up with the name Champ lol.
Year round chewing can just result from a succession of different outdoor allergens, like pollen in the spring and summer and mould spores in the autumn and winter. Doesn't necessarily indicate an indoor cause.
