02
Nov
What Does It Mean When A Dog Constantly Licks Her Paws. You may notice other symptoms such as reddening skin or raised bumps. Its not unusual for dogs to lick areas of the body that are itchy or painful. Licking and biting of the toes and paws is a common behavior among dogs. Maybe its just water theyre licking off orI live in California so my dogs sometimes get foxtail stuck in their paws says Lucas.
What makes them do it. If the licking is persistent and neither of these simple issues are to blame here are five common causes of paw irritation. Once inflammation or an infection sets in a vicious cycle can form. Indeed the fact of excessively licking the paws is self-destructive behaviour just like when humans bite their nails. Boredom and stress can also cause your dog to lick and bite their front paws out of frustration which can then become habit. If they seem to be licking and biting at home out of the blue at only one or two feet and your vet doesnt think there could be another cause it could be that a lack of anything.
Your veterinarian is correct that licking can also be a sign of an underlying health problem.
Conflicts with other animals or changes in household routine may also cause stress-relief licking. Similar to felines some dogs also like to lick their paws to clean their faces. If this sounds like the state of your dogs feet it might be time to schedule an appointment with the vet. Cheri Wulff Lucas a dog behavior specialist and rescuer suggests that the most common reason for dogs to lick their paws is because something is on or in them. Some dogs lick their paws because they dont have anything better to do. Paw licking can be caused by something as simple as a foreign object stuck between the toes or a cut paw pad.