# Dog licking paws



## Laceydad (Apr 16, 2008)

We have a female mix that licks her paws quite a bit.. They appear to be itching her. I dont suspect a food allergy since we feed her Blue Buffalo. Shes not fixed yet but will be shortly. Any advise would be appreciated..

Also, she has a rash on her belly. Can an over the counter med be applied (Neosporin) ??


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## homerm (Feb 9, 2010)

Wow, personally I don't recommend human meds to help pet animals. As for the rash, that can indicate that she is having an allergic reaction to something, food, carpet, powders for carpet, etc.

To treat the rash, I'd recommend taking her to the vet or asking a vet for advice as to which med would be good for her.

Good luck


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

How old is this dog? Does it lick paws/have belly rash all year long, or just certain times of the year? What specific Blue Buffalo are you feeding?


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## Laceydad (Apr 16, 2008)

We feed her the Blue Chicken and Brown Rice.. She is just over a year old. The rash on her belly just developed a few days ago..


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## !dogbreeds (Feb 5, 2010)

hi
licking paws is the common behaviour of the dogs , you don't need to worry if you try to stop them it will be of no use, they will keep on doing such things.


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## BobSD (Feb 1, 2008)

My dogs mostly lick there pad's, under part of foot, But I have heard that walking on salted areas are bad for the dog's feet (if you live in cold country) good to soak them in water when they come in the house to remove the salt.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

Well, unfortunately, food allergies and atopy (atopic dermatitis) present with the exact same clinical signs. Some dermatologist speculate that food allergy tends to occur before 6 mo., but others say it happens any time. Personally, I agree with the latter. Both of these present with scaling/crusting, redness, and itchyness on the feet (specifically the front paws), axillary (front arm pits) region, inguinal (lower belly down to and around genitals) area, and also perhaps along varying regions on the face. 

That's about as close as I could guess for you, which, obviously still doesn't narrow it down much. I can tell you that chicken is one of the top food allergens - no matter who's food it comes in. Beef, chicken, soya, egg, milk (and I think lamb as well) are among the most common allergens (for food, anyway).


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## brandiw (Jan 20, 2010)

I have a dog with food allergies that couldn't tolerate any of the Blue Buffalo formulas. It is a good food, but that doesn't mean that it can't be causing her licking. Mr. V is right, chicken is a big food allergen along with corn, wheat, and the other things Mr. V listed. I would take her to the vet. She could also have allergies to things such as grass, carpet, or cleaners as well.


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## miskolin (Feb 12, 2010)

It can be another type of allergies. My dog has dust allergie. And it is really bad. She was so nervous and bad tempered beacuse of it, that we tried everything. The only thing that halped us was some human medicine for allergies called medrol. But they recomend that only for really bad cases.


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## Laceydad (Apr 16, 2008)

I took her to the vet today to get "fixed" and they will also be checking out the feet issues. I will let you know the outcome..


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## Laceydad (Apr 16, 2008)

The doc said he believes its food allergy related. We are going to switch to a Venison and Potato food and see if it improves. Or if anyone can suggest another please let me know. 

Thanks.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Did he say what he thought it was (chicken, grains, etc.?) If it is chicken, stay away from any fowl (including duck) and (just to be on the safe side) try to avoid foods that have chicken fat in them...even though dogs are usually allergic to the protein and not the fat, sometimes this matters. Definately make sure the food is grain free.

Make sure during the food trial you feed nothing but the food. No treats, etc. This is hard (especially with a young dog), but you need to keep the ingredients limited to see if the food is indeed the problem.

I know some foods have treats to go long with them (DVP Natural Balance has treats with the same ingredients as their foods), but not all foods do that. 

Gizmo is on Blue Buff Lamb and Rice because it contains no chicken fat, etc. It is true that lamb can cause some issues as well, but he flares up more when we get chicken into the mix...

I have been through this with my dog and I know it can be frustrating. Let me know if you need anything!


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## Cierra'sMom (Feb 21, 2010)

My Pitty has terrible skin issues and used to lick her feet incessantly. After going through several different food trials, thinking that she was allergic to something in the food, at 8 weeks each time with no positive results, it finally dawned on me that she was allergic to grass. Try keeping your pooch out of the grass and rinsing her feet with plain water when she does get into it. 

If her belly has a major rash, she may have developed an infection that needs antibiotics. That happened to Cierra several times before I figured it all out. 

Also, many vets have differing opinions on steroids such as prednisone, but it really helped her when she would have an allergic flare up. I hear that in vet school, they scare the crud out of vet students and urge them not to use steroids because they can cause immune problems, but if they aren't used often and the dog is weened off of them, I think the benefits outweigh the potential problems.

One more thing, I tried benedryl, and it did nothing except make her sleep in the closet for hours on end. I have had a lot better response with generic claritin (Loratadine).


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Cierra'sMom said:


> Also, many vets have differing opinions on steroids such as prednisone, but it really helped her when she would have an allergic flare up. I hear that in vet school, they scare the crud out of vet students and urge them not to use steroids because they can cause immune problems, but if they aren't used often and the dog is weened off of them, I think the benefits outweigh the potential problems.


I agree that steroids work well as a temporary fix, but I can tell you from experience that long term use will destroy your dog's system...we lost our 7 year old due to complications from long term steroid use. We had no choice because nothing (and I mean NOTHING) else worked for his allergies.

If you are using steroids short term (7-10 days), you should follow the vet's orders and all should be okay. However, if it turns out that you need relief longer, you should look for another alternative. That is my personal, non vet opinion.


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## Lucyspop (Dec 22, 2015)

My Lucy just started licking her paws after I put her on Rachel Rays food. Headed to store to get her something else to see if that helps.


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

As a side note to the original post, please don't put Neosporin on any area your dog can lick. Neosporin is not to be ingested. 

Instead, use Vetericyn, which is formulated specifically so that it's not dangerous to ingest: http://www.amazon.com/Vetericyn-Plu...e=ptl&linkId=dcbbd2905a3371c0f3e35b759d87b8fe


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## flphotog (Sep 23, 2015)

Laceydad said:


> We have a female mix that licks her paws quite a bit.. They appear to be itching her. I dont suspect a food allergy since we feed her Blue Buffalo. Shes not fixed yet but will be shortly. Any advise would be appreciated..
> 
> Also, she has a rash on her belly. Can an over the counter med be applied (Neosporin) ??


I'm a bit curious as to why you feel that because you feed Blue that the food can't be the problem. Many people have had issues with blue and just recently it's been determined that the ingredients in blue may not be all they seem to be. Not bad mouthing blue but I'd have to say don't assume.


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