Why Does My Dog Lick His Paws - Know This Major Causes!
Would you like to know the reasons why dogs lick their paws? Is licking paws considered normal for dogs? What can you do if you found your dog licking his paws?
…Keep reading to have a better understanding!
Dogs often lick their paws and it is thought to be quite a normal behavior. Just like humans, when dogs come back home after their routine activities, they begin to lick their paws to clean off mud, dust, or any sort of dirt that has stuck on their paws in the meantime. It is always uncomfortable for dogs if something on their paws is constantly bothering them so they look to get away with that by licking their paws to wipe it off. There is nothing to be concerned about that much because it is something usual and not to be worried about.
When licking paws is no more normal...
Licking of paws is amongst significant behavioral patterns of the dogs, which they do often. But if you are observing a sharp change in the way they lick their paws, or if your dog has started doing it way more than normal then it is an indication of something wrong with your canine companion. Let if you go on to stroll in a park or on the streets then your dog finds the corner and starts licking his paws or you try to feed him but you find him interested in his paws more than it is a reminder for you that something is bothering your pouch. When it is something like that then your dog stops being involved in its routine activities or your dog doesn't involve as much as it was doing before. How pity we feel about ourselves when even a nail is bothering us and everything around becomes so dull, this is what happens to dogs as well, when there is something wrong with their paws
The fact of the matter is that there can be two types of paw licking among dogs. One is occasional paw licking, while others are due to some malady or issue.
Now we'll briefly discuss all the reasons which make your dog lick his paws and sometimes this licking is so severe and intense that it brings so much suffering for your canine companion. We will also list all the remedies if licking of paws is getting awful for your canine companion. So, let’s get started
Why Does My Dog Lick His Paws
Dogs lick paws as part of grooming and to heal wounds
As we have narrated earlier that licking doesn’t always mean to be troublesome. Dogs lick their paws as their grooming process and gently lick the paws to enjoy a soothing and comforting feeling.
Dogs contain saliva that has helps the healing process because of its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant effects. Licking paws is dogs’ way of comforting and curing their injuries. So when dogs have something bothering stuck then dogs lick their paws to get away with that. There are come so many small harmful insects in your canine’s way and when any of these bites the dog, it hurts and sometimes very badly then dogs start licking to mitigate the pain that an insect has inflicted.
Your dog is in pain
You know that it is common human behavior that when any part of our body is in pain, we start caring for it in our way and do all that soothes the affected part. Dogs have very resembling behavioral reactions with us and when something is bothering or hurting their paws, they starting licking their paws as doing so gives them a bit of relief.
Dogs happen to pass by several uncanny, rough, and bothersome places. Those places have thorns, edgy bones, broken glasses, plastics, and others threw over. When you take your pouch walking on these places then there are chances that any of broken glass, thorn or plastic get stuck on your dog's paw which ends up in pain that is sometimes very severe. When this pain gets over their head then you find your dog by the roadside, at some corner of the lawn, or somewhere in your house licking his paws.
Sometimes the pain is so severe that your dog starts licking its paws continuously and whatever you do to comfort your dog seeing any soul in pain is very heartrending and especially when it's your pet dog, so if you are seeing your dog crawling in pain and continuously licking its paws then get a time for him and start it's prescribed medication by visiting a good Vet in your vicinity
What if your dog is continuously licking its one paw?
As we illustrated in the beginning paragraphs that licking of paws is not kind of an abnormal behavioral pattern of the dogs but if you are noticing that your dog is just licking its one paw constantly then it is a red flag of very obvious pain that your dog is going through. When your dog is licking its one paw it suggests that it has something there, might be the bite of some insect, a Thorne might have got stuck or your dog has mistakenly placed its paw on something harmful. It may happen as well that your dog licks its paws normally and it seems all fine but suddenly you are seeing your dog licking its one paw more frequently than others. If it is the case with your pouch then it means one of your pouch’s paws is suffering. Diagnosing this is a bit more demanding because generally, people don’t notice this but if you really care for your pouch then keep a close watch on your dog’s life to ascertain this on time to ensure timely medication of your canine companion.
Your dog may be licking and limping simultaneously
You are finding your dog licking its paws too frequently and it makes you concerned, whether or not your dog is having some affliction on its paws. When you get to have a look on its paws to see if there is something wrong that is bothering your pet but it seems all fine and there are no clear symptoms of anything bothersome. If this is the case but your dog is constantly licking its paws in awe then there can be some inner injury like a muscle sprain or some type of inflammation or an inner fracture. So don’t hang further and quickly take your pet to the veterinary hospital for a better diagnosis and check-up because inner injuries are more harmful and complicated.
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Toxic chemicals (e.g pesticides) in your dog’s vicinity
It always feels great to enjoy the company of your canine companion playing with him on your lawn, going out for a walk with him, or sweating out in playgrounds with him. But you need to be cautious always when taking your pouch with you to places that can have toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers sprayed over. These mentioned chemicals are toxic and your pouch is likely to be allergic to these all. When your dog will contact with the grass sprayed with these allergic chemicals then parts of its body in contact will become red, swollen, and itchy. The only thing your pet dog will find comforting is licking its paws to get a bit of relief with its saliva but frequent and intense licking of its paws will do more harm than good for your canine and end up with injured paws.
If you have a lawn in your home, where your dog is spending time then keep it dog friendly by not spraying over those chemicals, your dog is allergic about. When you are back home with your dog after an outing trip with your canine pal then clean its paws with warm water and use a neat tidy cloth to wipe off all of its paws that can be troublesome.
