Seeing your dog lick their feet and paws constantly could be concerning, but should you be worried when you see your beloved dog lick their feet and paws and why do they do that.
So, why do dogs lick their feet and paws?
Dogs might lick their feet and paws for the following reasons:
- The dog might just be bored.
- The dog has allergies or a yeast infection
- The dog is experiencing pain.
- The dog has GI issues (Gastrointestinal issues).
- The dog might have anxiety.
If your dog rarely ever licks their feet and paws, then there is no need to worry about your dog. However, if you see that your dog is licking their feet and paws often, then you should be concerned.
If you want to learn more about the reasons why your dog licks their feet and paws, then continue reading this blog post.
Table of Contents
Why do dogs lick their feet and paws?
Reason no. one: The dog might just be bored
Previously, dogs had the chance to run, walk, and play for longs hours every day. However, that is not the case these days. Staying inside the house, in a house’s yard, or even in crates (Yikes!) will make your dog become super bored and frustrated because they are not capable of running or playing.
This is more apparent in dogs who belong to high energy breeds. The boredom and frustrations could make them engage in destructive activities, which may include them licking and chewing on their paws excessively.
Reason no.two: The dog has allergies or a yeast infection
If you see that your dog is licking themselves chronically, then this might be an indication that your dog might have allergies. Now, allergies can be caused due to almost anything.
It might be something that they are consuming via their diet, or it could be due to the chemicals that are in your cleaning products. The allergies might even be due to the chemicals that can be found in your house’s yard.
To know what is causing your dog’s allergies, you will have to watch them vigilantly and notice when they begin licking and chewing their paws.
So, if you see that your dog mostly ends up licking their paws and feet after going on a walk or after running, then the allergies are most likely due to the pesticides present on the grass or because of the weeds and grass themselves.
To test if that is truly the case, wipe your dog’s feet and paws after each walk they take.
Your dog might be licking and chewing on their paws and feet due to a yeast infection. A yeast infection may be caused due to the dog being allergic to fleas, allergens, food, external parasites, and even hormonal disorders like Cushing’s Disease.
Reason no.three: The dog is experiencing pain
Your might be excessively licking their paws because they are in pain. As mentioned before, be vigilant of how your dog acts. Are they licking only one paw, or licking their paws as well as limping?
Your dog is only licking one paw
Have you been watching your dog lately, and you have noticed that they have been licking one of their paws lately? If a dog suddenly starts licking one of their paws, then this is usually a sign that they are in pain.
If a dog only licks one paw, then this usually means that they are experiencing pain in just that paw.
The cause of that pain could because they have a piece of broken glass in their paw, a wound, a thorn, an insect bite, or a broken nail. So make sure to examine the paw they are licking properly.
Your dog is licking their paw and limping
If you check your dog’s paw that they are licking excessively and do not notice any piece of broken glass in their paw, a wound, a thorn, an insect bite, or a broken nail, yet you see them limping, then do not ignore it!
Not all injuries or things that cause pain could be seen with the naked eye. Your dog might have a fracture, a type of inflammation, or a muscle sprain that is causing them to be in pain, which is why they are licking their paw and limping as they walk.
Reason no. four: The dog has GI issues (Gastrointestinal issues)
If you see that your dog is licking their paws excessively, this could be a sign that they might be suffering from a gastrointestinal issue (GI issue).
There was a research that was conducted on dogs where their medical and behavioral histories were collected. Neurological and physical examinations were also made, were things, including stomach and duodenum biopsies were taken, and abdominal ultrasound was done.
The results of this research concluded that out of the nineteen licking dogs that were chosen for this research, fourteen of them turned out to have a gastrointestinal issue (GI issue).
Reason no. five: The dog might have anxiety
When dogs feel anxious, they tend to seek relief by licking themselves excessively. Anxiety is more of an umbrella term because your dog’s anxiety might be an obsessive-compulsive disorder or separation anxiety.
If you want to learn more about separation anxiety in dogs, then check out my 3 Anxiety Dog Training Podcasts to Follow blog post.
Other questions related to why do dogs lick their feet and paws
Why is My Pee Pad Trained Dog Peeing on The Carpet?
If a potty trained dog pees inside of the house and on the carpets, then this could be a sign that they might have a medical condition. Medical conditions that could lead to this include a UTI, aka, a urinary tract infection, and anxiety. They could also be doing that out of stress or because they are becoming older.
If you want to learn more about why your pee pad trained dog is peeing on the carpet, and you want to learn more about this, then make sure that you check out my Why is My Pee Pad Trained Dog Peeing on The Carpet blog post.
Why Is My Dog Coughing Blood?
Dogs tend to cough blood when their coughs cause the capillaries to rupture. Sometimes, dogs cough blood because of hemoptysis ( airway bleeding). This is a medical condition where an injury causes your dog to cough phlegm with blood from their throat and lungs as a response because the respiratory tract is getting irritated.
If you want to learn more about why your dog is coughing blood, then make sure that you read my Why Is My Dog Coughing Blood blog post.
That’s it for today’s post. You should now know that your dog might be licking their paws and feet for the following reasons:
- The dog might just be bored.
- The dog has allergies or a yeast infection
- The dog is experiencing pain.
- The dog has GI issues (Gastrointestinal issues).
- The dog might have anxiety.
My Sources
- Why Does My Dog… Lick and Chew His Feet?
- 9 Reasons Why Your Dog Keeps Licking Their Paws
- Why is My Dog Excessively Licking His Paws?
- 8 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Licking & Chewing His Paws
- Why Is My Dog Licking His Paws?