# dog keeps licking his paws



## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

hi,

my lab/mix keeps licking his paws. i check for fleas, but no fleas. he is on frontline+ flea control. he has webbed paws, and he licks them on the bottom and between the webs. they are becoming red and this clear sticky liquid is comes out. anyone have this problem?


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Sounds like an allergy. It could be environmental, or food related. What have you been feeding?


----------



## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Could be either food or environmental. If food, grains are often to blame, esp. corn and wheat. Grass is also a common allergen. What are you feeding? Here's a good site to find a good kibble: Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor. Look for a 5 star food; 4 at the least.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Murph is a paw licker, and I would try to get it under control while you can, because the yeast on paws can be a nightmare.

A great soak that really helps murph is 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide. Then I let him soak his feet in it for 5-10 minutes a day. 

I also find that tea tree oil spray (specifically made for dogs) is great at killing the yeast and reducing the itching.


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

My dog has started licking her paws a couple of weeks ago and so has her pug friend up the road. Not all the time, just now and then, but when she licks them it's full on. They are both raw fed so there aren't any grains in their diets, none from treats either. So, it has to be environmental, we are guessing the grass, or a random fire ant here or there. Her older pug use to lick his paws like mad up until 18 months ago and they use to comment that his feet smelt like Frito's. Then I read on here that yeast infection's smell like Frito's, and that's what it turned out to be. They changed his diet to grain free kibble and NV raw and that fixed it. So yeah, it could be either one, diet or environmental allergies. I spray some Apple Cider Vinegar on Mol's feet now and then (the raw organic expensive kind).


----------



## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

ive been feeding him costco grain free food for 2 years now. the licking started probably a month ago. it was this week when it got really bad. he had fleas recently(maybe 1 month ago). do u think its the frontline+ im giving him?


----------



## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

put these on for now.


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

There are so many ingredients in kibble that could be causing food allergies, that it can be impossible to find the source. You can try some Benedryl or Zyrtec. If one of those work then you know it is environmental allergies.


----------



## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

It could either be allergens or yeast related. My dog used to be a HUGE paw and belly licker. He started getting redder on his tummy and it was terribly hot to the touch! I started him on the pet superfood immunity and over the last month it has gotten significantly better. I believe it was yeast as about 95% of dogs have a yeast problem. He no longer licks his paws uncontrollably and his belly is now a healthy pink and he leaves that alone as well. I'm going to keep him on this for the rest of his life, it's really been a god send. It's a little pricey, but since my dog can't have fish, it's really the only option for him.


----------



## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

You need to take him to the vet and have them check for yeast. They need to take a sample from between his paws (they can just swab to get a sample) and look at it under a microscope to determine if it is yeast, and how severe it is. I suspect that yes, he does have yeast growing in between his paw pads from the constant licking, this is keeping it moist and creating an ideal environment for it to grow in. And you need to kill the yeast. Depending on how bad it is, you may need oral meds (I had to give Tux ketoconazole last Dec when he was diagnosed with a super bad yeast infection in his feet). And you will most likely need something topical to give as well, either a shampoo or a spray, I was given a spray. Tux is my lab mix, and we have been there done that with the foot chewing. He has environmental allergies, nothing at all related to the food he eats. My regular vet was no help (didn’t even think to check for yeast when I said something about the obsessive foot licking). So I took him to a holistic vet. And the holistic vet felt it was bad enough where oral meds were necessary to kill it. It was 4++ on a scale of 1-4. Now I know how to maintain and prevent it from getting bad again though. I was also given a probiotic, an all natural anti-histamine (Antronex by Standard Process), and told to start giving fish oil daily. Over the summer I started to notice the foot licking getting bad again (allergies), and the vet recommended ketochlor shampoo to use on his feet. This has worked wonderfully to keep the yeast away. Right now I am shampooing them once a week, but as it gets colder out, he is chewing at his feet less and less, so I can probably cut back on this come November. 

I know how frustrating it can be to watch them tear up their feet. I strongly suggest getting to the vet sooner rather than later. If you are dealing with yeast, he won’t have any relief until it is killed


----------



## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

I refuse to put my dog on oral meds unless it's absolutely necessary. With an increase in their immunity the dog can take care of the yeast on it's own.


----------



## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Felix said:


> I refuse to put my dog on oral meds unless it's absolutely necessary. With an increase in their immunity the dog can take care of the yeast on it's own.


I think it's safe to say that most of us feel the same way, but guess what, sometimes it is absolutely necessary. A dog is not going to get rid of a bad yeast infection on their own no matter how strong their immune system is. Hopefully the immune system can be strengthened to keep it from coming back, but once it is there, sometimes western medicine becomes necessary.


----------

