I. What are the reasons for dogs licking their paws so often?

We all know that cats usually love to lick themselves with their tongues, that's when they are grooming their fur and cleaning their bodies. The dog is different, occasionally licking himself is nothing, but some dogs especially like to lick their paws, even hate to lick for 10 hours a day, if your dog starts to lick his paws so frequently you should pay attention.

1, itchy

Most of the time, itching is the main reason for dogs to lick their paws, but the dog's saliva will get the paws wet, and itching problems will be more serious, so it causes dogs to keep licking their paws, or feel itchy discomfort, forming a vicious circle.


2, pain

Dogs who lick their paws for a long time are likely to be injured by sharp objects, such as glass fragments, stones, spikes, and so on. To carefully check the dog's paws there is no wound or foreign body.

3, "dog foot odor" - fungal infection

Dogs, like humans, can also get foot fungus, if the dog after bathing, rain, and snow days after walking the dog back, did not promptly dry the dog's paws, the dog's hair mass will gather in the toe seam, coupled with bacterial reproduction, it is easy to suffer from dog foot fungus.

And when the toes feel red and itchy, the dog will keep licking, and it will deteriorate into inter-toes, or even bleeding, pus, etc.

4, bored

The dog used to live in the wild, walking and hunting for more than 10 hours a day. Now after being raised by others, gradually reduce the amount of exercise, the daily range of activities is the yard, cage, the dog's energy can not be released, it will cause frustration and depression, thus constantly licking paws.

5銆丄nxiety

Long-term lack of attention and companionship of the owner of the dog is easy to suffer from separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc... Dogs will seek psychological comfort by constantly licking their paws to distract themselves.

6, hormonal imbalance

Once the dog hormonal imbalance, the body produces a lot of cortisol, thyroid hormone secretion is insufficient, and the dog's skin will appear red spots, dry hair, hair loss, and other symptoms. Dogs frequently lick these parts, which will cause the secondary infection.

7銆丏ry skin

Dry skin may be due to breed genetics, weather, frequent bathing, etc.

8, fleas, ticks
Fleas and ticks can cause severe discomfort and itching in dogs, causing them to lick their paws frequently. Especially for dogs with allergies, the problem is even more serious.

So how do we effectively protect the dog's paws?
1, timely observation of the frequency of dog licking paws and physical condition

If you find that your dog licks its paws more frequently than before, you should observe whether there are residual foreign objects in the paws that make it feel uncomfortable and help it take them out in time. If it begins to lick its paws frequently for a long time, and the surface can not see the reason, it is best to take it to the veterinarian for examination, it is likely to be allergic.


2, listen to the sound of the dog walking
Normal dog walking is not much sound, and nails will not touch the ground. If you hear your dog walking with the sound of nails scraping the ground, it means that your dog's nails are too long and need to be trimmed. But when cutting the nails should also be careful not to cut too much to avoid hurting the dog's skin and blood vessels. If you really can't get it right, take it to the vet to get your nails trimmed.

3銆丆heck the paws when you get back
Sometimes the dog's paws are stuck to foreign objects, nothing major discomfort, the dog can not speak and can not see. So every time you go outside to the grass, or bushes after playing, remember to check the paws have not stuck to something, or a small wound, if serious next time avoids taking the dog to those places.

4銆丮oisturize the paws
Many people do not understand why the dog's paws still need moisturizing, we humans usually wear shoes, while the dog's meat pads are in direct contact with the ground, and some dogs bleed because of dry paws. It should be noted that moisturizers for dogs can not use the human with those moisturizing water, and lotion, but to go to the pet store to buy special care products to protect the dog's paws.

5, summer dog walking to pay attention to the ground temperature
When the summer heat, the high temperature of the ground can even bake an egg, not to mention the dog's paws. Here is a way, is to reach out to feel the ground temperature, if the hand within five seconds can feel obvious discomfort, do not take the dog out, wait until the evening shade and then take the dog out. Otherwise, the high temperature of the ground is likely to burn the dog's paws.

These are the top 5 tips to teach you can effectively protect your dog's paws. Do not ignore the frequent licking paw behavior of dogs, which is likely to be the disease looking for the body. After understanding these reasons why dogs lick their paws, I hope your beloved pets will grow up healthy and happy.

Two, why does the dog keep licking its paws, is it sick?

Recently the family dog suddenly began to lick his feet, nothing, what happened?

The dog's paw licking is similar to human scratching! They will scratch other parts of their body with their paws, and when it's their turn to be uncomfortable with their paws, they mostly use licking to relieve the discomfort. If the licking is done from time to time and the dog's paws do not show signs of redness and inflammation, there is not much of a problem. However, if the owner finds that the dog has been licking a lot lately, it is best to "treat the problem" early and find the cause to solve the problem, otherwise it will develop into redness and inflammation later.

