CONSTANT feet licking!!!!

M

Morrigan_Lady

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Does anyone elses dog do this?

My little Scottie dog, licks his feet CONSTANTLY and it is driving me mad!!!

Ive had a look on line and there were a view suggestions, but I wondered if anyone here has had to deal with this and what you did.

One suggestion was to put little socks on him!! I did try this and although very amusing to watch, it didnt really go down too well!!
 
I had a little westie who used to do this - sadly, it was the first signs of the dreaded Westie itch, and he did it all his life. His fur was brown from being licked so much and he used to bit them in frustration sometimes as well. We did control the itch with drugs, malaseb and a carefully controlled diet. It might be worth taking your boy to the vet, just in case.
 
Could be an allergy, (grass pollen, food etc) and have you actually checked there isn't something stuck in there?
Could be a sensitivity to a ground surface, gardening or household product.
Or it could be a compulsion/OCD type behaviour. Pure aloe vera gel can help soothe itchiness and keeping her busy with toys, play, walks, training will help if it is just a bad habit. Don't laugh at him (it will 'encourage' him) and do give some sort of verbal command to snap him out of it.
 
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Hmm, we've not changed anything though. He is still fed the same and his lifestyle hasnt changed either.
He has never been a smelly dog, but with all this feet licking he is really starting to stink!
Theres nothing in his paws, we've checked.
Maybe it is OCD!!
 
indiat said:
I had a little westie who used to do this - sadly, it was the first signs of the dreaded Westie itch, and he did it all his life. His fur was brown from being licked so much and he used to bit them in frustration sometimes as well. We did control the itch with drugs, malaseb and a carefully controlled diet. It might be worth taking your boy to the vet, just in case.
Click to expand...


What is Westie itch??
 
Shamelessly nicked from elsewhere:

Malassezia Dermatitis (Yeast Infection)
A condition that is often misdiagnosed and mistreated by veterinarians unfamiliar with Westie skin diseases is Malassezia dermatitis. Without proper treatment the condition continues to worsen leading to many Westies unnecessarily being abandoned, surrendered to rescue or euthanized.

Malassezia dermatitis is the condition that occurs when the yeast normally found on canine skin and ears proliferates excessively. Westies, as well as several other breeds, are genetically predisposed to Malassezia dermatitis which manifests itself as oily, crusty, red, itchy skin with a rancid odor. If untreated, the Westie will have hair loss and the skin will become thickened and black accompanied by ear infections.

This condition occurs most often when the skin is compromised in some way. Malassezia dermatitis is a secondary infection. In addition to treating the Malassezia, the primary underlying disease must also be found and treated. The skin of Westies with flea or food allergies, atopic dermatitis, an immune deficiency or seborrhea seems particularly prone to allowing an overgrowth of the yeast. Additionally, Westies living in regions with high humidity seem to be susceptible to Malassezia dermatitis.

Malassezia dermatitis requires a very specific treatment course which may include a combination of systemic Ketoconazole therapy, antibiotics, antihistamines, Malaseb medicated shampoo and/or topical treatment for ears and skin.
 
Wot she said! It was a bloomin nightmare and we saw numerous vets with varied results, until one thought it might be triggered by a food allergy. He reckoned Joe had a problem with processing protein and we moved him onto a dry dog food that had been specially developed for dogs with food allergies. It improved immensly, the smell cleared up a lot but he still needed anti inflammatories every day and the licking started up again when he had "attacks". Its awful the way people dump Westies over this, it can be managed - it just takes a bit of effort.
 
We used to give him Burn's dog food (he passed away last november). You can get it in most pet shops. Its an Irish brand.
 
My Springer cleans here feet til she squeels and are very red, she doesn't do it ALL the time but after she's been walked which is twice a day and my mum says she has been doing it during the day sometimes.

I've checked if there's anything there, but can't see anything, she gets itchy ears and bum so could just be itchy.

She's fed James Wellbeloved and we give her fish for dogs salmon mousse for the omega 3 which is supposed to help, it was until recently where we've noticed the slight increase.

She's always been quite vigorous cleaning her feet, so dunno if its just I'm noticing it more or she is doing it more, if you know what I mean

CaveCanem, is it safe to put the Aloe on if she licks it ? is it non toxic ?

Cheers
 
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