Allergy
We all love to take our canine companions to morning stroll in a park, on our lonely walks on the streets, when going out for shopping, or hanging around on your home’s lawn. Wherever we take our pouch to but we need to be cautious that the place where we are going with our pet dog is not having kind of harmful chemicals, pesticides and others which cause allergy. Grass in the park or our lawn might be having such fertilizers and pesticides that cause allergy and irritation for the dogs. If your dog is suffering from allergy then those body parts of the dog which are more frequently in touch with the ground like paws become itchy, red, and inflamed. Your dog won’t be able to resist continuous licking when having allergies and irritation. Check out for allergy if your dog has started licking its paws too often.
To keep your dog away from this annoying allergy and irritation, clean well your dog’s paws after arrival from the outside or at least once daily to ensure your pet’s better hygienic and healthy life.
Poor Diet Consumption
If you are giving your dog meals that contain proteins that your dog is hypersensitive about then it ends up with itchy patches not only on your dog’s paws but also on other body parts of your dog. When your dog is prone to this sort of food allergy then itchy and allergic parts on the dog’s body including its paws heralds this allergic infection. This infection is all seasonal and your dog is vulnerable to it throughout the year if you serve your dog meal that has proteins that are harmful to your dog. It can be another way round as well, when your dog is eating food that is lacks wanted proteins and nutrients to balance the immune system then fungal infection occurs and various parts of your dog’s body start itching. To make up for that pain and sorrow the only relief that seems to your poor canine companion is by licking the itchy body parts including paws that end up in swelling, redness, irritation, and even hair loss in your dog.
This kind of food allergy and fungal infection will be very difficult for you to diagnose until you visit a good Vet. Your vet will recommend cutting a certain diet from your dog’s weekly diet plan and will analyze the difference in an allergy to help him reach a result that which specific nutrient or lack of that nutrient is causing suffering for your canine partner.
Dry Skin or dermatitis
As it happens with us in winters and very hot summers that our skin becomes very rough and dry. In winter it is due to the dry atmosphere outside, while in summer in it is because of the warm air in the surrounding causing dehydration and dryness. Similarly, it happens with the dogs as well and their skin, hair, and paws become dry. This dryness in dogs may be due to the lack of fatty acids that helps us to keep our skin fresh and smooth. Suffering from this dryness or dermatitis, licking paws or other affected body parts give dogs a kind of comfort but it ends up in torn, rough, and injured skin.
The remedy to this problem is not that complicated. Apply some moisturizing cream, balm, or oil at least once a day on your dog’s body to maintain it’s healthy skin and avoid excessive licking of paws that is harmful. Make up the deficiency of fatty acids by adding a diet enriched in fatty acids for better skin health. Avoid excessive bathing because the products you are applying to your dog’s skin have peculiar chemicals that dry off the skin resulting in excessive licking of paws by your dog.
Licking can be due to the hormonal deficiency or imbalance
Dogs produce specific hormones that also help them maintain good skin health. When dogs are prone to hormonal deficiency or imbalance then it adversely affects its skin health of the dog resulting in swelling, itchy spots, and hair loss as well. Dogs then look to comfort these itchy spots by licking because saliva in a dog’s mouth has a hailing effect but when this licking becomes excessive and intense it damages the skin. When a dog is licking its paws more than normal then paws become injured and when the dog walks on these injured paws then it worsens the already painful condition of the paws.
Vet keep lick granuloma covered so that the risk of any infection is avoided. When hormonal deficiency or imbalance is cured then licking stops simultaneously.
Your dog may be suffering from compulsive behavioral disorders
Like humans when prone to anxiety, depression, aloneness, boredom, or other behavioral issues they may develop some compulsive behavioral disorders. The list of these compulsive behavioral disorders goes on from biting nails, rubbing hands, shaking legs, holding hair, biting lips, and other compulsive disorders. It is the same with the dogs as well, when they, unfortunately, become the victims of stress, anxiety, boredom, depression, and aloneness, etc. then just like us they develop compulsive disorders in them of which licking of paws is very significant.
If you have worked well on all the above-mentioned reasons for licking paws but you find neither of them in your dog then it might be happening due to compulsive behavioral patterns in your dog.
When your dog is not being cared for and loved as much as it should be then it results in its depression and annoyance and consequently develops this obsessive-compulsive disorder of licking paws and you find your dog excessively licking its paws. You might have found your dog with head down walking and stops somewhere in the lawn or it’s abode to sit and starts licking its paws. It means your canine companion is in sorrow and not having an enjoyable time with you.
The cure for this compulsive behavioral disorder is you because your dog is looking for your love and compassion all around to feel lively yet again. Get time and spend some great quality time with your pal to help him get over this obsessive-compulsive disorder. Keeping your dog involved in different activities won’t not only distract him from licking its paws but it also will bring smile and joy for your canine companion that each living being long for so badly.
Let's conclude this;
We have sufficiently discussed above all the reasons why dogs lick their paws. Licking is quite normal for all the dogs around but it is concerning when you find your dog licking its paws too frequently. Continuous licking injures a dog’s pads badly along with its skin and is worrisome for you and your canine companion.
Above we discussed rationally all that makes your dog lick its paws and remedies for each of the governing reasons behind your dog’s licking paws.
Dogs always make our good companion being loyal, cute, and loving and we should replicate their love with the same compassion. If you have your pet dog at home, spend good time with him and if you seeing your dog with any problem of which excessive paws licking is one, then feel concerned about it and get that problem sorted out as earlier as you could.
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