Why do dogs lick their feet? There are corresponding countermeasures for various reasons.

Dry weather
Recently into autumn, many people should feel the pain of dry weather, itching all over. Dogs in the south get frostbite on their paws in winter, but in the north, where basically every home has floor heating, it is especially dry and many dogs' paws become dry. Combined with the huge temperature difference between outside and home, paws suffer daily. Gently press each fleshy pad with your finger, and if it becomes hard and dry, it's time to take care of his paws!

Solution: After wiping your dog's feet with a warm, damp towel before bed, apply Vaseline or moisturizing glycerin, then wear an Elizabethan ring to prevent them from licking. If the paws are severely dry and cracked, it is best to reduce exercise. If it severely prevents walking seek medical attention without delay.

Inflamed paws
Dogs in the north are afraid of dry and cracked paws, and dogs in the south are afraid of wet and inflamed paws. Although the autumn, the Guangzhou side of the days is still particularly humid, as if back to the south. If the dog accidentally stepped on the water and did not get dry, wet weather, it is easy to become a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, poor resistance to the dog soon can not compete with the number of bacteria and fungi, paws began to red and inflamed.

Solution: first cut the hair on the soles of the dog's feet, too long will prevent the dog from walking, and stepping on the water will also be more difficult to dry. Remember to dry or blow dry after washing, and again rub your dog with medicine several times a day and wear an Elizabethan ring to prevent licking. When you get back from a trip and think your dog's paws are too dirty, wipe them with a wet paper towel so you don't have to wash your dog's feet and not blow dry them!

Foreign objects on the paws of the feet
Small gaps between the toes and with hair, easy to hide dirty things. If the dog walks every day, in addition to the flat stone path, will also go to the grass sand, that paws will inevitably have something. Sand, small stones, plant seeds, and even parasites may be hidden inside causing the dog to itch so much that it can only be relieved by licking! Some dogs step on foreign objects and hurt their paws, and instinctively lick to relieve the discomfort.

Solution: Wipe your dog's feet after each walk to clean the dirt from his paws. If the object lodged in the paw is a nail or a short branch, remove it as soon as possible. Your dog may not let you touch his injured paw because of the pain, and he may growl and grin when you try to touch the wound. It is best to find a high platform that the dog cannot jump off and use the dog's fear of heights to remove the foreign body.

If the owner feels unable to handle it, then take the dog to the doctor and don't let it walk again.

Boredom
Some owners may not understand why they need to lick their feet when they are bored. You can play with your phone and watch TV, but dogs have nothing else to play with, they can only play with themselves, licking and chewing their feet. Some people play with their phones and have to pick their feet, and some dogs are bored and like to lick their feet.

Solution: This is generally a lack of exercise resulting in high energy, but the home may not have toys for it to play with (or it is not interesting). Ensure that your dog gets enough exercise every day, about 2 hours a day for big dogs and about 1 hour a day for small dogs. Usually, there is nothing to give toys to play with, and dogs will naturally rest when they are tired, rather than being bored and doing nothing to keep chewing their feet.

Be wary of anxious licking
Anxious licking, the most typical is separation anxiety dogs! The dog is anxious about the master's separation, every time the master goes out, he is worried every second "master is not abandoning me", "master is not coming back later", and "I am very anxious about leaving the master "...... These dogs can not rest in peace after the master left home, wandering constantly at the door, making a whimpering sounds, chewing things to vent their anxiety. Some dogs, on the other hand, will relieve their anxiety by constantly licking. When dogs lick, their brains release endorphins (the feeling of pleasure), as if they were taking a drug. As long as a lick the feet of the dog will be happy, empty, and lonely dog had to lick every day to find happiness for themselves.

Dogs may keep licking until they lose their hair, lick until they get scabs and still lick, and develop lick granulomas (usually on the front legs).

Solution: Training to solve the dog separation anxiety, after the observation of many dog training cases, the general dog severe separation anxiety owners themselves can not solve, can only ask the dog trainer to help, slowly adjust. Solve the problem of separation anxiety, anxious licking naturally solved. If your dog keeps barking after you go out, that is also a symptom of separation anxiety. It is recommended that you do not interact with your dog for a period of time before you go out and come home every day, so that he can calm down. Don't always stick to your dog on a daily basis, let it learn to live independently.

Of course, if you really can't figure it out, take your dog to the doctor first, you can rule out most pathological causes, early detection and early treatment.