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After a trip to the veterinarian, a Twitter paw-pal (who also goes by Spike) asked me about the behavioral reasons behind licking his paws.  The vet found no physical reason for it and suggested that it is psychological.  Since this is something that was worrisome enough to warrant a trip to the vet, I thought I would do my best here to help.

Photo by lastgunslinger on Flickr

There can be a number of reasons why your dog feels the need to lick his paws.  For some reason, paw licking seems to upset our humans.  As long as we do not lick them raw, do not worry about it!  Humans bite their fingernails, and you do not see us correcting them!  After all, animals across many species lick their paws for a variety of reasons.

Certain breeds, such as Dobermans, Labradors, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Weimaraners and Irish Setters seem to be more prone to licking their paws.

Seriously though, paw licking could be the result of a physical or medical condition.  Since we are dogs, the most obvious thing to look for is fleas.  If a flea bites our paw, we are going to scratch and lick at it until the sting from that bite goes away.  I think we covered the flea thing pretty well here.  It could also be a fungal infection.  For this, you need to go to the vet and let them do some tests.  They may do a skin scraping to rule out any medical conditions.  It may be something as simple as an allergy.  The vets know that if your condition responds to treatments with corticosteroids it is an allergy.  While you are at the vet, it may be a good idea for them to check your thyroid as well.  Also, do some research on the type of food that your dog eats, as it can just be an allergy to something in your food.

If the paw licking is something that started recently, it is a good idea to thoroughly check the paw area to rule out anything being stuck in the paw, on top, in the pad, and in the webbing between the toes.  As a dog ages, he tends to do this a lot because he has some pain in the bones and joints.

Obsessive compulsive disorders will not respond to any sort of treatment.  Since there are not dog therapists to discuss disorders such as this and only a handful of drugs reserved for the most severe cases, an “OCD dog” will probably not be treated merely for licking his paws obsessively, unless it manifests into a physical issue.  Often, boredom is cited as the cause for paw licking.  When dogs are left alone a lot, they learn to pass their alone time by licking at something on their body.  There are many activities you can create for your pup, if they are alone a lot.  Psychological stressors such as moving, a new addition to the household or other dogs invading the outside territory can trigger a paw licking event.  If the problem turns out to be behavioral, it may take some time to correct.  Tell your human to be patient and remind them that it is like trying to quit smoking!

Get your human to buy some Apple Cider Vinegar.  They need to mix one teaspoon of the vinegar into one cup of water to pour onto the skin of the paws.  This will help to regulate the pH in the skin, as well as serve as an antiseptic, preventing yeast or bacteria from growing into an infection.  Tell your human to be careful and not get the vinegar into sensitive areas like your eyes or butt, because it can really sting and is not good for either area.

Overall, I would not obsess over it, unless it becomes a physical problem beyond your control.