Crazy dog keeps chewing on his front paws.
Lately "TJ" has been chewing on his front paws. I have no idea as to why he is doing this but he is making them raw. I cant see anything obvious like a sliver or matting as to why he is doing this! Any suggestions? |
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| Welcome to the forum, Jim! A great place for all things sheepie!
As for the chewing, it could be an allergy. Has anything changed in your home? New rugs, flooring, paint? Depending on where you live and the weather you've been having, it could be an outdoor environmental allergy. Is he on any medication that could be causing it? It could also be mites, which are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Or, he could just be bored. Sounds weird, I know, but Drezzie is going through the same thing - boredom chewing. I think a preventative visit to the vet is in order, just to be sure. Let us know how you make out. And in case no one told you - there are dues to belonging to this forum - PICTURES!! 
Chris |
Welcome to the forum! 
I would suggest getting him checked at the vet.. it may be allergies, or stress, or boredom, or something lodged in his foot, or a fungal infection of the pawpads etc.... They will likely give you a cortisone medication to stop the itching, but a lot of the onus will fall on you to break the habit. Good luck! |
| If it's the top side, it could be any of the reasons stated above. If he's licking/chewing on his pads, check them for cracks. Summer heat can dehydrate their skin, a good hand moisturized applied to the bottom of their paws can do wonders for dry pads.
A visit to the vet is a good idea, just to rule out anything bad. Good luck! |
| Welcome Jim and TJ!
My last sheepie used to do this and it was allergies in the spring! I agree that TJ should probably go visit the vet. Looking forward to hearing all stories TJ! Colleen and Gucci George=>hi TJ! |
| Welcome!!
Ditto the allergies AND Ditto the PICTURES WE LOVE SHEEPIE PICTURES  |
| hello there!
The biting very well could be allergies, but it could also be your sheepie's way to relax. Has there been any kind of family or routine change that may have your sheepie a bit stressed? Some dogs do this to "wind down"- similiar to humans biting thier nails when they are nervous- just a way to relax. Cindy & The Monsters |
| How are things? |
| My dog Sam has done this non-stop since we've had him. We've tried everything, from hydro-cortizone spray to every allergy pill known to man. Last week, his ears started bothering him and he was chewing his paws and itching all over more than usual. I took him to the vet yesterday, and the vet asked if he chewed at his paws. My husband and I said "Yes!". The doc explained that he has a sytematic yeast infection. He said most vets won't recognize it and that it is NOT NORMAL for dogs to chew their paws. He's put our dog on a 10-day treatment, and after one day he's better than he's ever been. You really should ask your doc about this if it continues. It will eventually spread throughout your pup's body and finally to it's ears and that's when it's most commonly diagnosed. I'm sure you'd like to catch it sooner than that. Maybe you vet can start him on the treatment early? Good luck to you! |
Quote: He said most vets won't recognize it (yeast)
Boy is THAT statement ever true! We have a dog that had been on antibiotics for 5 months straight due to a bladder defect that was surgically corrected in February. The year prior to that, she had been on and off them repeatedly for UTIs. Panda- http://oesusa.com/Yeast/1.jpg http://oesusa.com/Yeast/2.jpg http://oesusa.com/Yeast/3.jpg She was licking her feet frantically every day until they were sopping wet. I asked early this year if we should test for yeast and the vet said no... it wasn't yeast. She does have allergies and receives allergy shots but they couldn't see outside that diagnosis. They said to increase the frequency of the shots and prescribed a 3 antihistamine cocktail to be taken at the same time. We gave them to her one day and decided enough. I too felt this was simply crazy behavior and asked them if it was safe to try the Nzymes program. Part of it made sense... some of the claims sound hoakie to me but we had nothing to loose. One of the vets gave us the okay to try it but said the problem would get worse before it got better. The other vet later said I had hit the nail on the head in seeing this as yeast. Since April, she's had 2 doses of antihistamines for itchy ears (bumpy ear flaps, no gunk in the ears). At that time we switched the entire pack from ProPlan to Eagle Pack Holistic Select and did the Nzymes yeast program... we started bathing with Malaseb shampoo. Panda had one recurrence that again cleared up with Malaseb pledgets but she's doing SO much better. She seldom licks her feet anymore. I'm left to wonder how many dogs are treated for allergies that actually have a yeast problem. This said, I DO have another dog that has severe seasonal allergies and is currently taking large doses of antihistamines again this year... the 2 years of allergy shots appear to have been useless. BUT, yeast can also be part of the allergy problem too... because of all the licking, they create a moist environment where yeast can thrive. Darby- http://oesusa.com/Yeast/index.4.jpg It's SO important to get an accurate diagnosis... it you think it's yeast, TELL your vet you want your dog tested for it. If nothing else, it can be ruled out as a cause for that insane licking/chewing. |
| Ollie chews/licks his front paws, I have had them checked out and he is fine, he only does this in the evening, maybe its his way of winding down ?? |
| hey Jim,
just wanted to add a couple things... my puppy Francis had the same problem. out of no where he started licking his paws and chewing on them. it got so bad he eventually licked all the hair off and started getting sores. we took him to the vet and they didnt have much to say about it and didnt really offer any medication to help with the skin. like everyone so far has said, its mostly a behavior problem. Anyway, i tried some different creams and sprays and came across this new stuff, its called DermaPaw and it did wonders. i would highly recomend it, after about a week Francis stopped licking and chewing and by two weeks he was back to normals. heres the site...www.dermapaw.com Hope this helps and good luck! |
| summer licks and chews hers I think it is her way of biting her nails. If we tell her to stop she does! |
| Just so you all know this is an old post.... |
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